Reviews from the Children's Section - The Wizards of Once

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 almost exclusively because David Tennant narrates the audio book and really I think David Tennant should narrate all children's books - The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell

Goodreads:  The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell

My Thoughts: The Warriors hate the Wizards and the Wizards hate the Warrior.  But the son of the leader of the Wizards still hasn't had his magic come in and the daughter of the leader of the Warriors isn't particularly fearsome.  Throw in some witches that neither side likes, a bodyguard in training, and a collection of magical creatures and there's more than a bit of mayhem and madness.  This book was entertaining and a great setup for a series.  I loved Wish.  She's not the usual Warrior but she's smart and kind and more able to take care of herself than she really knows.  I really liked that she struggles with reading (Dyslexia I would think) but not only is it not really part of who she is but it clearly doesn't mean she isn't intelligent.  I also really enjoyed the plethora of side characters (especially the Giant Crusher) as they added humor as well as wisdom to the story.

Luckily, I really enjoyed all of this because I really disliked Xar.  I understand his frustration and his desire to prove himself which would make me inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt but he's such a brat I really couldn't quite get past it.  I could have forgiven him if he had been awful at the beginning and than had any kind of redemption arc throughout the book but that really wasn't the case.  The best I can say is that I didn't despise him quite as much at the end as I did at the beginning. 

Despite my dislike of Xar I did really end up enjoying this book and am really curious to see where the series goes and how the world develops.  There are a few dark images that might disturb a more sensitive child but I think most children would be okay with it.  If possible listen to the audio.  David Tennant is fantastic and should pretty much narrate all the books - except maybe romances - that might be weird.

Dying for Devil's Food - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads:  Dying for Devil's Food (A Cupcake Mystery #11) by Jenn McKinlay

Rating:  Good
Source: Publisher

Description: It's going to take every recipe the Fairy Tale Cupcake crew has to whip up a quick defense for Mel Cooper when her high school reunion goes from a cakewalk to a car wreck...
Melanie Cooper has zero interest in catering her fifteen-year high school reunion, but Angie insists it's only right that they bask in the success of Fairy Tale Cupcakes--and Mel's engagement to the delicious Joe DeLaura is the cherry on top!

Everything is going better than expected until Cassidy Havers, resident mean girl and Mel's high school nemesis, picks a fight. No longer willing to put up with Cassidy's bullying, Mel is ready to tell the former homecoming queen to shut her piehole and call it a night. But as Mel and Joe prepare to depart, Cassidy is found dead in the girl's bathroom, next to a note written in lipstick that points right to Mel -- making her the prime suspect.

Now, Mel must follow the clues to find the real killer and keep her reputation from being frosted for a crime she didn't commit.

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I've been reading this series since the beginning and always enjoy it though it does make me have some serious cupcake cravings!

My Impression:  This was a fun read and I really enjoyed seeing just how far Angie and Mel have come from the very beginning when their then friend (and now Angie's husband) Tate was being investigated for the murder of his fiance.  Now their cupcake store has multiple franchises and they're both in happy relationships.  They're still stumbling over dead bodies though - and this time at their high school reunion.  I just want to say that I'm firmly on Mel's side with the not wanting to go to her high school reunion.  I don't think I'd go even with the order of 500 cupcakes. 

I felt for Mel and cheered for as she navigated through all the pain that high school had dished out but as an adult.  I've always liked Joe but I'm completely over the moon for him now!  The mystery was intriguing and one of those where who didn't want to kill the victim was the major question.  Really what brought this down a bit for me is one of my pet peeves - the arch nemesis in law enforcement.  And in case there's a doozy - Detective Tara Martinez.   Now I'm perfectly fine with a detective disliking an amateur sleuth but Tara is so incredibly unprofessional and flat out petty that it really got on my nerves. 

My one complaint aside this was a fun light cozy mystery with cupcakes that'll make your mouth water and characters you can't help but like (well most of them anyway).

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I've enjoyed everything I've read from this author and will always look for her books.

Would I Recommend this Book?  Definitely!  If you enjoy cozies than this series (or really any series by McKinlay is a great choice!

