Friday Linkups: The Graveyard Book

It's Friday linkup time!  I'm linking up with the Book Blogger Hop hosted by Coffee Addicted Writer, Book Beginnings of Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, and the Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice

This Week's Book Blogger Hop Question
Name one book that scared you so badly that you couldn't finish reading it?

My Answer:
Hmmm... I can't think of a book that scared me so bad that I couldn't finish reading it though Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell did get the status of daytime only reading if I wanted to sleep at night!  I haven't done much scary reading lately though I have a few in the stack coming up that I'm hoping will earn that title.

This week's book is one I'm hoping will give me the creeps (though probably not over the top because it is technically a children's book) and I've been wanting to read Neil Gaiman for ages.  So when I found a gorgeous copy of The Graveyard Book I knew it was a sign that now was the time.  I haven't gotten very far but I have high hopes.

The Beginning:  
The knife had a handle of polished black bone, and a blade finer and sharper than any razor.

My Thoughts:
Well then!  I'm thinking the knife is not going to be used for some mundane purpose with that kind of description!

The 56:
The inside of Bod's head felt as if it were filled with cobwebs, and he shook it, trying to clear it.  Then he squeezed Scarlett's hand.  "We should go," he said.

My Thoughts:
I'm not here yet so I have no idea what's going on but I'm betting leaving is a good idea!

So what do you think?  Keep reading?

Crepe Factor - Blog Tour Review + Giveaway

Crepe Factor (A Scrapbooking Mystery #14) by Laura Childs with Terrie Farley Moran (Amazon)

Rating: Good
Source: Blog Tour

Description:  The holidays are a busy time for scrapbook shop owner Carmela Bertrand—but not so hectic that she doesn’t have time to enjoy browsing the booths at the Winter Market with her best friend Ava. The last thing the ladies expect to see is a thrashing man stabbed by a serving fork, dying in front of them.
The victim is loathed restaurant critic Martin Lash, who posted his scathing reviews on the Glutton for Punishment website. And the prime suspect is New Orleans restauranteur Quigg Brevard—who was seen giving the critic a tongue-lashing minutes before someone stuck a fork in him. An old flame of Carmela, Quigg asks for her help, which does not please her current beau, Detective Edgar Babcock, to say the least.

Before her relationship is the next victim, Carmela needs to find a murderer who had no reservations about punishing the culinary curmudgeon...

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  This is probably one of the first cozy series I read and I really loved it.  I'm excited to check back in and see what I've missed!

My Impression:  This Scrapbooking mystery series is probably one of the first cozy series I ever read and I remember searching through all the local bookstores - new and used- hoping to find the newest one.  But somewhere over the years the series fell off my radar and I think the last book I read was #4.  I was so pleased to have the chance to read the newest release though I was curious if I'd be able to keep up with who everyone was in the story and how Memory Mine, Carmela's scrapbook store would be updated.
I found this book a delight!  I had no problem keeping up with the characters which was good because other than Carmela I remembered very little about them.  I think anyone would be able to jump right into the series with this book without any problems.  There are definitely backstories but who everyone is is clearly explained and flows well with the story.  And the scrapbook store is just as gorgeous as I remember.  Since scrapbooking seems to be more digital now I was worried it would feel a little dated but all it really did was make me want to go and collect gorgeous papers and make luminaries and cards.  And can someone please teach that bookbinding class that Carmela was teaching?  It sounded like so much fun!
I really liked Carmela and her friend Ava.  They're so different but I really did believe they were friends.  I loved how this book really felt like it takes place in New Orleans.  So often a great setting is only just mentioned but it really felt like Carmela was in New Orleans and taking part in New Orleans society.  Of course the parts about the food (and there were lots!) were my favorite parts.  I do question how Carmela and Ava manage to run their separate stores when they're spending so much time investigating but there was enough scrapbook talk from Carmela that it didn't bother me.
The mystery was lots of fun.  It's hard to find someone who didn't want to kill the victim and I really didn't have an idea of who the actual killer was until towards the end.  Why Carmela is most clearly an amateur detective her nosiness didn't annoy me like it sometimes does and I really enjoyed being along for the ride.  I also loved the occasional mentions of Carmela ordering tea from a little shop in Charleston in what is clearly a mention of one of Childs other series.  It made me smile every time and made me want to go back and check out that series again as well!

I'm glad I revisited this old favorite and the next one will definitely be on my TBR list!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Absolutely!  I'm looking forward to catching up on this series and I have another book in her Cackleberry Club series that I'm excited to start.

Would I Recommend this Book?: Definitely!  If you enjoy a cozy (and especially a craft-y cozy) this is a series you should definitely try.  You can also jump in anywhere in the series which is an added bonus.

