This Week in Reading - October 9

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:

Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places by Colin Dickey - I heard about this one on the podcast All the Books from Book Riot and knew I couldn't resist it.  Between Liberty's raves about the book and the author and my own fascination I just couldn't pass it up.  I can't wait to read it!

A Gala Event by Sheila Connolly - This is a favorite cozy series that I am of course way behind in.  I couldn't resist a pre-order and hope to start catching up very soon.  Especially since we've been visiting apple orchards lately.  It has me wanting to get caught up in this cozy mystery series that takes place in an orchard!

Lovers and Newcomers by Rosie Thomas - Thomas' Iris and Ruby is still one of my favorite reads from this year so I jumped at the chance to review this newest one from her!  (Publisher)

Currently:

Reading:  A Charming Voodoo by Tonya Kappes (just started - no opinion yet) and All the Little Liars by Charlaine Harris (so excited about this one!)

Listening: I'm still listening to A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley.  I'm really enjoying it but just haven't had much listening time this week.

Watching: We are finishing up The Blacklist (hopefully this week).  It's gotten better but season 3 is definitely my least favorite.  I'm good with never hearing the word "Cabal" again.

Off the Blog:

We are back from vacation and had a fantastic time!  While we've visited family pretty regularly this was the first time in awhile we've actually had a stay in a hotel do touristy stuff kind of vacation.  We hiked some and went to an aquarium and did bunches of other stuff.  We walked miles everyday and my feet are still exhausted but it was such fun!  We got back Tuesday night but J decided to take the whole week off work and we've kind of turned this week into a mini-staycation.  We've been getting some catch up done (so much laundry!) but doing at least one fun thing everyday.  So far we've gone to a movie (Storks - it was okay), to a local pumpkin patch with hayrides and all that, and to a living history museum.  Not sure what we're doing today (Sunday) but we've got a couple of ideas.  It's going to be a difficult to go back to reality tomorrow!

One of my favorite pics from the trip.  They are deep in conversation about something!

I've decided it's time I actually tackle making photo albums of all my digital pictures so they don't stay on my phone/PC forever.  I thought since I have a decent number of pictures from the trip but not an overwhelming amount that I'd start there.  Anyone use any particular site to make albums?  Any preference?  

On the Blog:

What Happened:

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

Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday - All About the Villains

Wednesday: Masking for Trouble - Blog Tour Cozy Mystery Review + Giveaway

Thursday: Crepe Factor - Cozy Mystery Review and Giveaway

Friday: Friday Linkups featuring teasers from The Graveyard Book

Saturday: Christmas Comes to Main Street - Contemporary Romance Review + Recipe

What's Coming Up:

Monday: Before the Fall - Fiction Review

Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday - Books I've Read Based on Recommendations

Wednesday: Snow Fall on Haven Point - Contemporary Romance Review

Thursday: TBD

Friday: Linkups with Teasers from Current Book

Saturday: Charming Voodoo - Blog Tour Review

Have a great week and happy reading!

Christmas Comes to Main Street - Contemporary Romance Review + Recipe

Christmas Comes to Main Street (The Briar Creek Series #5) by Olivia Miles (Amazon link)

Rating: Good
Source: Publisher

In this 5th book in the Briar Creek series Miles gives us Kara Hastings, a woman who has a fairly flaky past but is desperate to get her cookie bakery off the ground to prove to everyone she can stick to something and has grown up.  New to town is Nate Griffin, nephew of the owner of the local B&B and permanent Christmas Grinch.

I really like Kara.  She's so determined to make the bakery work that she's working past exhaustion and it doesn't feel like she has much support.  While she has friends and family that love her they don't take her ambitions very seriously because of her past behavior.  She's never been particularly irresponsible but she doesn't have a history of sticking to things.I admired Kara's determination to make it work on her own even when it crossed into stubbornness.

I found Nate a little harder to connect to.  He's definitely guarded and has a chip on his shoulder about growing up in poverty.  I could understand his desire to prosper and take care of his parents but his hangups seemed a little much at times.  I really didn't love his reaction to Kara using her inheritance to start her bakery.  The word "inheritance" doesn't mean millions of dollars.  His assumption that Kara is just an idle rich girl even when he sees nothing to confirm that she is and everything to confirm that she is working her butt off annoyed me at times.  That isn't to say I didn't like him.  I loved how loyal he is to his Aunt Maggie even when he thinks she's nuts.  I loved how he acted with Kara and how much he was really trying to help her.

Overall, I really enjoy this series.  It's not all light and fluff.  The characters have real troubles and real worries that while aren't always hugely dramatic make them feel very real.  While the book is definitely a romance there is a lot of focus on the town of Briar Creek as a whole and on Kara's struggles with getting her business off the ground.  The focus is mostly on the emotional connection and while there is a little heat it's mostly the fade to black kind.

Oh and the cookies!  How can I not talk about the cookies?  Because Kara isn't just starting up any business - she's starting up a cookie business!  And there's lots of talk about cookies.  There's gingerbread, oatmeal cookies, scads of cream cheese sugar cookies and just every kind of cookie you could think of.  The ones that really made my mouth water were some she was making called Red Velvet Cream Cheese Candy Canes.  Anyone have a recipe for something like that?  They sound like cookie perfection!

Since I don't currently have the Red Velvet Cream Cheese Cookie recipe (there's no recipes at the back of the book - I double checked)  I thought I'd look up some of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes and share one.  These Tender Toffee-Chocolate Rounds from King Arthur Flour's Cookie Companion looks like they can fill the void for a little while!

Tender Toffee-Chocolate Rounds

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup toffee bits

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.

In the microwave, or in a saucepan set over very low heat, melt the chocolate and butter together, stirring until smooth.  Set mixture aside to cool to lukewarm.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking powder and salt.  Beat in the melted chocolate, then stir in the flour, toffee bits, and chocolate chips.

Drop the dough by tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheets.  Bake the cookes for about 12 minutes, or until the tops are cracked and dry but the cookies are still soft to the touch.  Don't overbake these; they'll become firm as they cool.  Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

I haven't made these yet but they're on my list of holiday cookies to make this year.  I think a little taste testing might be in order very soon though!  I love chocolate and toffee.  What are your favorite holiday cookies?

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

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.