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

My Favorite Books at the Moment

This month is all about my favorite things and so today I'm making a list of my favorite books.  Now this isn't my all time favorites but more of my favorites at the moment.

1.  Dead Wake by Erik Larson - This is one of those books that I couldn't stop talking about.  I was telling everyone who would listen about bits and pieces of information that I had learned from this.  I'd always been afraid to listen to a more serious nonfiction book on audio but this kept me so fascinated I never once lost focus.

2.  Murder on Trinity Place by Victoria Thompson - I love Victoria Thompson though I'm late getting to her historical mystery series.  I read this one in one day which hasn't happened in ages.  Great characters and great mysteries!

3.  Dark Witch by Nora Roberts - I have been all about Nora Roberts this year - especially her romantic suspense.  To be honest I didn't love this one when I first read it soon after it came out but I've listened to the rest of the trilogy in quick succession and have ended up really enjoying it.

4.  Death Waits in the Dark by Julia Buckley - This was another fun cozy with a deep dive into the past and a cast full of characters I really liked spending time with.  I didn't love the 2nd book but the third mystery definitely redeemed it and made it where I want to read the 1st book and will definitely be looking for the 4th!

5.  Flowers in the Rain by Rosamunde Pilcher - I love Pilcher's short stories despite their tendency towards a little over sweetness and when I reread it a few months ago I fell in love with them all over again!

6.  The Last Lie by Alex Lake - I literally had no idea how this thriller was going to work out and I was thoroughly hooked for every page!

7.  Botched 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton - I love this quirky series with a host of senior citizens and a PI firm.  The mysteries are always fun and I love the characters.  This one was a lot of fun but really the series never disappoints.

8.  Cloaked in Malice by Annette Blair - Was this the most believable mystery?  Not even close.  But it was thoroughly entertaining with lots of vintage clothes and a Cary Grant like ghost so I was willing to overlook the unbelievability.

9.  The Labors of Hercules by Agatha Christie - It's been too long since I read an Agatha Christie mystery but this reread reminded me of just why I love her books so much.

10. Mrs. Jeffries Delivers the Goods by Emily Brightwell - I've known of this series for years but for whatever reason never read any of the books until the end of the last year.  Now I've read two and thoroughly enjoyed both of them and will definitely be looking for more. 

What are some of your favorite books right now?

The Printed Letter Bookshop - Fiction Review

Goodreads:  The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay

Rating:  Loved It!
Source:  Blog Tour

Description: One of Madeline Cullen’s happiest childhood memories is of working with her Aunt Maddie in the quaint and cozy Printed Letter Bookshop. But by the time Madeline inherits the shop nearly twenty years later, family troubles and her own bitter losses have hardened Madeline’s heart toward her once-treasured aunt—and the now struggling bookshop left in her care.
While Madeline intends to sell the shop as quickly as possible, the Printed Letter’s two employees have other ideas. Reeling from a recent divorce, Janet finds sanctuary within the books and within the decadent window displays she creates. Claire, though quieter than the acerbic Janet, feels equally drawn to the daily rhythms of the shop and its loyal clientele, finding a renewed purpose within its walls. When Madeline’s professional life takes an unexpected turn, and when a handsome gardener upends all her preconceived notions, she questions her plans and her heart. She begins to envision a new path for herself and for her aunt’s beloved shop—provided the women’s best combined efforts are not too little, too late.

The Printed Letter Bookshop is a captivating story of good books, a testament to the beauty of new beginnings, and a sweet reminder of the power of friendship.

Genre:  Fiction

Why I Picked This Book:  I can never resist a book with the word Book or any variation thereof in the title and this blurb sounded like one I'd really enjoy!

My Impression:  I loved this book.  I’ve been in kind of a grumpy mood lately where all fictional characters were just flat out annoying me.  At the beginning I was afraid this was going to be the same.  Claire is tightly controlled and invisible, Madeline is so confused and lost but clueless as to what she really wants, and Janet - well lets just say Janet takes self-sabotage to whole new levels.  I was sure that I’d be more than done with these characters by the time I was 5 chapters in.  But I wasn’t.  With each page I felt like I understood these characters just a little bit more and by the end I felt like these were real life people and close friends at that and The Printed Letter Bookshop was a real living breathing place.

