Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish.  This week's Top Ten consists of Top Ten Favorite Reads of 2012.  Hmmm, it's going to be hard for me...So far I've read about 54 books, it may be tough...Let's what I've considered my favorite read so far this year.

Top Ten Favorite Read of 2012:

10.  Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - I loved the way how this book brought back all those teenage emotions, the confusion and the need to fit in and finally realizing what really is important.  I haven't read anything else by the author but I will definitely will be on the lookout.

9.  It Takes a Witch by Heather Blake - Debut author, I'm a huge fan of cosy mysteries so I had to add one to the list.  And this one is it.

8.  The Dark Queen by Susan Carroll - The first book of Susan Carroll's popular series.  I was hooked right from the beginning.

7.  Helen of Troy by Margaret George - Historical fiction at its best! Need I say more?

6.  The Masque of the Black Tulip by Lauren Willig - I've been meaning to read this series for a very long time and I finally did, still not caught up but working on it.  I fell in love with series right at the beginning.

5.  The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny - This series only gets better, even with the "little twist" the author threw in this book.

4.  The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister - Four words: Food For Your Soul. 

3.  A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny - Although I enjoyed The Beautiful Mystery, I liked this one more.  After Bury Your Dead I didn't know where the author would go with the series, it was a very powerful book and A Trick of the Light picked up right after and it felt seamless.

2.  Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safron Foer - I fell in love with Oskar, what an incredible little boy.

1.  Dancing on Broken Glass by Ka Hancock -  This book was a very emotional read for me. I spent most of the time with a tissue wiping tears.  Beautifully written and poignant story.

What about you?  What are your favorite reads of the year?  To join in the fun, visit here.

A Novel Way to Die

Darla Pettistone may have inherited her great aunt Dee’s Brooklyn bookstore, but it’s the store’s mascot—an oversized black cat named Hamlet—who acts like he owns the place. And when someone turns up dead, Hamlet smells something rotten in Brooklyn… 
As the owner of Pettistone’s Fine Books, Darla is settling nicely into her new life, even reaching an uneasy truce with Hamlet. Unfortunately, when she needs to hire a new clerk, the finicky feline decides to lend a paw to the hiring process. He chases away applicants who don’t meet his approval, finally settling on an unlikely candidate: Robert, a book-loving Goth kid who has a secret only Hamlet knows. 
And Hamlet can’t seem to stay out of trouble. One of the bookstore’s regular customers, a man who is renovating a local brownstone, claims he’s seen Hamlet prowling the neighborhood. When the man’s business partner is found dead, Darla discovers that Hamlet may have been the only witness to what could be murder. With the crafty cat’s help, she wonders if they just might be able to pounce on a killer...

My favorite fictional cat is back! I'm a proud owner of a black cat, Boo.  The author's description of Hamlet both physically and personality wise is like describing Boo. Well, except for pulling out books...

Like the previous book of the series, Double Booked for Death, Hamlet is on the prowl for a murderer with a little help from his human, Darla, the owner of Pettistone's Fine Books. They also had some help from the usual gang, Jake, Professor and the newest member of their "family", Robert, a teenage ex goth book lover who has a soft spot for Hamlet.  I was completely surprised on who the murderer was, but the author tied up everything very well.  I hate when that doesn't happen.  I loved seeing Hamlet bond with both Robert and Darla, in his own stubborn cat way.  Cat owners will understand.

A Novel Way to Die by Ali Brandon (3.5/5) Mystery; Published: Berkley Prime Crime (11/2012); Series: # 2, A Black Cat Bookshop Mystery; New Release; Library; Books 2012 (56);

A Killer Read

No one thought much of the stranger who stopped by the Ashton Corners Mystery Readers meeting.  But when he's killed just moments later, Lizzie Turner finds herself in the midst of a dangerous murder mystery...
Reading specialist and mystery book lover Lizzie Turner was excited for the first meeting of the Ashton Corners Mystery Readers and Cheese Straws Society hosted in Molly Mathews's old Southern mansion.  But she didn't expect the gathering to become the scene of an actual murder.  A stranger has been shot -- and nobody knows who the victim is, or how Molly's antique gun came to be used as the murder weapon.
As the plot becomes all too real, the police chief -- Lizzie's former high school crush -- steps in to investigate. Then Lizzie begins finding mysterious manuscripts chapters in her mailbox, and Molly surfaces as the next name on the killer's list...

