Books from the Backlog - Well Read, Then Dead

Today I'm linking up with Carole from Carole's Random Life of Books for Books from the Backlog.  I really enjoy the chance to feature a book that's been hiding in the piles of books for far too long!  Today's book is Well Read, Then Dead by Terrie Farley Moran

Blurb:  Read ’Em and Eat is known for its delicious breakfast and lunch treats, along with quite a colorful clientele. If it’s not Rowena Gustavson loudly debating the merits of the current book club selection, it’s Miss Augusta Maddox lecturing tourists on rumors of sunken treasure among the islands. It’s no wonder Sassy’s favorite is Delia Batson, a regular at the Emily Dickinson table. Augusta’s cousin and best friend Delia is painfully shy—which makes the news of her murder all the more shocking.

No one is more distraught than Augusta, and Sassy wants to help any way she can. But Augusta doesn’t have time for sympathy. She wants Delia’s killer found—and she’s not taking no for an answer. Now Sassy is on the case, and she’d better act fast before there’s any more trouble in paradise.

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:  I loved the 2nd book in the series and actually didn't realize I even had this one until I did a massive book reorganization the other day and found it. 

No Escape Claws - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads:  No Escape Claws (Second Chance Cat Mystery #6) by Sofie Ryan

Rating: Good

Source: Publisher

Description:  Sarah Grayson and her feline ally Elvis get a chance to see if their sleuthing skills are up to scratch in the sixth installment of the New York Times bestselling Second Chance Cat Mysteries.

It's fall in North Harbor, Maine, where Sarah owns a charming secondhand shop. A cold case heats up when Mallory Pearson appears at Sarah's doorstep. Mallory's father is in prison for negligence after her stepmother's mysterious death in a house fire, but Mallory believes he's innocent and asks the quirky team of senior citizen detectives who work out of Sarah's shop to take on the case. With Sarah and Elvis lending a paw, they decide to try to give Mallory's father a second chance of his own...

Genre:  Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I really enjoyed the previous book in the series and I just love the whole feel of the second hand shop premise.

My Impression:  I'm a little torn about this one.  I love the premise and the characters.  And I did enjoy the mystery and was satisfied with the ending.  I really enjoyed the time spent in the shop and actively pursuing the mystery.  I really enjoy the writing style, the way the characters interact, and the overall feel of the book.

However,  I had some issues with this one.  There were two mysteries - the primary one and one that has been around the edges for a few previous books.  Both were really interesting but I felt like the secondary mystery was kind of wedged in.  It also brought in a few characters in an already character laden story which made it a bit of a challenge to keep up with who was who at times.  Trying to remember who was who pulled me out of the story a few times and kept me from fully connecting with the story.

This is an enjoyable series with fun writing and a likable and quirky (but not too quirky) cast.  I don't feel that this was the strongest entry into the series but it does encourage me even more to go back to beginning of the series and really get to know the characters from the beginning.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I'm looking forward to reading the earlier books in this series and this is definitely an author I'll be keeping an eye for.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy cozies I'd definitely recommend this author though maybe start with an earlier book.

  * I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

Ten Books That Have Been On My TBR For Far Too Long

Last week's Top Ten Tuesday was all about the most recent additions to my TBR.  Then I had one of those bookish organization projects that starts out small and simple and ends up spiraling into mission level status so I'm familiar with all the books that have been on my shelves gathering dust for far too long.  Here's just a few I discovered.  These are all books I was so excited to pick up and meant to read right away but then never did.

1.  To The Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey - I loved loved loved The Snow Child by this author and knew as soon as it came out that I needed this one.  So I got it.   And it's a gorgeous book.  That's been sitting on my shelf ever since.

2.  Assault and Pepper by Leslie Budewitz - I love spices and cooking and the few times I've been in an actual spice shop I was a very happy person.  So obviously I had to buy this first book in a cozy series set in a spice shop.  And I did.  And I still haven't read it.

3.  The Invisible Library by Geneive Cogman - I got this in some kind of mystery box soon after it came out and I was super excited.  Pretty sure this series is on book #712 or something to that effect and I still haven't read this one.

4.  The Readaholics and the Poirot Puzzle by Laura DiSilverio - I loved a later book in this series that centered around du Maurier's Rebecca.  The mystery was so good and I loved how the author wove elements and discussions about the book into the story.  So now of course I need to read the mystery where the Readaholics are focusing on one of my favorite authors/characters.

5.  Murder at the Brightwell by Ashley Weaver - This is another series that's probably on book #920 now and I've yet to read this one.  I love historical mysteries and this sounds amazing.

6.  Murder in Thrall by Anne Cleeland - To be honest I probably picked this one up because I saw Anne Cle... and thought it was Anne Cleeves who is another author I've been seriously meaning to read.  However, the cover is so eye catching and it sounds like a great British procedural and I need to read it.