I don’t want to say too much about this one as I loved the experience of reading this book, getting to know the characters, and watching how everything works out knowing very little about the story.  This is a light-ish read that isn’t fluffy.  There are moments of pain, honesty, fun and just enough authentic sweetness to make it heartwarming and relatable all at the same time.  This was one of those books that was exactly what I needed at the perfect moment.  Definitely in my top ten of reads of the year so far.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Definitely!  I loved this one and would love to read more.

Would I Recommend this Book?  Absolutely!  If you enjoy fiction where the characters become like close friends this is a must not miss.

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

This Week in Reading - May 5

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 Distant Hour by Kate Morton - I ordered this one a few weeks ago and had pretty much given up on it arriving but after a week and a half vacation in Memphis it showed up on my doorstep!  I'm really looking forward to diving into this one!  (Purchased)

Read and Buried by Eva Gates - There's some irony with this one.  I couldn't remember if I had gotten anything from NetGalley this week so I decided to go check.  Turned out I hadn't but turned out this one was available. I read the previous book and enjoyed it and this one involves discovering a Civil War era box in the foundation of the library (which is a lighthouse) so I couldn't pass it up.  (NetGalley)

The Blood Road by Stuart MacBride - This is the 11th book in the series but I'm hoping it can be read as a stand alone.  A man is found dead which is tragic but the real mystery is that this man supposedly died several years ago.   I love this kind of mystery!  (Publisher)

Currently:

Reading:  Dying for Devil's Food by Jenn McKinlay and Death by the Sea by Kathleen Bridge

Listening:  I finished Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko and am just starting The Long Way Home by Mariah Stewart

Watching:  This week I've been binging NCIS.  The original is definitely my favorite and I really like the cast changes they've made.  I was really worried when some of the main characters started leaving but I feel like they've made good choices with the replacements.

Off the Blog:

It's May!  My birthday is in May (this coming week actually) and since I turned 35 or so I decided I was going to start celebrating my birthday for the whole month and this year is no different.  I'm spending this weekend at my Grandparents since I haven't visited since I haven't visited in a month or so.  I have a list about a mile long of things to do and things I want to buy though I still haven't decided where to go for dinner for my actual birthday.  How do you celebrate your birthday?  I was sliding into the not even going to really bother after I turned 30 but that made me unhappy so I switched to pretty full out!  This way is way better - at least for me!  Not sure what I'm going to do next year when I turn 40.  Maybe a full year of me?  Must think about that.

We are down to just a few weeks of school and I'm so looking forward to it though it has kind of snuck up on us.  I'm scrambling to do arrange a couple of camps.  I know he wants to do Space Camp again and we've talked about tennis camp but I also want to have lots of down time.  We get out of school by the end of May here but we also go back really early - like the first week of August.  I kind of like it because most of August is too hot to go outside anyway or it's just as hot as it was in July but by August we're just super tired of the heat and humidity and bugs.  

On the Blog:

What Happened:

Monday:  The View from Alameda Island - A Review in the Middle of a Slump
Tuesday:  Books I'm Buying For My Birthday
Wednesday:  A Hodge Podge of Reviews - What I've Been Reading #2
Thursday:  Murder on Trinity Place - Historical Mystery Review
Friday:  Friday Fives - May Reads
Saturday:  An Unhallowed Grave - Mystery Review

What's Coming Up:

Monday:  The Printed Letter Bookshop - Fiction Review

Tuesday:  My Favorite Books Right Now

Wednesday:  Dying for Devil's Food - Cozy Mystery Review

Thursday:  Reviews from the Children's Section - The Wizards of Once

Friday:  Friday Fives - My Favorite Things

Saturday:  Phantom Evil - Romantic Suspense Review

Have a great week and happy reading!