Masking for Trouble - Blog Tour Review + Giveaway

Masking for Trouble (A Costume Shop Mystery #2) by Dianne Vallere (Amazon)

Rating: Good
Source: Blog Tour

Description:  Halloween conjures up big business for Margo Tamblyn’s costume shop, Disguise DeLimit, but this year, the holiday comes knocking with serious trouble. Venture capitalist Paul Haverford plans to rezone historic downtown into a glitzy commercial area which would push out local business. Margo is set on saving her family’s store, especially after a nasty run-in with the chain-store tycoon, but after Haverford’s body is discovered during a spooky party at the derelict Alexandria Hotel, Margo finds herself dressed as the police’s prime suspect.
Anxious to clear her name, Margo begins hunting down anyone who might have wanted Haverford dead. Between all of his malicious maneuverings, the murdered mogul had buckets of people anxious to see him gone. Now, Margo will have to use every trick in the book to find a cloaked killer—before someone else winds up wearing a death shroud...

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I really enjoyed the first book in the series and Vallere is my go-to author for quirky cozy mysteries.

My Impression:  When I'm looking for a fun cozy mystery Vallere never lets me down and Masking for Trouble was no exception.  It's Halloween season in the costume shop and the people of Proper City are keeping Margo hopping.  In between fittings and restocking she has a run in with Paul Haverford which is followed by a public display of anger on her part.  So when she discovers his body at a place she really isn't supposed to be at a party she's not really invited too it's pretty clear that she's going to be a suspect.

Margo is a great main character.  She's likable, quick on her feet, and intelligent and while her behavior does stray over into impulsive it never crosses the border into TSTL (to stupid to live) territory.  I loved being back at the costume shop and catching up with Margo, Ebony, and all the rest of the costume shop/Proper City crew.  I do hope we see more of her father in the next book.

I enjoyed the mystery quite a bit.  There's defintiely a lot of antics (and a lot of costumes) but the mystery was well done with enough twists and turns to keep it interesting but not get confusing.  The reveal was suspenseful and kept me reading a bit past my bedtime!  It defintiely got me in the Halloween spirit!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Absolutely!  I have enjoyed several different series by Vallere and hope there is more to come in this one.

Would I Recommend this Book?: Definitely!  If you enjoy cozy mysteries this is a fun way to get in the Halloween spirit.

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Villians

Today's Top Ten Tuesday Topic from The Broke and the Bookish is All About the Villains.  As I was thinking about it I realized that I don't really read books with villains.  I mean I frequently read books with murders but they are more bad guys than actual villains and they frequently have reasons for why the're killing the store owner/new person in town/person the main character threatened to kill in public.  And while murder is not okay I wouldn't categorize them as villains for the most part.  So I'm spreading into other areas and thinking about who really creeps me out in books, television, and film.

Books:

Levana from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer - The whole fact that she can make people feel different ways and see different things is super creepy.  Plus the fact that she's perfectly good with killing just about everyone she can't manipulate put her in the extra evil character.

Josie Pye from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - Okay so Josie isn't exactly evil but she's so awful.  She's passive aggressive and petty and just plain mean spirited.  And everyone knows someone just like her.

Television:

Raymond Reddington from The Blacklist -  Reddington is actually pretty likable for the most part but just as I begin to think that he's really just a nice guy with a bad past he shoots someone for fun or doesn't something else awful and reminds me that he's really a pretty awful guy and he knows EVERYTHING.

The Silence from Doctor Who - There's something about this creature that you forget as soon as you look away from but can still influence your thoughts and actions that's terrifying!  I'll take a Weeping Angel any day.

James Moriarty from Sherlock - He's absolutely brilliant with an eye for detail and is basically acting solely for his own entertainment.  How do you fight that?

The Gravedigger from Bones - Alien in a Spaceship is probably one of my favorite episodes of Bones and the one where we meet the Gravedigger.  There's something terrifying about the fact that there is no negotiating and no mercy plus the who ideas of being buried alive gives me the heebie jeebies.  

Movies:

Patrick Bateman from American Psycho - A number of years ago J and I were both sick but the kind that you can't sleep because you're so miserable.  So we were in the living room watching TV and finally my cold medicine decided to kick in and I zonked out on the couch.  About 2 hours later I woke up - still out of it from the meds - to find myself completely alone with all the light off and the TV on.  And I'd been lucky enough to wake up right in the middle of the threesome scene of American Psycho where the main character has decided to take an axe to two unlucky girls who went home with him.  I'm still a bit traumatized.

Cruella De Vil from 101 Dalmatians - Because seriously who makes a coat out of puppies?  I do have the book on my TBR but I haven't read it yet so I'm keeping Cruella in the movie category until I read the book just to be sure she's just as evil.

The Scarecrow from Batman Begins - There are so many terrifying Batman Villains but something about The Scarecrow in the first movie who turns your brain against you is the scariest to me.

