The Death of a Policeman - Review

Death of a Policeman: A Hamish Macbeth Mystery by M.C. Beaton

Rating: 3 Stars

Description:  When DCI Blair sends a spy to see if he can shut down Sergeant Hamish Macbeth's station things go horribly wrong.  For starters everyone in Lochdubh spots Cyril Sessions for exactly what he is and refuse to give him the information he and Blair want.  Things get worse when Sessions is found dead from a shotgun blast to the chest.  Things begin to lead away from Macbeth when a strange phone number is found in one of the last places Sessions was and the new Scottish police forces finds themselves embroiled in a very sinister mystery where it becomes hard to tell who the enemy really is.

Genre: Mystery

My Impression:  While I have read several of Beaton's Agatha Raisin books this is my first Macbeth.  There is a lot of back story for this character.  There are 2 past fiances and an ex kind of stalker as well as a rocky history with DCI Blair and who knows what else.  While I was able to still read and enjoy this book I think I would've enjoyed it more if I had started earlier in the series. That being said the mystery was very interesting and not to coincidence based which is one of my pet peeves.  Each link in the story is added due to something uncovered either in an interview or other form of investigation.  The story did meander a bit and the end seemed unnecessary to the core story though it was pretty funny in a very dark kind of way.  There are some very serious subjects presented but they are handled with a very light hand and would be fine for mystery readers who tend to stick to cozies.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes, I think any cozy mystery reader would enjoy it.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Yes though I would recommend starting with an earlier book.

Blackberry Pie Murder - Review

Blackberry Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Rating: 3 Stars

Description:  Hannah Swenson is used to finding dead bodies but has yet to be the reason they're deceased.  Until now that it is, when a tragic yet unavoidable leaves a man dead on the side of a back road during a terrible storm Hannah has no choice but to find out who he was and what really happened.  Between feeling guilty and wanting to clear her name the town of Lake Eden is once again involved in another murder investigation.

Genre: Mystery

My Impression: Joanne Fluke is one of those names that you see around if you read cozies for any length of time but this is the first one of hers that I've picked up.  All the titles involve food and I was a little worried the mystery itself would be to cutesy because of the titles.  What I found instead was a well done mystery filled with likable characters.  The mystery itself did take a turn into some darker elements in life and those were handled well despite a somewhat artificial feel.  Hannah's mother, Deloris's wedding is an entertaining side plot.  The love triangle doesn't feel very love triangle-y and it was a mystery to me why Hannah hadn't made up her mind as it seemed kind of obvious.  There were 2 elements that kept it from being a 4 star book.  One was the exercise machine. It just felt so random and unnecessary and yet so much time seemed to be spent talking about it.  Also, the ending had a cliffhanger aspect which didn't seemed very abrupt.  I actually went back and reread the last pages to make sure I hadn't missed anything.  Hannah actually does work at her bakery which is a nice change from many cozy amateur sleuths who never actually seem to do their jobs.  The recipes look amazing which isn't normally something I think when reading a book with recipes.  Fluke has a cookbook I've seen bouncing around the library that I'm going to have to track down.  All in all, this is a fun, light, well done mystery and while it isn't the perfect the pros far outweigh the cons.  The good thing for me is she has a tremendous back list I get to read now!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Yes, to any cozy mystery lover.

Disengaged - Review

Disengaged by Beth Orsoff

Rating: 3 Stars

Description:  Allie Zent is newly engaged to her ambitious, good looking and good in bed boyfriend Brad.  There are only a few hiccups in her happiness - her friends can't stand him, his mother is taking over and she's met a new very intriguing guy named Jax.