I'm on a roll...another mystery and another first book of a series, Ashton Corners Book Club  mystery series, by Erika Chase.

I enjoyed the premise of the story, a mystery book club investigating their own case, or least what they thought as their own. And that escalates to something more. Plus you add several interesting characters, the possibility of one or two romances, a hunky Chief of police, a puppy and two cats, I'm in heaven.  Ok, not quite, but it was a good read.  I'm looking forward to read the next book in the series.

A Killer Read by Erika Chase (3/5) Mystery; Published: Berkley Prime Crime (3/2012); Series: # 1, Ashton Corners Book Club; New Author; New Release; Library; Books 2012 (55);

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

My loot this week:

You can join in the fun by visiting here.

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists! Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

This is my first time participating in this meme.  So here it goes...This week's topic is Top Ten New To Me Authors I Read In 2012:

1.  Ka Hancock - I read her debut book, Dancing on Broken Glass, and was amazed by it.  The book was very well written,  I couldn't put it down.  I cannot wait for her next book.

2.  Erica Baurmeister - I cannot express how much I enjoyed The School of Essential Ingredients!  It was amazing!

3.  Sarah Jio - This is an author that I've been meaning to read for a while, but never got around to.  I'm glad that I read The Violets of March was beautifully written with wonderful and colorful characters.

4.  Susan Carroll - Another author that has been on my to read list for a very long time.  I read The Dark Queen recently, and now I'm hooked.  Love the author style of writing and her characters was very interesting and some are very mysterious.  Yep, I'm hooked.

5.  Juliet Blackwell - I came upon this author and her the first book of the series by browsing the mystery shelves at my local library. Secondhand Spirits was a great book and I fell in love with Oscar the main character's pot bellied pig.

6.  Heather Blake - Read her first book, It Takes a Witch, back in March and really enjoyed it.  Great first book for a paranormal cosy mystery.

7.  Meg Donahue - How to Eat a Cupcake was a great book. Loved the characters, and their determination to make it, both on the business front but also on recovering their friendship.

8.  Stephanie Perkins - Earlier in the year I read Anna and the French Kiss.  I enjoyed the story  and it brought back memories of my teenage years, both good and bad.

9.  Stephanie Sloan - I discover another historical romance series that I need to follow.  I'm not up to date yet, but I will definitely be picking up more of the author's books.  The Devil in Disguise was a great little story. 

10.  Jane Myers Perrine - The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek was suggested to me by a friend.  Although I enjoyed the small town feel of the book, I found that it reminded me a lot of Jan Karon's Mitford series, and it felt short in comparison.

A Spoonful of Murder

Winter is big business in small-town Snowflake, Vermont. Tourists arrive to hit the ski slopes--and what could be more satisfying after a chilly day of carving powder than a steaming bowl of soup? 
When Lucky Jamieson inherits her parents' soup shop, By the Spoonful, she realizes it's time to take stock of her life. Should she sell her parents' house or move in herself? Does she really want to run a restaurant business? And what about her grandfather Jack, who seems to be showing signs of Alzheimer's? 
But her life decisions are moved to the back burner after an icy blonde tourist is found frozen to death behind the soup shop. And Lucky is bowled over when her soup chef, Sage DuBois, is led out of the kitchen by the police. As suspicion and speculations snowball, Lucky decides that the only way to save her employee and her business is to find out herself who iced the tourist--and landed her chef in the soup...