7.  Once A Duchess by Elizabeth Boyce - I remember really wanting to read this one.  And that is all I remember about it.  I don't think I've ever even really heard of this author or where I heard about the book but I remember being super excited when I found it.  I should probably read it and try to remember why I was so excited about it.

8.  Fade to Black by Wendy Corsi Staub - Back when Avon had a podcast (what was it called?  They interviewed all kinds of different authors and it was really great) they had Wendy Corsi Staub on around the time this book was coming out and she was talking about it and I knew I had to read it.

9.  A Killing in Antiques by Mary Moody - I go this years ago in a mass cozy buying spree.  I dont' really know why I bought it when I bought it but I've fallen in love with antiques since then so this seems like one I'd really love now.  Yay me from several years ago!

10.  Pleating for Mercy by Melissa Bourbon -  This was bought in the same book buying binge as the one above.  I know nothing about it but I think at the time I was really loving a cozy series by Annette Blair that was set in a vintage clothing shop so I'm guessing that's what attracted me to this one.

What are some books that have been on your TBR far too long?

Reviews from the Children's Section - The Invention of Hugo Cabret

One of my favorite genres and one that is the easiest for me to push aside is middle grade fiction. This year to make sure I get a little more children's and young adult fiction I thought I would designate the first Monday of every month Middle Grade Monday (though sometimes it doesn't end up working quite right) .  While a lot of my picks this year are classics I am trying to branch out a little bit and read new or at least recent releases.  This month's read is one I picked up on a whim after browsing my library's audio books - The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brain Selznick.

Goodreads:  The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

My Thoughts:  This is the story of poor little Hugo Cabret.  An orphan who lives in a Paris train station and has a special gift for fixing clocks and other bits of machinery.  He comes into contact with a little girl and a grumpy old man who runs the toy booth in the station and everything changes.

This was short listen (just under 3 hours) and it was a magical story.  The train station and Hugo came alive within minutes and I was drawn into the story.  I was invested in Hugo as a character and his quest to fix the automaton.  I liked his developing relationships with Isabelle, Papa Georges, and Etienne and wanted to see how the story turned out.  I did get frustrated with just how secretive all of the characters are.  There were several times I just wanted to scream at one or the other to just tell the truth.  However, despite that the story was wonderful and I loved the ending.  Jeff Woodman does the narration of the audio and did a fantastic job.  He didn't overact and he really brought the story to light.  However, when I pulled the book up on Goodreads I was surprised to see that this book is listed as being 525 pages.  Since the audio in no way indicated a story that long I had to get the print copy to check out what was going on.  The book is full of gorgeous black and white illustrations of minute detail.   It's definitely worth looking at even if you do listen to the audio.

As a parent I think this would be a good read or listen for really any child.  It'd be a good one to read together or one any child over 6 or 7 could read on their own.  I don't think there's much that would bother even the most sensitive of children.  It'd make a good listen for a road trip as well as I found the story enjoyable for adults as well.

This Week in Reading - February 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:

Have You Seen Luiz Velez? by Catherin Ryan Hyde - I'm really excited about this one.  I read my first Catherine Ryan Hyde last year and really loved it.  This premise of an elderly woman and a kid struggling to fit in making a connection and going on a mission together really appeals to me.  (Little Bird Publicity)

Currently:

Reading:  Finishing up No Escape Claws by Sofie Ryan but other than that having a hard time settling on something.

Listening:  I'm almost done with The Widow by Fiona Barton and have enjoyed it even though it gives me the creeps.

Watching:  We're finishing the most recent series of The Great British Bake-Off on Netflix.  This is the second season we've watched with the new cast.  While I was really hesitant about the casting change at first I've gotten where I really enjoy the new hosts especially.  They're a lot of fun.  I still love Mary, Sue, and Mel of course but I'm good with the way things are (which I know is quite a relief to BBC)

Off the Blog:

Last weekend we went to a used bookstore and I actually looked for books!  It's been so long since I've combed through a used bookstore that I had forgotten about how much fun it was.  I've kind of stopped buying books in the last few years because I have such a massive backlog.  Or if I do buy books it's either from Amazon or a new bookstore with a very specific book in mind.  So the treasure hunt feel was so much fun!  While I definitely don't need any more books I might try to make it happen every month or two for fun.

This week was a big week at the Tornado's school.  They had the Engineering Expo where lots of different people came from the different aerospace companies and students from the engineering and computer science programs at the university here in town.  They had lots of hands on exhibits and projects and all kinds of stuff.  I led a group around for most of the day and by the end felt like I could sleep for a year.  The kids had a fantastic time though.