Genre: Romance

My Impression:  This book got 3 stars because it was an entertaining lightweight read.  I read it in basically 1 sitting without getting bored with it but other than that I'm pretty apathetic about it.  Allie is likable even though she's almost painfully naive and the most indecisive character I've come across in awhile.  Brad is a jerk and a total momma's boy.  Sylvia is awful.  Michael is to be honest kind of annoying.  Jax is interesting and romantic.  That's about all the character development there is with the exception of Allie's mother, Barbara, who changes a little bit from her basic stock character of hippy activist.  There's nothing particularly memorable about this book.  I finished it last night and am already struggling to remember parts of it.  I read it after watching HBO's True Detective so Jax kind of looks like Matthew McConaughey and I watched The Bachelor (no judging!) yesterday morning so Allie looks like Kat and Brad looks like Juan Pab whatever.  That's my most immediate thought about the book if that gives you any idea of the substance or lack there of.  The ending was cute.  I wish everyone well but do I really care?  Not really.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: No not without glowing recommendations from a reader I trust.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  If this is in one of those take a book bookshelves in a hotel or condo than sure.  If it's free or really cheap right before a car trip or plane ride than it's not a bad way to spend a few hours.  Otherwise, no not worth searching out.

Cider Brook - Review

Cider Brook by Carla Neggers

Rating: 3 Stars

Description:  Samantha Bennett is a treasure hunter in a family of adventurers.  When she discovers a painting and a manuscript among her late grandfather's things that tie the pirate she is researching to the little town of Knights Bridge, Massachusetts.  Her plan is to find the cider mill in the painting, try and locate the pirate's treasure and put some of her past demons behind her.

Justin Sloan was somewhat annoyed when he discovered a woman passed out in his burning cider mill and suspicious when he discovered the woman's name.  Is Samantha here for the reasons she says she is or is she hiding something.

Genre: Romance

My Impression:  This is my first book by Carla Neggers and the 3rd in the series.  I was a little worried starting a series in the middle but I think this book was strong enough that the series doesn't need to be read in order.  Characters from previous books were a part of the story but weren't instrumental to the development.  I thought the historical element was very interesting and wound nicely through the story.  The setting was well drawn and filled with likable if not perfect people.  I loved that many of the characters weren't perfect.  They made decisions or reacted sometimes based on emotion and later regretted it.  There was the potential to be a big secret which is one of my least favorite plot devices but it was handled well.  My opinion of Samantha and another female character named Loretta changed through out the book as they grew emotionally and I was very impressed by that.  Very rarely do I find characters that are flawed but still likable and understandable.  The story wrapped up a little too quickly and there were some coincidences on top of coincidences.  Justin was definitely the strong silent type ant that could read as cold but I think there was enough depth of character shown that it countered that.  I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of this series and Neggers' other books.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Yes

What a Ghoul Wants by Victoria Laurie - Review

What a Ghoul Wants by Victoria Laurie

Rating: 3 Stars

Description:  Medium M.J. Holliday and the rest of the crew of the show Ghoul Getters find themselves at an extremely haunted castle in Wales.  When M.J. and Heath have a near death experience at the hands of the castle's Grim Widow and other castle guest start showing up dead in the moat is it possible to get rid of the nasty spirit, get the footage they need to keep their show going, and leave the castle alive?

Genre: Mystery

My Impression: I've always found Laurie's books to be really fun though not necessarily the best written.  However, in both of her series the slightly annoying side character has become a REALLY annoying side character.  By about halfway through this one I absolutely could not understand why M.J. had not packed Gilley up and sent him back to the U.S. or given him to the widow.  There was absolutely nothing redeemable about him whatsoever.  Laurie also has a tendency to make her lead characters know everything about everything and it definitely got to be a little much in this book.  Find a strange button on the ground?  Don't worry M.J. is a button expert, need advice on running a castle turned hotel in Wales?  Don't worry M.J. knows all about that.  Need to solve a non-ghost related murder?  M.J. once again to the rescue.  It got a little old to say the least.  The second half of the book improved a bit and even though the conclusion was a little hurried I thought it was an interesting way to explain everything both on a ghost and non-ghost level.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: I probably shouldn't since the last few have annoyed me so much but I probably will end up at least trying them.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  No, not really unless you really LOVE hauntings.

