The Sussex Downs Murder - Review

The Sussex Downs Murder John Bude with forward by Martin Edwards

Rating: 3.5 Stars
Source: NetGalley

Description:  Two brothers, John and William Rother, live together at Chalklands Farm in the beautiful Sussex Downs.  Their peaceful rural life is shattered when John Rother disappears and his abandoned car is found.  Has he been kidnapped?  Or is his disappearance more sinister - connected, perhaps, to his growing rather too friendly with his brother's wife? (from Goodreads.com)

Genre: Mystery

Why I Picked This Book: Once I saw that this was part of the British Library Crime Classics I couldn't resist.  Especially since this is an author that I was previously unfamiliar with.

My Impression:  John Bude is completely new to me so I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I started this.  While I do enjoy most classic mysteries if not handled correctly they can come off as dry and dated.  After reading the interesting forward by Martin Edwards which provided a short and entertaining biography of Bude I was predisposed to like the book and the contents did not let me down.  There's a certain lightness and matter of factness that make even what's a pretty grizzly murder not feel that way.  While the mystery might not have been as intricately plotted as what I have come to expect from Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers and while I was able to guess the killer early on it was still fun to watch it unravel.  The characters were all likable (well those that are supposed to be) and I particularly enjoyed Bude's detective Superintendent Meredith who possessed an intelligent mind and a sense of humor.
The writing is a bit dated but for the most part I found it entertaining - especially in the careless way the dealt with evidence.  I did like that this mystery dealt with the details of the investigation versus the characters and the behind the scenes.  For the most part the reader views the crime and the developments through Meredith's eyes which was a little unusual.  This isn't an intense page turning read but instead more of a gentle stroll in another time with a murderer or two lurking about!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Definitely!  I'm thrilled to discover a new-to me author with a good sized backlist.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  If you enjoy classic British mysteries this is definitely worth the read.

Challenges Met?

If Only - Review

If Only by Norma Budden

Rating: 3 Stars
Source: Author in exchange for an honest review

Description:  16 years ago, as a young and frightened high school student, Demi Glenn gave birth to a daughter and gave her up for adoption.  Now, Demi feels that she must find the daughter that she only saw for a brief moment all those years ago.  When 2 private detectives are unable to give her the answers she needs she turns to the only person left - her high school boyfriend and her daughter's biological father who never knew.

Genre: Fiction

Why I Picked This Book: I'm always intrigued by adoption stories.

My Impression:  I thought that this story was unique in the focus of the story.  Most adoption stories that I have read focus on the child who is trying to find his/her parents while If Only focuses on the the birth parents.  It was interesting and heartbreaking to see the effects of carrying this secret for so long on Demi and it was hard not to feel sorry for her as she felt that she was doing the right thing at the time.  It's also very easy to understand her "what might have been thoughts" .

But, while I understood her "what might have been" thoughts I did get frustrated with Demi as her visions seemed to be on the unrealistic side and never really seemed to realize the challenges for both her and David as well as their child if she had chosen to keep the baby and inform David.   While, the pacing was good throughout the book there was too much internal discussions for my taste.

While this book ended up not being quite for me the characters were developed and the pacing never dragged.  I enjoyed that this one focused more on the emotions than the investigation involved.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Probably, while this one didn't necessarily work for me I still found it very readable which is always a good sign!

Would I Recommend this Book?:  If you are interested in adoption stories I think you would be interested in this one.

Challenges Met?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Authors I'd Like to Meet

Today's Top Ten Tuesday topic from The Broke and the Bookish is Top Ten Authors I'd Love to Meet.  I had a hard time with this topic as I'm not crazy about the idea of meeting people no matter how much I love their books.  I'd have no idea of what to say!

1.  Agatha Christie - This would probably be awkward for both of us (and would require time travel) because from all reports she never knew what to say to fans but I would love to meet her and maybe get some insight into how some of her twistiest books came to be.

2.  Dorothy L. Sayers - I haven't read as much of Sayers' books as I have of Christie's but I feel like I got to know her a bit in The Golden Age of Murder and she came off as so much fun.  She was smart, sarcastic and adventurous with just enough issues to give her an edge.

3.  Jenny Lawson - Really I just want to go shopping with her to some random antique or junk store.  There's no telling what she'd fin and her observations are always hilarious.

4.  Barbara Michaels - Because this woman knows everything - vintage clothing, Egyptology, roses, history, and all kinds of other things.  I'd just love to listen to her talk!

5.  Jill Shalvis - Because her books are such entertaining she seems like she'd be lots of fun to grab coffee with.

6.  Daphne du Maurier - I have some questions I want answered about Rebecca!

7.  Lisa Kleypas - There are a few characters I want updates on.  Especially Sebastian and Evie and most of the couples in the Friday Harbor series.

8.  Mindy Kaling - I love her book and she just seems like so much fun.

9.  J. Maarten Troost - I love his travel stories and always find him entertaining.

10. Ernestine Gilbreth Carey - I want the real scoop on what it was like growing up in the Cheaper by the Dozen family and I always liked her.


Who would like to meet?

Deadly Desires at Honeychurch Hall - Review

Dewadly Desires at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison

Rating: 3.5 Stars
Source: Publisher

Description:  Honeychurch Hall and the town of Little Dippington are in an uproar as plans to run a new highspeed train through the town spell certain ruin.  When accident claims a local woman and a consultant for the train project goes mysteriously missing Kat is drawn in whether she wants to be or not.  Add in a shady uncle with a past to protect, a mother with more than her share of secrets and a house maid at Honeychurch who doesn't seem quite right and Kat's in over her head.

Genre: Mystery

Why I Picked This Book:  I thoroughly enjoyed the first book and could not wait to continue with the series.

My Impression: Once we again we are back ta Honeychurch Hall and back with Kat through her many adventures.  Dennison writes with such a breezy wit that it's impossible not to be entertained and drawn into the stories.  I could picture Honeychurch and the Carriage House and Eric's junkyard.  The issue with the train and the devastation that it would cause in the village was very real and the villager's frustration seeped from the pages.  It was nice to get to know the villagers a bit better as the previous book had mostly focused on the residents of the Hall.

The main issue I had was all the connections to the previous book.  There were so many characters involved in the current mystery and then thrown in half from the first book and it could be difficult to keep all the whos and whys straight.  While I like watching Iris's past unravel it did get a little confusing.

Despite the flaw I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery.  It reminds me very much of a modern day Agatha Christie or Patricia Wentworth with engaging characters, bright and snappy banter, and a well paced and intricately plotted mystery.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Definitely!  At this point the series is an autobuy for me.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Yes, but this is a series best read in order.

Challenges Met?

This Week in Reading - May 10

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:

Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals that Brought Me Home by Jessica Fechtor - When Jessica was 28 a brain aneurysm burst in her brain and caused her to reevaluate everything.  (NetGalley)

Flipped by Ines Saint - The blurb on this one reads like someone took a list of my favorite topics and put them in one book.  The setting is a history rich small town with storybook architecture. One of the main characters is a perfumer who wants to restore a beautiful but ramshackle old house.  She is forced to interact with the other main character who is a house flipper.  All we need is them to find a packet of letters or a diary hidden in the wall and maybe a ghost or two.  (NetGalley)

Murder at Beechwood by Alyssa Maxwell - A Gilded Age murder mystery that takes place in high society Newport, Rhode Island.  Yes please! (NetGalley)

The Forgotten by Heather Graham - Because apparently Heather Graham is trying to kill me.  I can never resist her books!
(NetGalley)

The Secret Sister by Brenda Novak - This is actually not part of her Whiskey Creek series but sounds like it's a bit of a thriller involving old family secrets.  (NetGalley)

French Creek by Daphne du Maurier - This is for my Reading Assignment Challenge and ever since reading The Birds I've been wanting to read more of du Maurier's work.  (purchased)

How to Marry a Marquis and What Happens in London both by Julia Quinn - This is all Quinn over at Quinn's Book Nook's fault.  Her historical romance series made it impossible for me to resist picking these up again! (Purchased)

Currently:

Reading: Henrietta Who? by Catherine Aird and Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts which is a reread but I couldn't resist.

Listening:  I finished the David Sedaris book and have just downloaded Bossy Pants by Tina Fey.  I have actually read the book but I have a feeling this one, like Amy Poehler's Yes Plese, will be better in audio form.  

Watching: I'm catching up on CSI: Cyber and hoping it won't be cancelled because I'm enjoying it.  I'm still watching Murder She Wrote and the guest stars on there are amazing!  Brian Cranston from Breaking Bad plays a tennis player at one point and Courtney Cox is one of Jessica's many many nieces.

Off the Blog:

Eleanor came home for a few days which was nice.  Her boyfriend had dinner with us one night so it was good to get to know him a bit.  We're basically on count down to Emma's graduation and the end of school for Paul and the Tornado.

I discovered these Sargento Balanced Breaks the other day at the grocery store and I'm loving them.  I have a sugar disorder and can get really shaky or even pass out if I don't stay balanced and these are perfect for that and pretty filling as well.  I've pretty much just started buying them in bulk.  I made these brown butter chocolate chip cookies from The Recipe Critic and they were amazing!  Probably one of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes.  I was almost done when I discovered I didn't have the tablespoon of Greek yogurt the recipe called for so I substituted sour cream and it worked perfectly.

On the Blog:

What Happened:

Monday:Summer on Lover's Island - Contemporary Romance Review

Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Will Probaby Never Read

Wednesday: Killing Weeds - Cozy Mystery Blog Tour Review + Giveaway

Thursday: The Corpse with the Sapphire Eyes - Cozy Mystery Blog Tour Review + Giveaway

Friday: Friday Linkups Featuring If Only by Norma Budden

Saturday: 400 Calories or Less with Our Best Bites - Cookbook Review

What's Coming Up:

Monday Deadly Desires at Honeychurch Hall - Mystery Review

Tuesday: Top Ten Authors I'd Love to Meet

Wednesday: If Only - Fiction Review

Thursday: TBD

Friday: Friday Linkups with current book

Saturday: Cookie Love - Cookbook Review

Have a great week and happy reading!

400 Calories of Less with Our Best Bites - Cookbook Review

400 Calories or Less with Our Best Bites by Sara Wells and Kate Jones

When I first started looking around on food blogs Our Best Bites was one of the first ones I found and it quickly became one of my go to places for tasty and easy weeknight dinner inspiration and yummy desserts.  I thoroughly enjoyed their first cookbook and the Puffy French Toast recipe is borderline life changing.

Lately, they've started going a slightly new direction and I've got to say that I'm loving it!  While still focusing on family friendly everyday foods they've started including healthy and low calorie into the mix.  What I love is that the food is just naturally low calorie.  You're not substituting or using no-fat or hard to find ingredients.  The foods naturally rely on fresh flavors and herbs and spices versus trying to take a high calorie recipe and trimming it down.  Looking at the recipe you wouldn't think - "oh this is low calorie".   You'd just think this sounds tasty!

The recipes lean mostly towards the main dishes with a handful of dessert, breakfast and snack recipes.  The snacks are intriguing and I'm especially looking forward to trying the Oven-Baked Cinnamon Apple Chips and Roasted Garlic Chickpeas.  Both sound incredibly easy and perfect for packing.

When it came to testing a recipe I had a hard time deciding just what to try!  There's a Creamy Cajun Pasta, a Braised Italian Chicken, Crispy Parmesan Chicken Tenders, Banh Mi Tacos and Cheddar Bacon Burgers with Caramelized Onions.  Finally after much flipping and mouthwatering I settled on the Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Italian Roasted Vegetables.

The Pot Roast was very simple.  You take a 3 lb bottom round roast, season it with Steak Seasoning and seer on both sides.  Put it in the slow cooker, top with a sliced up onion, 10 crushed garlic cloves, onion soup mix, 2 cups vegetable both and 1/4 cup red wine vinegar.  Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours and ta-da your house smells fantastic and you have a tasty main course.  Next time I'll probably use a chuck roast instead of the bottom round as those tend to get more tender.  Other than that the flavor is amazing and everyone loved it!

Then while the roast was cooking in the slow cooker I chopped up some carrots and potatoes and sprinkled them with a little pepper and Italian seasoning and drizzled with olive oil.  After a quick bake in the oven I had a flavorful and delicious side dish.

While the roasted vegetables were delicious and oh so easy I think I would prefer mashed potatoes with the roast to help soak up the yummy broth.  Next time I'll probably just roast carrots and throw in some onion and save the potatoes for mashing.

The recipes are easy to follow, the ingredients are easy to find, and the results never disappoint.  If you're looking for quick and tasty weeknight dinners that even picky eaters will eat this is a great choice!

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

Friday Linkups: If Only

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.

Book Blogger Hop Question:
If you had a chance to read a book or watch a movie that is not about a book you have read which would you choose?

My Answer:
In general I pick book over movie every time.  There are the days where my brain just feels fried and as much as I love books I'm just too tired.  To be honest, I'm not much of a movie person.  There's something about the time commitment that makes me squeamish even though I could watch an equal amount of TV without blinking.  I've started recording some of the classic movies that I love and haven't watched in ages (I adore pretty much anything with Cary Grant) and am looking forward to watching some of those.

This wee's book is If Only by Norma Budden about a woman trying to find the daughter she gave up for adoption 16 years before.  I'm always fascinated by stories centering around adoption - partly because of the research that goes into discovering the answers either party is looking for and partly because of the complex emotional issues that it create.  I'm not very far in If Only but so far I'm enjoying it.

The Beginning:

Demi Glenn sat behind the white marble desk, drumming her fingers on it's surface waiting for the phone to ring.

My Thoughts:

As impatient person I can so relate to this!  I can even picture her expression!

The 56:

Under normal circumstances, David would have tried his best to ease her mind, but circumstances were far from normal.

My Thoughts: 

I'm not here yet so I don't know what's going on but I definitely have a lot of questions now!