Speaking of school the Tornado's class has been hit by flu so I'm currently lysoling everything.  What drives me crazy is the parents who send their kids to school when they clearly shouldn't.  I know sometimes you have to do what you have to do but there were two incidents that happened this week that I know enough of the situation to know that wasn't the case here.  I'm keeping a seriously watchful eye on the Tornado and the whole house will be on Tamiflu at the first sign of any kind of symptom.  

On the Blog:

What Happened:

Monday:  The Girls in the Picture - Historical Fiction Review

Tuesday:  Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Recent Additions to My TBR

Wednesday:  Death by Committee - Cozy Mystery Review

Thursday:  Books from the Backlog - A Dollhouse to Die For

Friday:  Friday Linkup - No Escape Claws

Saturday:  As You Wish - Nonfiction Review

What's Coming Up:

Monday:  Reviews from the Children's Section - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Tuesday:  Ten Books That Have Been On My TBR For Far Too Long
Wednesday:  No Escape Claws - Cozy Mystery Review
Thursday:  Books from the Backlog
Friday: Friday Linkups with Current Book
Saturday: TBD

Have a great week and happy reading!

As You Wish - Nonfiction Review

Goodreads:  As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales From the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes

Rating: Loved It!

Source: Purchased (Audible)

Description:  From actor Cary Elwes, who played the iconic role of Westley in The Princess Bride, comes a first-person account and behind-the-scenes look at the making of the cult classic film filled with never-before-told stories, exclusive photographs, and interviews with costars Robin Wright, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Mandy Patinkin, as well as author and screenwriter William Goldman, producer Norman Lear, and director Rob Reiner.

The Princess Bride has been a family favorite for close to three decades. Ranked by the American Film Institute as one of the top 100 Greatest Love Stories and by the Writers Guild of America as one of the top 100 screenplays of all time, The Princess Bride will continue to resonate with audiences for years to come.

Cary Elwes was inspired to share his memories and give fans an unprecedented look into the creation of the film while participating in the twenty-fifth anniversary cast reunion. In As You Wish he has created an enchanting experience; in addition to never-before seen photos and interviews with his fellow cast mates, there are plenty of set secrets, backstage stories, and answers to lingering questions about off-screen romances that have plagued fans for years!

Genre:  Nonfiction

Why I Picked This Book:  This is one of my favorite movies and I couldn't resist the audio when I saw it had been read by Cary Elwes.

My Impression:  So The Princess Bride is one of my top 5 favorite movies of all time.  I've watched it more times than I can count ever since the first time I saw it with my parents as a child.  It's one of my husband's favorite movies too.  In fact it was a topic of conversation on our very first date.  We've seen it several times since then and shared it with our kids.  So needless to say I'm a fan.  When I heard that not only had Cary Elwes written a book about his experiences filming the movie WITH passages added by most of the actors I knew I had to read it AND when I heard that he read the book and most of the other actors made appearances so that was happening.  Of course it took awhile to actually happen.  But it completely lived up to my expectations.

This book is essentially a love letter to the movie and everyone involved in it.  The level of enthusiasm from Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Billy Crystal, Chris Sarandon, Carol Kane,  Mandy Pantakin, Rob Reiner, William Goldman, and a number of other actors is so genuine that I could feel it through the audio.  I loved all the behind the scenes information and how everyone became involved in the project.  It was a total delight and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  However, if you're not a fan of the movie or have never seen it than I don't think this is the book for you.  There's isn't much drama or insight into particular actors or the industry as a whole.  If you love the movie than this is a must listen!  Now I need to go watch The Princess Bride again!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Possibly but it'd have to be a story that really interested me.  

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you are a fan of the movie than this is a must read though I highly recommend listening to it.

Friday Linkups - No Escape Claws

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:
Audio books vs Ebooks?  If the world stopped printing books which would you prefer between the two?

My Answer:
This is a tough one!  My Kindle is my constant companion but I also love my audiobooks!  I guess if I absolutely had to pick one and only one I'd go with ebooks.  I could always listen to podcasts if I needed to but what could replace actually reading a book.

This week's book is No Escape Claws by Sofie Ryan.  In addition to having a wonderfully pun-ish title this series revolves around an antique/junk store which is one of my favorite things.

The Beginning:
The first thing I saw when I made it to the back wall of the storage unit was Elvis, sitting on top of a wooden casket.

My Thoughts:
So Elvis is a cat so him being perched up on something isn't too shocking.  The casket part is a bit eyebrow raising.

The 56:
"Wait a minute.  Are you saying Gina Pearson was strangled?"

My Thoughts:
Considering Gina Pearson was supposed to have died in an accidental fire (well kind of accidental, it's complicated) this is most surprising.

What do you think?  Keep reading?  Would you choose audio books or ebooks?