An Unhallowed Grave - Mystery Review

Goodreads:  An Unhallowed Grave (Wesley Peterson #3) by Kate Ellis

Rating: Very Good
Source:  Purchased

Description:  When the body of a middle-aged woman is found hanging from a yew tree in Stokeworthy Churchyard, the police suspect foul play. But the victim is an unlikely one. Pauline Brent was the local doctor's receptionist, respected and well liked. She seems to have no real enemies-and yet someone killed her.
Detective Sergeant Wesley Peterson, a black detective recently transferred to the quiet, West Country English village, is determined to discover the truth and, once again, it is history that provides him with a clue. For Wesley's archaeologist friend, Neil Watson, has excavated an ancient corpse at a nearby dig: a woman who had been buried at a crossroads, on unhallowed ground. It appears that the body is that of the same woman whom local legend has it was publicly executed in the churchyard centuries before.

A chilling echo of the fifteenth-century lynching, Pauline Brent's death forces Wesley to consider the possibility that the killer also knows the tree's dark history. Has Pauline been "executed" rather than murdered-and if so, for what crime?

To catch a dangerous killer, Wesley has to discover as much as he can about the victim. But Pauline Brent appears to have been a woman with few friends, no relatives, and a past she has tried carefully to hide...

Genre: Mystery

Why I Picked This Book:  I love a police procedural and I enjoyed an earlier book by this author years and years ago.

My Impression:  The Wesley Peterson series is one I discovered quite by accident years and years ago.  I stumbled on a mystery with a title that caught my eye (can't remember what it was now) in my favorite used bookstore.  I brought it home, read it, promptly fell in love and then was never able to find another one until the last year or two.  While I've been collecting mysteries in this series for awhile now this is actually my first revisit to the series I fell in love with back in college.  So did it live up to my expectations? Absolutely!

 I loved Wesley.  He's smart and incredibly logical with a sense of humor and an interest in all things archeological.  He's also part of a "new breed" of police and considered somewhat of a whiz kid with his university degree.  Being one of the few black detectives there is occasionally some racial tension as well.  I loved his relationship with his wife Pam.  She's home with a new baby and trying not to resent that her husband is frequently called away on very little notice.  As well, she's struggling with finding childcare that she is comfortable with when she goes back to work as a teacher in a few months.  There's also some interaction with Wesley's superior officer Gerry who is a bit lonely and a fairly recent widower.

This is a straight up police procedural.  It's well paced and an interesting mystery.  I loved the historical elements and how they wove into the present day mystery.  I had all kinds of ideas and theories as to just what had happened but every time I thought I had it locked down I'd be proven wrong.  This was a short read but fully developed and entertaining. While this series is on the older side (this book was published in 1999) it's a don't miss if you're a fan of police procedurals.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I have a number of other books in this series and am looking forward to reading it.

Would I Recommend this Book?  I would.  If you enjoy British Police Procedurals than I think you'd really like this series.

Friday Fives - May Reads

I'm taking a bit of a break from my usual Friday Linkups to try something a little different.  Michelle over at Because Reading is Better Than Real Life   used to do a Five on Fridays that I always enjoyed and I've seen a few other variations on the theme.  As well I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd give start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much.  I've started assigning each month a theme and picking books out of my rather giant collection that fit that theme to try and focus on that month.  This month is my birthday month so my May theme is My Favorite Things!  Here are five books that have some of my favorite things in them!

1.  Ghost Moon by Heather Graham - I love romantic suspense and this is romantic suspense with ghosts, an old house crammed full of stuff and set in Key West.

2.  The Bookshop Book by Jen Campbell - it' s a book about bookstores.  Do I really need to say anything else?

3.  Dead in a Flash by Brynn Bonner - I love genealogy and books about solving cold cases.  This is a bit of both and I'm really looking forward to it.

4.  A Dollhouse to Die For by Cate Price - This is a cozy involving antiques AND miniatures.  I love both and throw a murder mystery into that and I'm really looking forward to it.

5.  First Comes Marriage by Mary Balogh - This is a reread for me but I remember reading it.  It's a bit of a marriage of convenience and I love Balogh so this is a lot of favorite things wrapped up in one book.

What are some of your favorite things?