Annabel from Annabel - Yes I know that it's really something possessing the doll and not the doll itself but have you seen the doll?  Who buys something like that?  And why on earth would you put it in an infant's bedroom??

What villains scare you the most?  

The Girl in the Castle - Blog Tour Historical Fiction Review

About The Girl in the Castle

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (September 27, 2016)

International sensation Santa Montefiore presents the first book in a trilogy that follows three Irish women through the decades of the twentieth century—perfect for fans of Kate Morton and Hazel Gaynor.

Born on the ninth day of the ninth month in the year 1900, Kitty Deverill is special as her grandmother has always told her. Built on the stunning green hills of West Cork, Ireland, Castle Deverill is Kitty’s beloved home, where many generations of Deverills have also resided. Although she’s Anglo-Irish, Kitty’s heart completely belongs to the wild countryside of the Emerald Isle, and her devotion to her Irish-Catholic friends Bridie Doyle, the daughter of the castle’s cook, and Jack O’Leary, the vet’s son, is unmatched—even if Jack is always reminding her that she isn’t fully Irish. Still, Jack and Kitty can’t help falling in love although they both know their union faces the greatest obstacles since they are from different worlds.

Bridie cherishes her friendship with Kitty, who makes her feel more like her equal than a servant. Yet she can’t help dreaming of someday having all the wealth and glamour Kitty’s station in life affords her. But when she discovers a secret that Kitty has been keeping from her, Bridie finds herself growing resentful toward the girl in the castle who seems to have it all.

When the Irish revolt to throw over British rule in Southern Ireland, Jack enlists to fight. Worried for her safety, Jack warns Kitty to keep her distance, but she refuses and throws herself into the cause for Irish liberty, running messages and ammunition between the rebels. But as Kitty soon discovers, her allegiance to her family and her friends will be tested—and when Castle Deverill comes under attack, the only home and life she’s ever known are threatened.

A powerful story of love, loyalty, and friendship, The Girl in the Castle is an exquisitely written novel set against the magical, captivating landscape of Ireland.

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

My Thoughts:

Santa Montefiore has a gift for transporting her readers right into her books with her vivid settings and flawed and dynamic characters.  Her book, Secrets of the Lighthouse, was one of my favorite books of 2014 so I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to read her newest book which is also set in Ireland.  I was not disappointed.  Castle Deverill, the village, 1920s New York, and all the other settings came to life before my eyes and I felt like I knew Kitty, Bridie and the the rest.

This is a tragic book set in a tragic time. The characters faced unbelievable hardship and at times that made it difficult to read because I felt like these were real people that I genuinely liked (well most of them - Maud and Michael win no prizes).  This has the feel of a family saga type novel and there is a lot of jumping from head to head but I never had trouble keep track of everyone.  My only complaint was that the ending felt very open ended but I just discovered that this appears to be Book 1 in a series so that is no longer a complaint.  Now I just have to wait for Book 2 to find out what happens with the Deverills, Jack, and Bridie.  4 Stars

About Santa Montefiore

Santa Montefiore was born in England. She went to Sherborne School for Girls in Dorset and studied Spanish and Italian at Exeter University. She has written sixteen bestselling novels, which have been translated into thirty different languages and have sold more than two million copies worldwide.

Find out more about Santa at her website, and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

This Week in Reading - October 2

It's Sunday Post time!  This is hosted by the awesome Caffeinated Book Reviewer and gives us all a chance to recap our week.

What I Got:

The Christmas Town by Donna VanLiere - Another Christmas book but this one isn't a typical romance which is intriguing.  So many of the holiday books are romance themed that it's nice to have something that isn't.  (Publisher)

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins - I've been meaning to read this book FOREVER and it's going to happen before Halloween!  I'm really looking forward to it and hoping it lives up to my expectations.  (Library)


And that's it!  Only two books and one is from the library so it isn't adding to my review book count.  I'm not sure I want to go on a full on book buying freeze but I'm starting to feel really overwhelmed and I need to at least cut back.  Does anyone else ever feel this way?

Currently:

Reading: Crepe Factor by Laura Childs and Terrie Farley Moran for a blog tour stop later this week and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Listening:  A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley.  I absolutely love Jayne Entwistle's narration for this series!

Watching:  We're still watching season 3 of Blacklist.  I'm not completely in love with it but I've heard it gets better.  I'm also almost done with watching Catfish on Hulu and am going to go back to Blindspot.