I'm on a roll... Another mystery, another first book of a cosy series and another pretty decent read.  A great way to spend a weekend, I say.

Lucky comes back to her hometown to run her parents business after their sudden death.  I have a soft spot for this type of character, I love the way they feel somewhat guilty that they didn't spend enough time with their loved ones while alive that they need to move back home and take over the family business.  Yes, I'm a sap.... Ok, I'm not too bad.  I loved the way she took care of her grandfather, she was concerned about the possibility that he has Alzheimer's. Plus taking care of a business, an old crush and her chef being accused of murder, she has a lot on her plate. But she manages to do everything including solve a murder and free Sage, said chef.  I guess that's the beauty of these small cosy mysteries, fast paced and super characters, I just wished there was a little more humor. Not the slap stick type, just the humorous characters that lighten-up the story.  There were a couple moments but I wanted a little bit more.

A Spoonful of Murder by Connie Archer (3/5) Mystery; Published: Berkley Prime Crime (8/2012); Series: # 1, Soup Lover's Mystery; New Author; New Release; Library; Books 2012 (54);

Shoe Done It

Rita Jewel has a dream job selling fabulous clothes and accessories to the socialites of San Francisco at Dolce's Boutique.  But when a pair of heels becomes a clue in a murder, Rita finds herself engaged in a high-end crime of fashion...
Society maven MarySue Jensen has old San Francisco money and an eye for style.  That's why she must have those handmade silver stilettos special ordered from Dulce's by their top fashionista, Rita Jewel.  She'd die before she wore anything less at the biggest charity event of the season.  That same night, MarySue Jensen's cold, lifeless body is found in Golden Gate Park...tragically barefoot.
What kind of remorseless, fashion-conscious maniac would swipe a pair of handcrafted stilettos from a corpse?  With her boss a prime suspect, Rita Jewel -- and unnervingly sexy detective Jack Wall -- must track down a killer.  But before Rita engages in such a dangerous game, she has one nagging question...What does one wear to solve a crime?

Another good mystery for me.  

I loved that this story is set in San Francisco, one of my favorite cities.  I'm not a huge fashion follower, I'm what people call comfortable. I love my jeans and tees!  But I enjoyed how these characters are fashionista willing to do and get everything they think is fashion.  The main character, Rita, I'm not sure about just yet,   I'll have to read more of the series.  The mystery itself had me guessing, one chapter was one person, next chapter was someone different and I was completely surprised on who it was.

Shoe Done It by Grace Carroll (3/5) Mystery; Published: Berkley Prime Crime (10/2011); Series: # 1, An Accessories Mystery; New Author; Library; Books 2012 (53)  

Pies and Prejudice

The First Slice is Magic....
When the going gets tough, Ella Mae LeFaye bakes pie.  So when she catches her husband cheating in New York, she heads back home to Havenwood, Georgia, where she can drown her sorrows in fresh fruit filling and flaky crust.  But her pies aren't just delicious, they're also having magical effects on the people who eat them -- and the public is hungry for more.
The Second is Murder...
Having discovered her hidden talent for enchantment, Ella Mae makes her own wish come true by opening The Charmed Pie Shoppe.  But with her old nemesis Loralyn Gaynor making trouble, and her old crush Hugh Dylan making nice, she has more than pie on her plate.  And when Loralyn's fiance is found dead -- killed with Ella Mae's rolling pin -- it'll take all her sweet magic to clear her name.

I'm in a mystery type of mood.  I want them short, and sweet, and if there's a little spice added to it, even better.  

Pies and Prejudice by Ellery Adams, was just that.  It was a fast paced story, the characters were super interesting (especially the LaFaye sister's - Ella's aunts and mother), the mystery itself was well written. And it did have a little added spice. There's a slim possibility that Ella and Hugh may have a future, but I would like to see Ella resolve her marriage and trust issues first.  I would loved to see Loralyn get more of a punishment for the way she treated Ella, but I'm hoping that the author will do so in upcoming books.

Can't wait for more!  I may just try out a pie recipe too...

Pies and Prejudice by Ellery James (3.5/5) Mystery; Published: Berkley Prime Crime (7/2012); Series: # 1, Charmed Pie Shoppe; New Author; New Release; Library; Books 2012 (52);

The School of Essential Ingredients

Once a month on Monday night, eight students gather in Lillian's restaurant for a cooking class.  Among them is Claire, a young woman coming to terms with her new identity as a mother; Tom, a lawyer whose life has been overturned by loss; Antonia, an Italian kitchen designer adapting to life in America; and Carl and Helen a long-married couple whose union contains surprises the rest of the class would never suspect.The students have come to learn the art behind Lillian's soulful dishes, but it soon becomes clear that each seeks a recipe for something beyond the kitchen.  One by one they are transformed by the aromas, flavors, and textures of what they create, including a white-on-white cake that prompts wistful reflections on the sweet fragility of love, and a garlic and red sauce that seems to spark one romance but end another.  Over time, the paths of the students mingle and intertwine, and the essence of Lillian's cooking expands beyond the restaurant and into the secret corners of their lives, with results that are often unexpected, and always delicious.

What a wonderful little gem of a book!  I loved almost everything about the book.  My only complaint was that the it was too short.  At the end of the book, I was upset that there wasn't more.  How dare the author leave me hanging?  All kidding aside, it was one of those books that nurtures your soul. Loved it! Loved it!

I enjoyed the way that each character had their own chapters, which gave their individual story without making it seem overly done. I also enjoyed that each character had their own emotional breakthrough recipe.  And each of those "recipes" made the ending where they're all intertwined more special and believable. Where it also made me want more.  I didn't want those stories to end.  It felt like they were just beginning.

If you haven't read this book yet, what are you waiting for...You won't regret it! 

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister (5/5) General Fiction; Published: G.P. Putnam's Sons (2009); New Author; Favorite Read 2012; Library; Books 2012 (51);

Deadly Patterns

Bliss, Texas, is gearing up for its annual Winter Wonderland festival, but when a mysterious Scrooge ends the merriment with murder,it'll take more than a ghost from Christmas past to set things right.
Designing a holiday fashion show set in the town's most prominent historic mansion seems like a job tailor-made for dress-maker Harlow Jane Cassidy.  But with the mansion's restoration still in progress and threatening weather on the horizon, she's feeling on pins and needles more than reveling in holiday cheer.
Having volunteered to play Santa in this year's festival, Dan Lee Chrisson is ready to move on after his divorce -- until Bliss becomes his final resting place.  Discovering his body puts Harlow at the scene of the crime.  She'll need plenty of help from friends and even her late great-grandmother's spirited sleuthing if she's to have a ghost of a chance of catching a killer who's just jumped to the top of the naughty list...

I've read my first Christmas themed book of the year.  When I got this book at the library, I didn't realize it was, Melissa Bourbon is just one of those authors I automatically pick up without glassing at the blurb.

Harlow has her plate full.  Not only is she helping organize Winter Wonderland fashion show, she also in charge of sewing the clothes, Christmas decorations class, making the new Santa outfit, a newsletter, and also figuring out who wanted Dan Lee Chrisson dead.

But she isn't alone, she has her usual friends and family about to help with her tasks. I loved that the author had Harlow tell Will about her gift and how all the branches of the Cassidy's have their own individual gifts.  And it was not surprising that he took it well, love Will, but there is always that doubt that he would not accept it and leave.  

The solving of Dan Lee's murder was interesting.  I loved that he was more complex than it was originally known.  I love how everything in that little town is interconnected.  I admit I couldn't figure out who killed him, but by the time the book was over it made sense.

The only problem I have now is that I have to wait until July for the next book of the series. Argh..

Deadly Patterns by Melissa Bourbon (4.5/5) Paranormal Mystery: Ghost; Published: Signet (10/2012); Series: # 3, Magical Dressmaking Mystery; New Release; Library; Books 2012 (50);

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Should Be Reading. Here's how you play:* Grab your current read.
* Let the book fall open to a random page.* Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.* You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
* Please avoid spoilers!

My teaser this week:

Fir bark and spruce buds were kept on the boil in a large iron cauldron, the concoction ladled into half-barrels where the twine was soaked before laid out on the bawn to cure.  A handful of boys horsing around nearby, Tryphie and Patrick Devine's eight-year-old, Eli, leading the games of pitch-and-toss and tag while the men shouted at the them to mind their step, to keep clear of the fire, to shag off home out of it.

~taken from page 205, Galore by Michael Crummey

To join in the fun, visit here.

The Courtesan

Skilled in passion, artful in deception, and driven by betrayal, she is the glittering center of the royal court–but the most desired woman of Renaissance France will draw the wrath of a dangerous adversary. Paris, 1575. The consort of some of Europe’s most influential men, Gabrielle Cheney is determined to secure her future by winning the heart of Henry, the Huguenot king of Navarre. As his mistress, Gabrielle hopes she might one day become the power behind the French throne. But her plans are jeopardized by Captain Nicolas Rémy, a devoted warrior whose love Gabrielle desires–and fears–above all. She will also incur the malevolence of the Dark Queen, Catherine de’ Medici, whose spies and witch-hunters are legion, and who will summon the black arts to maintain her authority. With the lives of those she loves in peril, Gabrielle must rebel against her queen to fulfill a glorious destiny she has sacrificed everything to gain. 
Alive with vivid period detail and characters as vibrant as they are memorable, The Courtesan is a sweeping historical tale of dangerous intrigues, deep treachery, and one woman’s unshakable resolve to honor her heart.

I finished reading this book last week, and I've been having a hard time putting my thoughts down.  I found the book well written, the story flowed well, I loved the introduction of a few new characters who I think we may see more in future books.  It was great to see Renard, Ariane and Miri.  It was even nice to see Simon as well, but I'm not too sure about his character, he's confused and angry and I'm curious on what the author will do to redeem him. But The Courtesan is Gabrielle and Remy's story. Which I don't quite agree, it was Gabrielle's story, Remy had more of a secondary role in it in my opinion.  Gabrielle was the one who was struggling with what her heart said and what she had promised herself.  Should she follow Remy or should she become the mistress of an imprisoned king.

I guess it just wasn't what I was expecting. I still enjoyed it, but it just wasn't as good as the first book, The Dark Queen. I'm hoping that the next book of the series, The Silver Rose, will be better.

The Courtesan by Susan Carroll (3/5) Historical Fiction; Published: Ballantine Books (2005);
Series: # 2, The Dark Queen; Library; Books 2012 (49);

2013 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

I didn't participate this year, but I'll be joining in the fun in 2013.  The 2013 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge is hosted by the lovely ladies over at Historical Tapestry.

Here's info on the challenge (taken from Historical Tapestry):

Everyone can participate, even those who don't have a blog (you can add your book title and thoughts in the comment section if you wish)
Add the link(s) of your review(s) including your name and book title to the Mister Linky we’ll be adding to our monthly post (please, do not add your blog link, but the correct address that will guide us directly to your review)
Any kind of historical fiction is accepted (HF fantasy, HF young adult,...)
During these following 12 months you can choose one of the different reading levels:
20th century reader - 2 books; Victorian reader - 5 books; Renaissance Reader - 10 books; Medieval - 15 books; Ancient History -25+ books
To join the challenge you only need to make a post about it, grab the button below if you like and leave your link in Mr Linky below or just leave a link to your blog if you are not yet ready to post about it yet. If you don't have a blog you can just leave a comment for this post saying that you are joining.
The challenge runs from 1 January to 31 December 2013.

If you're interested in signing up for this challenge, click here.

I'm aiming high for the upcoming year, so I'll be attempting the Ancient History level.  Here are my books:

1. The Darling Dahlias and the Naked Ladies by Susan Wittig Albert
2. Away by Jane Urquhart
3. The Heir by Grace Burrowes
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.

Canada Reads 2013: The Turf Wars

We finally have the names of the panelists and their chosen books:

Olympic gold-medal wrestler Carol Huynh (B.C. and Yukon), Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese.

Saul Indian Horse is dying. Tucked away in a hospice high above the clash and clang of a big city, he embarks on a marvellous journey of imagination back through the life he led as a northern Ojibway, with all its sorrows and joys. With compassion and insight, author Richard Wagamese traces through his fictional characters the decline of a culture and a cultural way. For Saul, taken forcibly from the land and his family when he's sent to residential school, salvation comes for a while through his incredible gifts as a hockey player. But in the harsh realities of 1960s Canada, he battles obdurate racism and the spirit-destroying effects of cultural alienation and displacement. Indian Horse unfolds against the bleak loveliness of northern Ontario, all rock, marsh, bog and cedar. Wagamese writes with a spare beauty, penetrating the heart of a remarkable Ojibway man.

Ron MacLean, sportscaster (Prairies & the North), The Age of Hope by David Bergen.

Born in 1930 in a small town outside Winnipeg, beautiful Hope Koop appears destined to have a conventional life. Church, marriage to a steady young man, children-her fortunes are already laid out for her, as are the shiny modern appliances in her new home. All she has to do is stay with Roy, who loves her. But as the decades unfold, what seems to be a safe, predictable existence overwhelms Hope. Where-among the demands of her children, the expectations of her husband and the challenges of her best friend, Emily, who has just read The Feminine Mystique-is there room for her? And just who is she anyway? A wife, a mother, a woman whose life is somehow unrealized? This beautifully crafted and perceptive work of fiction spans some fifty years of Hope Koop's life in the second half of the 20th century, from traditionalism to feminism and beyond. David Bergen has created an indelible portrait of a seemingly ordinary woman who struggles to accept herself as she is, and in so doing becomes unique.

Charlotte Gray, historian and biographer (Ontario), Away by Jane Urquhart.

A stunning, evocative novel set in Ireland and Canada, Away traces a family’s complex and layered past. The narrative unfolds with shimmering clarity, and takes us from the harsh northern Irish coast in the 1840s to the quarantine stations at Grosse Isle and the barely hospitable land of the Canadian Shield; from the flourishing town of Port Hope to the flooded streets of Montreal; from Ottawa at the time of Confederation to a large-windowed house at the edge of a Great Lake during the present day. Graceful and moving, Away unites the personal and the political as it explores the most private, often darkest corners of our emotions where the things that root us to ourselves endure. Powerful, intricate, lyrical, Away is an unforgettable novel.

Actor and filmmaker Jay Baruchel (Quebec) Two Solitudes by Hugh MacLennan.

Hugh MacLennan's iconic 1945 novel Two Solitudes instantly became a symbol for one of Canada's most challenging dichotomies: the divide between French and English. The Tallard family stands in for the entirety of Canada: Athanase Tallard is born of an aristocratic French-Canadian tradition, while his beautiful wife Kathleen is of Irish heritage. Their son Paul, meanwhile, must reconcile the conflicting interests in his blood — he is at home speaking both French and English, but feels alienated from both cultures...and he is struggling to write a novel that will help define his Canadian identity. Two Solitudes won the Governor General's Award for fiction when it was published in 1945, and went on to become a classic work about Canadian identity.

Comedian Trent McClellan (Atlantic provinces), February by Lisa Moore.