A Most Scandalous Proposal by Ashlyn MacNamara

A Most Scandalous Proposal by Ashlyn MacNamara

Rating: 3 Stars

Description:  When her parents and the Earl of Clivesden plot to marry her off to said Earl Julia is lucky to have her childhood friend Benedict Revelstoke on her side.  Not only is the Earl of Clivesden not someone Julia wants to marry he is also the very man her older sister Sophia has been in love with for the last 5 years.  Then Sophia finds herself in a compromising situation with the Earl of Highgate and has to agree to his proposal.

Genre:  Historical Romance

My Impression:  This book wasn't quite what I expected.  It was definitely more of an ensemble cast than a leading couple than any other romance I've read in the past.  I spent quite awhile wanting to shake both of them.  Benedict is obviously in love with Julia and even though people tell her that it doesn't really seem like it occurs to her to do anything about it until she gets really and truly backed into a corner.  Highgate is obviously the perfect man for Sophia but she's so busy pining for Clivesden who not only has never really acknowledged her but also seems to be a truly awful person.  Her love for Clivesden seemed very adolescent crush and got a bit tiresome.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:  Probably though the reviews and plot summary of the next one didn't really interest me.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Yes

The Tao of Martha by Jen Lancaster - Review

The Tao of Martha by Jen Lancaster

Rating: 3 Stars

Description:  While frantically looking for something in her home Jen Lancaster realized that her levels of clutter and chaos were detracting from her life.  After talking about resolutions for the new year she decided to spend the year living like Martha.

Genre: Memoir

My Impression:  I was so excited when I stumbled upon this book while browsing what my library had under the subject "Martha Stewart".  I've been obsessed with Martha the last couple of weeks for reasons I can't quite figure out.  The summary of this book read like the books The Happiness Project (which Lancaster actually references) and Julie and Julia had a baby with a sense of humor.  I was somewhat disappointed with what I found.  Unlike The Happiness Project there are no clear goals or set ideas Lancaster's working towards.  She mentions living like Martha but there's not much explanation for how she does it.  The vagueness of the whole thing kind of bugged me.  Also, there's a lot about her dog.  For most of the book I was wondering why she dragged Martha into the book at all because the book seemed to be mostly about her beloved dog Maisy being in the last stages of life.  While those parts were sweetly done it wasn't what I wanted from this book.  The parts where she does talk about copying Martha either for party planning or cooking I found very interesting but unfortunately these parts feel few and far between.  This book wasn't bad and if I had read any of Jen Lancaster's other books and really loved her I probably would've gotten more out of it.  However, I was looking for a book about a normal person trying Martha Stewart's methods and this just wasn't it.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:  No

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Only to someone who really loved Lancaster's previous books.  I wouldn't say don't read it but it definitely isn't a "You have to go out and get this book right now!"

Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin - Review

Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin

Rating: 3 Stars
Description:  A little while after writing The Happiness Project Gretchen Rubin was hit with a wave of homesickness in her own home.  She spent the next 9 months trying to make her home more homey.

Genre:  Self-Help

My Impression:  Ehh.  I got a lot out of The Happiness Project so I was really looking forward to reading about her next project.  I was pretty disappointed by this one though.  I found the first 3 chapters useful but after that it was kind of same old same old.  This book felt like kind of a stretch - like the publisher was pushing for a new book so this was thrown together when there really wasn't enough new information.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:  Yes though I'll probably wait until I could get it from the library.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  No.

Kilmeny of the Orchard by L.M. Montgomery - Review

Kilmeny of the Orchard by L.M. Montgomery

Rating: 3 Stars

Description:  Golden boy Eric Marshall does a favor for a friend after he graduates college by taking over the friend's school in a tiny town on Prince Edward Island.  While there he meets a girl that throws his whole charmed existence on its ear.  Kilmeny is a beautiful talented girl who has lived a very sheltered life to hid both the stain of her birth and the fact that she cannot speak.  Can the educated rich boy and the poor sheltered girl find a future together?