Off the Blog:

Well we ended up buying a car last weekend.  We traded in our beloved but rather elderly Toyota Sequoia and ended up getting a newer (but not new) Toyota Rav4.  After some rather stressful time wandering around dealerships and dealing with salesman we ended up at a national used car dealership and the experience was SOOO much better.  For starters all the prices were on the car and that's what you pay.  I know some people really enjoy the haggling game but I am not one of them.  I also really liked that all the cars were unlocked so you could explore at your leisure.  We never would have gotten what we ended up with if that hadn't been the case because it wasn't something either of us had thought about but we love it!  I'm still figuring out how to use all the new features.  A lot of it is the same because a Toyota is a Toyota but a lot has changed in the 11 years since I bought my last one!

In other news we're on vacation!!  The weather looks gorgeous so hopefully it stays that way and we're so excited.  This is the first vacation we've taken in awhile that didn't involve staying with family and we've been counting down the days.  I won't be around for a few days but I'm looking forward to catching up when I get back!

On the Blog:

What Happened:

Monday:  The Munich Girl - Historical Fiction Review

Tuesday:  Top Ten Tuesday: My Fall TBR

Wednesday:  Christmas in Eternity Springs - Contemporary Romance Review

Thursday:  Beyond the Books: Do You Believe in Ghosts (Where I share my personal ghost story)

Friday:  Friday Linkups with teasers from A Red Herring Without Mustard

Saturday:  Pies and Prejudice - Cozy Mystery Review + Recipe

What's Coming Up:

Monday:  The Girl in the Castle - Historical Fiction Blog Tour Review

Tuesday:  Top Ten Tuesday:  My Favorite Non-bookish Villains

Wednesday:  Masking for Trouble - Blog Tour Cozy Mystery Review

Thursday:  Crepe Factor - Blog Tour Cozy Mystery Review

Friday:  Friday Linkups with Current Book

Saturday:  TBD

Have a great week and happy reading!

Pies and Prejudice - Cozy Mystery Review + Recipe

Pies and Prejudice (A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery #1) by Ellery Adams (Amazon)

Description:  When the going gets tough, Ella Mae LeFaye bakes pie.  So when she catches her husband cheating in New York, she heads back home to Havenwood, Georgia, where she can drown her sorrows in fresh fruit filling and flaky crust.  But her pies aren't just delicious, they're also having magical effects on the people who eat them - and the public is hungry for more.

Having discovered her hidden talent for enchantment, Ella Mae makes her own wish come true by opening The Charmed Pie Shoppe.  But with her old nemesis Loralyn Gaynor making trouble, and her old crush Hugh Dylan making nice, she has more than pie on her plate.  And when Loralyn's fiance is found dead - killed with Ella Mae's rolling pin - it'll take all her sweet magic to clear her name. (from the back cover)

My Thoughts: Ellery Adams is a name I've seen floating around in cozy mystery world for quite some time.   She has a number of tempting looking series (including one that features a book themed bed and breakfast but that's a story for another day) and I couldn't wait to get started on the Charmed Pie Shoppe series.  What's better than pie and murder?

Since this is the first book in the series there's a lot of setup.  We meet Ella Me's family, we hear about her marriage and what went wrong, and we follow along as she gets her footing back in her hometown and figures out just what exactly she can do with her pies.  I never felt like it got overburdened with details or that we were taking a timeout from the plot to get caught up on the back story.  The flow was really nice and the mystery was very fast paced.

As far as mysteries go this is definitely smack in the middle of cozy.  There isn't any grit, the detective is most definitely an amateur and there are quite a lot of hi-jinks courtesy of Ella Mae's aunts and the family friend Reba.  With all that I never felt like it drifted into overly silly or slapstick territory.  This is an entertaining mystery especially if you're in the mood for something a little on the lighter side.  Just don't read on an empty stomach because it'll have you wanting pie!  Luckily there are several recipes in the back for savory as well as sweet pies.  I'll be making Shoofly Pie.

Charmed Shoofly Pie

1 Charmed Piecrust (there is a recipe in the book but just use your favorite - I'll be using Pillsbury because I'm boycotting making piecrusts)

1 cup flour

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons butter

1cup molasses

1 large egg, beaten

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out crust and place on bottom of 9 inch pie dish (Ella Mae recommends a glass pie dish for this pie).  Trim off extra dough and pinch sides of dough.

Mix together first three ingredients until butter is integrated (using the pulse bottom on a food processor works nicely).  Reserve 1/2 cup of crumb mixture.

Add molasses, beaten egg, and baking soda into mixture.  Then add boiling water and mix well.  Pour the filling into pie dish.  Scatter reserved crumb mixture evenly atop pie.

Bake for 18 minutes, then lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake another 20 minutes until the crust is golden and center of pie is only a bit wobbly.  Cool for 1 hour.

This pie is very rich and Ella Mae recommends that you serve it with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (I'm pro whipped cream here.  Ice cream just seems excessive with this.).

It's been a long time since I've had Shoofly pie so I'm really excited to make this one!  It's perfect for holiday baking or just because sometimes a Tuesday requires pie.

I'm linking up with Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads