Lowcountry Book Club

Lowcountry Book Club (A Liz Talbot Mystery #5) by Susan M. Boyer
Rating: Very Good
Source: NetGalley

Description:  Somebody pushed Shelby Poinsett out her second floor library window and it wasn't her husband. At least that what Charleston's most prestigious law firm wants Liz Talbot to prove.  Liz must run the spectrum of Southern society, from the local homeless shelter where Shelby volunteered to the one-hundred-year-old book club where Charleston's genteel ladies are dying to join, to bring a killer to justice.  (from Goodreads)

Genre: Mystery

Why I Picked This Book:  This is one of my favorite series and I can't resist books that have mentions of books in the title!

My Impression:  When Boyer's last book,  Lowcountry Bordello,  ended we were at Liz and Nate's wedding and while things didn't go as planned I've been looking forward to checking back in with the newlyweds since I finished it.  I was delighted to start this one and see how life was treating Liz and Nate.  I absolutely love that now Nate can see Colleen.  He's not nearly as thrilled about it but it makes for a funny little twist and it makes things a little bit easier since they can both see her now.

The mystery itself was entertaining and solidly done.  We have a murder and an obvious suspect who has no motives and seems genuinely innocent.  As for the victim herself there just doesn't seem to be any reason anyone would want Shelby dead.  I read a lot of mysteries where it seems like everyone had motive and opportunity so I really enjoyed this one that was almost the exact opposite with no real suspects.  I love seeing Nate and Liz work together on an investigation.  I definitely feel like I'm puzzling it all out right along with them.

We get a little further with Colleen's subplot which I very much enjoyed.  Her part in this book isn't quite as large as it seemed in the previous book but we do see quite a bit of her.  I enjoyed watching her drive Nate crazy but it was also interesting to get a little more about her mission.

This has consistently been on of my favorite cozy mystery series and this newest entry did not disappoint.  Liz and Nate are likable and good investigators and I love going along for the ride.  Plus, I absolutely loved all the politics that went along with the 100 year old book club!   This is a series I'll definitely be keeping up with!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Definitely!  Go on and sign me up for the next one!  I really enjoy this series.

Would I Recommend this Book?: Yes!  I think this series as a whole is a great starter cozy.  I think it would appeal to all mystery lovers and would be a good way to explore the cozy sub-genre without getting too cozy.

Finding Fontainebleau - Blog Tour Review

Finding Fontainebeau: An American Boy in France

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Rating: Very Good

Source: Blog Tour

Description:  A beguiling memoir of a childhood in 1950s Fontainebleau from the much admired New York Times bestselling author of The Piano Shop on the Left Bank.

For a young American boy in the 1950s, Fontainebleau was a sight both strange and majestic, home to a continual series of adventures: a different language to learn, weekend visits to nearby Paris, family road trips to Spain and Italy.  Then there was the chateau itself: a sprawling palace once the residence fo kings, its grounds the perfect place to play hide-and-seek.  The curiosities of the small town and the time with his family as expats left such an impression on him that thirty years later Carhart returned to France with his wife to raise their two children.  Touring Fontainebleau again as an adult, he began to appreciate its influence on French style, taste, art, and architecture.  Each trip to Fontainebleau introduces him to entirely new aspects of the chateau's history, enriching his memories and leading him to Patrick Ponsot, the head of the chateau's restoration, who becomes Carhart's guide to the hidden Fontainebleau.  What emerges is an intimiate chronicle of time and place few have experienced.  In warm, precise prose, Carhart reconstructs the wonders of his childhood as an American in postwar France, attending French schools with his brother and sisters.  His firsthand account brings to life nothing less than France in the 1950s, from the parks and museums of Paris to the rigors of French schooling to the vast chateau of Fontainebleau and its village, built, piece by piece, over many centuries.  Finding Fontainebleau is for those captivated by the French way of life, for armchair travelers, and for anyone who has ever fallen in love with a place they want to visit over and over again.  (from Goodreads)

Genre: Nonfiction - Memoir

Why I Picked This Book: I can't resist books set in post-World War II Europe and I'm fascinated by Fontainebleau

My Impression:  I love memoir style books and particularly those that talk about growing up in slightly unusual conditions.  I also love European history and books that are set in post World War II Europe.  So the fact that this book just happened to have all 3 of those made it a book I knew I had to read.  But going in I was a little worried.  I mean that's a lot of territory to cover - France in the 1950s, France now, France as Fontainebleau is being built not to mention just a story about growing up in general.  However, I found the way that the author managed to link all that together fascinating and incredibly clever.  For France of the 1950s he does focus mostly on his family and how they acclimated in a culture so different from the 1950s Virginia that they had left.  I would love a book just on Thad's mother.  She came of as an absolutely fascinating woman - practicable, unflappable, and with an extraordinary sense of humor as well as an interest in learning and exploring.  With all that she was also managing 5 children ages 12 to 2 in a completely foreign country where she didn't even speak the language at first.  She's definitely someone I would have loved to know.  The story of his childhood is fascinating and I very much enjoyed seeing the difference between French and American schools and just life in general.

The history aspect focused on French history as it related to Fontainebleau which kept it from getting to broad and unmanageable.  However, it was broad enough that I still felt like I was learning and I realized just how little of French history I know.  I mean I've heard of both Napoleons, Marie Antoinette, Louis the XVI and Louis the XIV but I don't think it ever occurred to me that there were 13 other Louis and who knows who else.  This look at the French royal family in regards to Fontainebleau gave me enough to make me curious and it's defintiely a subject I'm looking into reading more about in the future.

The modern day story line was interesting both comparing France now to the 1950s version and seeing how they treat restoration of a residence of the royal family now that there no longer is a royal family.  Seeing Fontainebleau as they are working to restore it is fascinating and it worked as a framework for going back in time to see Fontainbleau when Francois I was in residence.

I thoroughly enjoyed Finding Fontainebleau. While a memoir does tend to be a slightly slower read than a thriller or other book I tend to reach for in summer it was an absolute delight.  A read to savor.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:  Absolutely!  I've had The Piano Shop on the Left Bake on my TBR for ages and I'll definitely be finding a copy of it soon.

Would I Recommend this Book?: Yes!  If you like memoirs and especially if you enjoy books about France this is a book that shouldn't me missed.

Connect with the Author

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Top Ten Tuesday - Great Books That Need More Buzz

This week's topic from The Broke and the Bookish is Top Ten Books We Enjoyed that Have Under 2000 Ratings on Goodreads.  There are so many books I love that I want to talk about more and this is such a perfect topic for that!

1. Recipes for a Beautiful Life: A Memoir in Stories by Rebecca Barry (204 Ratings) - This was the book that busted me out of my summer slump last year.  There are recipes scattered throughout but this isn't just a book about food.  She talks about kids and family and writing and is always interesting.  It's gentle and funny and snarky at times and always intersting.

2.  Jennifer, Gwyneth and Me: The Pursuit of Happiness, One Celebrity at a Time by Rachel Bertsche (485 Ratings) - This book is fascinating but I don't think it got the right type of press.  This isn't a celebrity tell all or anything like that.  Instead it's a smart snarky woman who decides to live the life of different celebrities for a period of time.  She decides to eat like Gwyneth, workout like Jennifer Anniston, and all kinds of others.  She's clear about the experiment and the results and she's funny and endlessly honest.  One of the most fun nonfiction books I've read in awhile.

3.  American Afterlife: Encounters in the Customs of Mourning by Kate Sweeney (126 Ratings) - This book was absolutely fascinating and one that you end up reading outloud to people around you whether they want you too or not.  If you like Mary Roach's Stiff I think you'd enjoy this one.

4.  One Grave Less by Beverly Connor (544 Ratings) - This was one of my favorite mystery series for years and then Connor stopped writing.  I feared this was the last one when I was reading it because a plot point that had been around since the beginning got wrapped up.  But then Connor listed the next one was going to be out in 2011 and I felt better. Since it's now 2016 and there's still no new book I'm thinking it's not going to happen.  If you like the tv show Bones I think you'd enjoy this series.  Fallon isn't as socially awkward as Brennan but it has a similar feel.

5.  Too Many Cooks: 4 Kids, 1 Mom, 102 New Recipes by Emily Franklin (203 Ratings) - This book was such a delight.  After her children complain about trying different foods Franklin decides that now is the time to expand their food experience.  The mission did get a little lost but the food all sounded amazing and I enjoyed Franklin's voice.  Plus I still use some of the recipes she included today and I read this book several years ago.

6.  The Crying Child by Barbara Michaels (1117 Ratings) - Barbara Michaels is my go to author when I'm falling into a slump.  Her novels are incredibly readable with lots of spooky Gothic touches and a bit of romance.  This one is one of my favorites with the wail of a baby in the night and a sea captain whose evil deeds cross over time.

7.  The House on Blackberry Hill by Donna Alward (288 Ratings) - I'm pretty sure this book was written for me.  There's a woman who inherits a dilapidated old house who decides to restore it.  There's a ghost, family secrets, and a mystery that stretches generations.  Plus the romance isn't too bad either!

8.  The Case of William Smith by Patricia Wentworth (345 Ratings) - Agatha Christie is my favorite of the classic mystery authors but Patricia Wentworth is a pretty close second (except for Grey Mask - I didn't like this one).  I adore Miss Silver and all of her other side characters.  This book about a War veteran who doesn't remember who he is is one of my absolute favorites!

9.  Spiderweb for Two: A Melendy Maze by Elizabeth Enright (1477 Ratings) - When I was a child I fell absolutely in love with Elizabeth Enright's Four Story Mistake but in the days before Amazon (I don't know how we survived) it was hard to find more of her books.  As an adult I discovered the rest of the Melendy series and love them just as much now as I did then.  This is one of my favorites as it is just Oliver and Randy as their older siblings have gone away to school and they are having to entertain themselves.  It's an absolutely wonderful read!

10. Iris and Ruby by Rosie Thomas (1423 Ratings) - This is one of my favorite books of the year and I think more people should read it.  It's a dual timeline with one story taking place in modern day Egypt and the other in World War II Egypt and both stories are wonderful and heartbreaking and kept me equally enthralled.  The characters are so real and even though Ruby especially was a little hard to like at the very beginning I quickly began to see through the hard wall that she had put up.  It's a wonderful story about relationships and being yourself and all kinds of other fantastic things.  Read it!

So what books do you love that need a little more buzz on Goodreads?

Me Before You - Review

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Rating: Very Good
Source: Library
Description:  Lou Clark knows lots of things.  She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home.  She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.  What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.  Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live.  He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.  What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour.  And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time. (From Goodreads)

Genre: Fiction

Why I Picked This Book:  I'm not going to lie.  While this book has been on my radar for awhile I wasn't really interested in it until I saw the movie trailer!

My Impression:  It's been a few days since I put this book down for the last time and I think I've cleared my head enough to actually be somewhat coherent about what I thought of it.  For starters I loved Lou.  She has so much on her plate and so much responsibility she is trying to shoulder all the while being pushed to the side or viewed as second best by the people who should value her most.  However, Lou is still very much Lou and keeps going forward and trying hard to do her best.

I don't think I realized how guarded Lou was until she started working with Will and their friendship began to develop.  Lou gives as good as she gets and seeing Will startled by that was pretty funny.  I loved the way their friendship developed.  It wasn't easy and it wasn't quick but it rang so true and authentic.  I loved how they both push each other to do more, to want more, and to not give up.

One of the primary issues in this book is the right to die.  I don't think I realized going in just how big of an issue it was going to be.  I was a little worried that this would push the author's feelings on the issue and I'd feel like I was being lectured which is most definitely something I don't enjoy. However, Moyes was amazing with how she handled this.  She shows the reader so many different stories and perspectives that it really made me think about it not necessarily differently but with a much wider view while never once making me feel like I was getting an agenda one way or the other pushed at me.  My heart broke for everyone involved regardless of my thoughts on the situation.

I also really loved Lou's relationship with her her sister Treena and how it evolved.  So often sisters in books are either the best of friends or the worst of enemies with just about nothing in between.  But here they are both.  It's a complex relationship with hidden resentments on both sides but also a strong connection.  Moyes is a magician when it comes to making relationships feel completely real and perfectly balancing love and conflict.

The only thing that didn't really work for me was the sudden and kind of random feeling head jumping.  We are in Lou's head for 2/3 of the book and then all of a sudden there's a short chapter from Nathan's POV and then Stephen Traynor and then back to Lou and then over to Treena.  That really threw me at first and I had a hard time switching gears.  I actually really enjoyed hearing from all the different POVs but I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had happened throughout the book instead of just the end.

One of the things that had me hesitating on picking up this book was I had heard it called an ugly cry read.  Now at the best of times pretty crying is not my super power so I wasn't sure I wanted to dive into the book that made normal people cry ugly.  For me, while I definitely did cry it didn't turn into full Marley and Me level sobbing.  A fact which I'm sure my family is very grateful for since I finished this in the car while heading off on vacation.  I did sit very quietly for awhile pondering and trying to feel a bit less shattered.

This was my first Jojo Moyes book and it definitely won't be my last.  I was worried she wouldn't hold up to all the hype but not only did she live up to it but she surpassed it.  I will definitely be reading more from her.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Absolutely.  I loved Moyes' writing and am looking forward to reading more of her work.  It's going to take me some time before I'm ready to pick up After You though!

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Definitely!  I was afraid it was going to be too sad but it's such a great read!

This Week in Reading - July 3

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 Flower Arrangement by Ella Griffin - You guys I could not resist this cover!  And it's set in Ireland.  I absolutely couldn't resist this one! (NetGalley)

Only one this week!  And this one doesn't have a pub date until October so it really doesn't even count.  I do have a few requests pending and a few that are on their way from paperbackswap but since they didn't get here in time they don't count either!

My reading has slowed to a crawl so I'm not making nearly as much progress in the stacks that I usually do and I'm trying to focus on getting some ARCs I've had for far too long read.

Currently:

Reading: A Most Curious Murder by Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli and finishing up Finidng Fontainebleau by Thad Carhart.  After that I'll be starting The Light of Paris by Eleanor Brown which I'm really looking forward too.

Listening: I'm still on audiobook hiatus but I'm not sure how much longer that's going to last.  I miss them!  I'm doing okay filling my time with podcasts.  Lately I've been listening to Super Serials, Read it and Weep, Stuff You Missed in History Class, and The Readers.

Watching: Not much of anything right now.  We're still recovering from vacation!

Off the Blog:

We are back from vacation and all survived - well all except Paul's car.  It decided to stop running about 2 hours away from home so J had to go pick Paul and his friend up and then drive back adding 4 hours to his driving time!  I'm not sure if it's dead or just injured but we will find out soon.  Other than that we had a great time.

I joined Litsy!  I haven't messed around with it too much but I've loving what I've seen.  It's crazy addictive because you can search by book title or author as well as by username.  If you're on Litsy let me know so I can follow you.  My username is LivinginaLibrary.

Paul is leaving for bootcamp on Tuesday but will be leaving for Nashville to go through his final physicals and all that tomorrow.  We got the date and everything so fast that I haven't really processed it yet.  He of course is super excited to be going and taking this next step.  We're going to meet him up in Nashville to see him off.  I'm planning on visiting Anne Patchett's bookstore Parnassus Books as a reward for not crying because I'm NOT going to cry.

On the Blog:

What Happened:

Monday: Field of Graves - Mystery Review
Tuesday:  Top Ten Signs You're in an Agatha Christie Novel
Wednesday: Language of Bees - Mystery Review
Thursday: Fixin to Die - Cozy Mystery Review
Friday: Friday Linkups featuring excerpts from Finding Fontainebleu
Saturday: Deadly Night - Romantic Suspense Review

What's Coming Up:

Monday: Me Before You - Fiction Review

Tuesday: Top Ten Books That Need a Little More Love on Goodreads

Wednesday: Finding Fontainebleu - Nonfiction Review

Thursday: Lowcountry Book Club - Cozy Mystery Review

Friday: Linkups with Excerpts from Current Book

Saturday: Caught Bread Handed - Foodie Cozy Mystery Review

For those in the US happy 4th!  Have a great week and happy reading!

Deadly Night - Review

Deadly Night (The Flynn Brothers Trilogy Book #1) by Heather Graham
Rating: Very Good
Source: Library (audio)
Description:  The Flynn brothers have inherited more than a New Orleans plantation.  They've inherited a ghostly presence - and a long kept secret, Aidan Flynn, a private investigator and eldest of the Flynn brothers, scoffs at the haunted house rumors - especially since Kendall Montgomery, a tarot card reader who has been living in the mansion, is the one to tell him the tale of a woman in white.  But when he finds a human bone on the grounds and another by the river, Aidan delves into the dark history of the Flynn plantation.  Forced together to uncover the truth, Aidan and Kendall realize that a serial killer whose victims seem to vanish into thin air have long been at work - and their own fates are about to be sealed forever unless they believe in the unbelievable.  (from Goodreads)

Genre: Romantic Suspense - Paranormal

Why I Picked This Book:  Ghosts, an old plantation home, and murder.  What more could I want?

My Impression:  This is the first book in the Flynn brother series from 2008.  I'm glad we got Aidan's story first because he's the brother that would be the hardest to get to know if he was a secondary character and I really don't think I'd be all that interested in reading his book.  He can be a bit standoffish and brusque and at the beginning isn't particularly likable.  But I liked Kendall from the beginning and I really wanted to find out what was going on at the old Flynn Plantation.  I wasn't very far in before Aidan started to grow on me as well.  He's a good guy but very cautious and not as outgoing as his two younger brothers.
I liked Aidan and Kendall's relationship.  It wasn't insta-love and while they were strongly attracted to each other early on it took them a bit longer to really begin to like each other.  It's still pretty quick but it is romantic suspense so I expect some speed and it felt thought out.  Graham creates a really strong community feel.  I loved the talk about how New Orleans was faring after Katrina and seeing characters in different settings - at work, at Kendall's shop, and in the bar.  I did guess the "who" part of the mystery but was unsure of the "why" and "how" and I couldn't wait to see how the story unraveled.
Phil Gigante did a good job with the narration though it did take a little time for me to get used to his version of Kendall's voice.  His accents weren't over the top and most were pretty accurate.  The beginning was a little choppy in audio format because you're in 1863 for a few pages, then modern day, then back to 1863, then back to modern day but the choppiness only lasted a few minutes and I suspect it wouldn't be a problem at all in print form.
This was everything I have come to expect from a Heather Graham book - likable characters, a beautiful setting, a fascinating historical twist, and just the right amount of paranormal.  I felt like this was one of her better mysteries in terms of everything making sense and a good dash of misdirection. This is a good listen or read and perfect for when you're in the mood for a little bit of spooky fun.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Absolutely!  I'm looking forward to reading more about the Flynn brothers and I can never pass up a Heather Graham book!

Would I Recommend this Book?: Definitely!  If you enjoy romantic suspense with some paranormal I think you would really enjoy this book.

Friday Linkups: Finding Fontainebleau

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:
When you comment on a blog post do you ask to be notified when there are replies?

My Answer:
It depends on what kind of comment I left.  Usually when I'm just commenting on the post I don't but if I'm asking any kind of question I do ask to be notified or try and check back to see if there was a response.

This week's book is one for a blog tour that's coming up and it was one I couldn't get my hands of fast enough.  Finding Fontainebleau: An American Boy in France by Thad Carhart has so many aspects I love - coming of age, life in the 50s, post-World War II in Paris and alwas in the background the Chateau of Fontainebleu.  Carhart also wrote The Piano Shop on the Left Bank which is another book that's been on my TBR for far too long and if I continue to enjoy this book as much as I am right now I have a feeling it will be moving up the TBR fast!

The Beginning:
All these years later I can recall with keen precision the moment when the bottom dropped out, because that is exactly what it felt like: one moment we were flying, shaking a bit from turbulence, the next we were falling, in a calm eerie quiet broken only by the sound of the four engines laboring uselessly.

My Thoughts:
Well that sounds really and truly dreadful!  It makes me kind of glad I want be flying anytime soon!

The 56: 
We kindergarten kids were a frequent source of amusement to the "big" girls: not quite real, more like stuffed animals who decorated one part of the grounds.

My Thoughts:
Very very different from the beginning!  This one made me laugh.  I have a 6 year old and college kids and I'm pretty sure the older ones view the 6 year old in a pretty similar light!

So what do you think?  Keep reading?