Genre: Children/YA

My Impression:  This is Montgomery's shortest stand alone novel and it isn't terribly developed.  Eric is handsome, rich and charming.  Kilmeny is beautiful, plays the violin and isn't able to speak.  The characters aren't really drawn much deeper than that.  I like Eric - everyone likes Eric - and the family he rents his room from.  The Gordon's are also an interesting family.  I felt that the "stain" surrounding Kilmeny's mother and Kilmeny's birth was actually fairly realistic.  The emotions that came from it were appropriate for the situation.  However, the romantic relationship between Kilmeny and Eric was a little creepy.  Kilmeny is so sheltered and such a child that her becoming romantically involved with Eric just a bit wrong.  This is a very simple story with a small list of characters and the time period stretches out over several months.  This is probably my least favorite of the stand alone novels but it is still a fun lightweight read.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:  Yes, obviously.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Not over Montgomery's other books.

Sacred Sins by Nora Roberts - Review

Sacred Sins by Nora Roberts

Rating: 3 Stars

Description:  A serial killer dressed as a priest is targeting 20 something blond women in Washington DC.  To help catch the killer before the body count grows higher the mayor sends in psychiatrist Tess Court who happens to be a blond 20 something woman.  The serial killer starts to focus on Tess as she and the lead detective start to develop a relationship.

Genre: Romance because of the author but it's really more of a mystery

My Impression:  This was one of the first Roberts books I read and definitely the only 1980s novel of hers that I enjoyed.  I probably didn't enjoy this as much this time as I remember liking it last time.  The crime part is pretty good with plenty of creepy details.  I really loved Tess.  She is smart, driven and has a sense of humor.  She is aware of the need to detach from her patients but is frequently unable to do so.  She is aware that she can come of as to cold or clinical but is afraid to really let her full emotions show.  My primary problem with this book was Ben.  I loved his partner but Ben was a jerk.  He had a valid reason for being leery of her profession but his complete lack of respect for her as a person was pretty jarring.  The fact that she held up okay at a crime scene was a complete turn off to him to the point he stopped calling her (a physical relationship had already started at this point) and began dating another woman.  Towards the end of the book he actually says something along the lines of he may at some point see her profession as having value.  To me this did not bode well for a long term relationship and I thought Tess deserved much better.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Definitely more by this author but probably not of this series.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  No

Brownies and Broomsticks by Bailey Cates - Review

Brownies and Broomsticks by Bailey Cates

Rating: 3 Stars

Description:  Katie Lightfoot is dumped and unemployed so she moves to Savannah, Georgia to help her aunt and uncle open a bakery.  Things go terribly wrong when an awful woman with a lot of influence is found murdered right outside right after an argument with Katie's Uncle Ben.  To make things worse Ben is the prime and only suspect in the murder.  Also, turns out Katie's aunt is a witch and so is Katie.  Katie must settle in, get a business of the ground, keep her uncle from being framed for murder and figure out the whole witchcraft thing.

Genre:  Mystery

My Impression:  I like the setting and feel of this book.  The food was talked about enough without it being a primer on how to bake things where someone happened to die.  Katie is likable as our most of the other characters though I'm not too sold on the love triangle thing.  It reminded me a little to much of early Janet Evanovich's with the straight laced cop (in this case firefighter) and mysterious rebel.  I also liked that the police weren't total idiots and Katie generally had a decent reason for doing something stupid.  It was light and fluffy and enjoyable but not something I thought about when I wasn't reading it.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:   Yes, this was fun enough that I'm interested to see where the series goes and how the characters develop.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Probably not.  While it was a fun read it wasn't a standout.

Anne of Ingleside and The Rubber Band - Reviews

Anne of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery

Rating: 3 Stars

Description:  This is the 5th book of the series in between Anne's House of Dreams and Rainbow Valley.  It's a mix between the story of Anne as a mother of 6 and the story of Anne's children with their own adventures.

Genre:  Children Classic

My Impression:  This is probably my least favorite book of the series.  Montgomery wrote it 15 years after the publication of the next 2 books and it has the disjointed feel of something added in afterwards.  The book can't seem to make up its mind about if it wants to be about Anne or about her children.  I was frustrated by the lack of development of Anne and especially Gilbert as adults.  Gilbert is one of the best male characters ever in my opinion and you only get tiny hints of his personality.  I loved the end scenes between Anne and Gilbert and the beginning with Anne and Diana but as a whole the characters were to shallowly drawn to be satisfying.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:  Yes but not based off this book

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Probably not unless it was someone reading the entire series and it would be more of a "Might as well" then a true recommendation.

The Rubber Band by Rex Stout

Rating: 1 Star

Description:  The story starts with a pretty clear cut case of an employee stealing money out of an executive's desk. Then the accused employee hires the famed detective Nero Wolfe to investigate the identity of a man her father had saved 40 years ago who was supposed to give him and a bunch of other people money as repayment.  When 2 of those people are found murdered things get a bit more serious.

Genre: Mystery

My Impression:  I know Nero Wolfe is supposed to be one of the best fictional detectives - up there with Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot.  I also know that Rex Stout is one of the best classic mystery authors.  Despite all that I didn't care for this book at all.  To me it read like someone was giving an explanation to what happened "And then she said this, then I walked over and got some coffee, then he told me to get the door".  I was definitely never pulled into the story and was never particularly interested in who did the murdering or the identity of the man who owed everyone money.  I was very disappointed that I didn't enjoy it since I'm always looking for new authors and Rex Stout would provide me with quite a reading list.  However, since I didn't care about the mystery or the characters at all I'll be giving his other books a miss.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:  Unfortunately no

Would I Recommend this Book?:  No.

Sour Apples by Sheila Connolly - Review

Sour Apples by Sheila Connolly

Rating: 3 Stars

Description:  When a dairy farmer is killed in a farm accident that starts looking like murder Meg starts investigating the farmer's claim that something on her land was poisoning the cows.  Then Meg's old friend Lauren shows up trying to gain the town's support for a local boy who is running for Congress.  Between planting an orchard expansion, trying to figure out what was wrong with the dairy farmer's land and trying to figure out why her boyfriend Seth is so reluctant to back Lauren's candidate Meg has her hands full.

Genre:  Mystery

My Impression:  I love this series but the was definitely not my favorite of the series.  Part of the problem was that I enjoyed  the previous book, Bitter Harvest, so much that I expected this one to be of similar quality and it wasn't.  The apple part was interesting as was the historical research.  I was also very glad that Seth and Meg's relationship was explored a little more  The start and stop dynamic makes a little more sense.  I did not care for Lauren at all.  I didn't like her when she had appeared in a previous book and she wasn't any better the second go round.  Meg does explain that they were primarily work friends but it still doesn't make much sense why Meg keeps trying to reach out to her.  Also, the ending felt very rushed and wasn't properly explained. I got who did it but the why didn't make a huge amount of sense.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:  Yes definitely.  I have #2 and 3 of her museum series in my TBR pile and am looking forward to #7 of the Orchard series.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Not to someone who hasn't read the series.  While the mystery is pretty stand alone it would be difficult to understand who the characters are and how they relate to one another without reading the previous books in the series.

Reviews - Bossypants and Mary Poppins

Bossypants by Tina Fey
Rating: 3 Stars

Description:  Bossypants is basically a general biography of Fey and her career.

Genre: Humor, Biography, NonFiction

My Impression: Unlike what feels like most of the world I don't have a huge crush on Tina Fey.  I thought she was the only person on Saturday Night Live who made it worth watching when she and Jimmy Fallon did Weekend Update together.  I've enjoyed what I've seen of 30 Rock though it's not on my must watch list of shows at the moment.  So all in all I have pleasant but mostly neutral feelings about her not an overwhelming desire for her to be my BFF.  Bossypants had gotten so raved about that I finally decided to read it and for the most part I enjoyed it.    There is nothing particularly in depth or personal about the majority of the stories.  I definitely didn't feel like I had a greater insight to who Fey is after reading it other than fame seems to have snuck up on her.  In insight into how comedy works both in improv situations and on SNL was interesting.  I laughed a few times and smiled a bit more but it definitely wasn't the funniest book I've ever read.  It actually reminded me a bit of Mindy Kaling's book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? but I enjoyed Kaling's writing style a bit more.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Probably not.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  No - I would recommend Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling over this book

Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
Rating: 2 Stars

Description: Mary Poppins is the story of a magical unusual nanny who blows in with the wind the take care of the Banks children.

Genre: Children/YA, Classics

My Impression: I've been reading a lot of children's classics lately thanks in part to the library and what is free on my Kindle.  Most of them I've loved.  When I saw Mary Poppins at the library I was thrilled.  I've watched the movie a few times but it's been awhile though I remember liking it.  I expected magical nonsense and got lots of nonsense and while there was a magic in the book it didn't translate to a magical reading experience.  Mary was vain, prickly and frankly just not very nice.  The stories were disjointed and the book itself read more like a collection of short stories than an actual book.  This is one of the few books that I've enjoyed the movie more.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:  No, not interested. Though I might read a biography about P.L. Travers

Would I Recommend this Book?:  No, there are so many other classics to read that were so much more entertaining.

Reviews: When Beauty Tamed The Beast and Anne of the Island

When Beauty Tamed The Beast by Eloisa James
Rating: 3 stars

Description:  Linnet is beautiful, well off and altogether ruined.  Her family comes up with a scheme to marry her off to the Earl of Marchant who is supposed to be desperate for a wife.  Rumors of his desperation for a wife were greatly exaggerated, rumors of his temper and foul disposition were not.

Genre: Romance

My Impression:  I've read 2 short stories and a novella by this author.  The short stories I didn't like the novella I did so I wasn't sure what to expect with the full length novel. The characters were interesting and entertaining.  It was nice at the hero had a job that was clearly shown in the book.  They both had parent issues that they needed to work through.  I also like that Linnet wasn't perfect - she was beautiful and she knew it, her tongue and her temper weren't always ladylike and she was very good at making fun of people.  With all that there was something about the last 50/60 pages that kind of turned me off from the book.  On page 200 I would've have gladly read another by the end I wasn't so sure.

Would I read more of this series/author?:  Possibly though I probably won't go out of my way to search her out.  If I see one at the library or on kindle loan I'd probably get it.

Would I recommend this book?:  Only if it was a regular romance reader.

Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery
Rating: 5 stars

Description:  This is the 3rd book of the Anne series.  In this book Anne goes to college, meets new friends, sees the home she was born in and gets something that belonged to her parents.  She also learns some important lessons about letting her imagination get in the way of what and who she really loves

Genre:  Children/Young Adult/Classic

My Impression: This is my favorite of the Anne books so far.  The scenes at Patty's Place are fun and the part where she goes to her parents' home is very touching.  Also, this book has one of the best endings of all books ever.

Would I read more of this series/author?:  Yes, definitely.  I'm trying to read all of Montgomery's books this year so I've got 4 more to read this month.

Would I recommend this book?: Yes though probably not starting with this one.  I think you'd need to read the earlier books to really understand the characters and their relationships.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Review

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Rating: 3 stars

Description:  Jacob's grandfather spent most of Jacob's childhood telling him stories of his magical and sometimes scary childhood and showing him bizarre photographs.  As Jacob gets older he believes less and less of the stories and the bond weakens a bit until something horrible happens.  It then falls to Jacob to untangle all the stories that his grandfather told him and separate the truth from the stories.

Genre:  More of a mystery than anything else but more of a what is going on? than a who?

My Impression:  Fun read but not a showstopper. This book was definitely not what I expected and definitely outside of my usual reading patterns.  Based on the creepy pictures I was expecting a horror/ghost story and got instead a fantasy/adventure story.  I definitely enjoyed it and found Jacob relate-able as a troubled teenager not sure who to trust and what to believe.

Would I read more of this series/author?:  Yes, definitely.  In fact I was thrilled to see that there is a sequel set to be published next year.  There is also another book by the author that is just a collection of old photographs that I'd love to get my hands on.

Would I recommend this book?: If someone was asking if they should read it I would but it's probably not one I would go out of my way to recommend.