In 1982, the oil rig Ocean Ranger sank off the coast of Newfoundland during a Valentine's Day storm. All eighty-four men aboard died. February is the story of Helen O'Mara, one of those left behind when her husband, Cal, drowns on the rig. It begins in the present-day, more than twenty-five years later, but spirals back again and again to the "February" that persists in Helen's mind and heart. Writing at the peak of her form, her steadfast refusal to sentimentalize coupled with an almost shocking ability to render the precise details of her characters' physical and emotional worlds, Lisa Moore gives us her strongest work yet. Here is a novel about complex love and cauterizing grief, about past and present and how memory knits them together, about a fiercely close community and its universal struggles, and finally about our need to imagine a future, no matter how fragile, before we truly come home. This is a profound, gorgeous, heart-stopping work from one of our best writers.

I can't wait to get started!  I'm somewhat ashamed to say I haven't read any of these books, but I'm looking forward to getting my hands on them very soon.

If you want more info on the books or the panelists visit here.

Nightshade on Elm Street

Enjoy her wedding shower…or receive a cold dunking? In addition to running her flower shop, planning her wedding, and juggling two mothers who both want to host an elaborate bridal shower, Abby Knight is facing another complication. Her ditzy cousin Jillian asks her and her longtime beau, Marco, a private detective, to find a woman who’s gone missing from the exclusive beach house belonging to Jillian’s in-laws, the Osbornes. The missing woman is also the fiancée of Pryce Osborne, a wet noodle with a big bank account who dumped Abby just before their wedding several years ago. Merely being anywhere near Pryce makes Abby’s insecurities grow like kudzu…. Then a woman’s drowned body surfaces, and Pryce becomes a prime suspect in her death. Unless Abby and Marco can get a killer to come clean, their bridal shower will turn into a complete washout...and Pryce will be exchanging a sunny beach for a prison cell.

I know I'm going to sound like a broken record but I love this author and her Flower Shop series. I know when I read a Kate Collins book I will be entertained.  I love her subtle humor and the banter that the main character has with her cousin Jillian, gets me every time.  And Marco, isn't so bad either, who wouldn't want an ex-Ranger for a fiance... I read this book in one afternoon.  It was a perfect read for a snowy Sunday afternoon.

This book had it all.  The regular characters who are just like old friends, the new characters that were interesting and some hilarious in a very unique way; Abby and her usual nosiness, her crazy conversations with Jillian; quality time with Marco; two mysteries to solve; all this and also the planning of her bridal shower. This time around there was also a small journal entry by Abby at the beginning of each chapter.  It was a nice touch.

If you haven't read this series yet, what are you waiting for?  If you love cosy mysteries you will love the Flower Shop mystery.

Nightshade on Elm Street by Kate Collins (4.5/5) Contemporary Mystery; Published: Obsidian Mystery (11/2012); Series: # 13, Flower Shop; New Release; Library; Books (48);

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

Here's what a brought home with me (aka the mother load - as the kids called it):

Can you tell I'm in a mystery type of mood?  I better get cracking...  By the way if you want to join in the fun, visit here.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Should Be Reading. Here's how you play:* Grab your current read.
* Let the book fall open to a random page.* Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.* You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
* Please avoid spoilers!

My teaser this week is:

"You needn't look at me that way." She squared her shoulders defensively.  "Even Mistress Cass thought it was amusing when she realized her mistake.  We both had a good laugh over her prince of the pots and pans."

~ taken from page 263, The Courtesan by Susan Carroll

You can join in the fun by visiting here.

Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge 2013: Scattergories

I'm on a roll here...  

But I couldn't resist a vintage mystery one.  The Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge 2013 is being hosted by Bev from My Reader's Block.  She's offering two version of this challenge: a full version and a mini version.  I'm going to try the full version.  Wish me luck!

Here are the rules of the challenge (taken from My Reader's Block): 

All novels must have been originally written before 1960 and be from the mystery category (crime fiction, detective fiction, espionage, etc.). Short story collections (whether published pre-1960 or not) are permissible provided all of the stories included in the collection were originally written pre-1960. Please remember that some of our Vintage authors wrote well after 1959--so keep an eye on the original publish date.

Each book may count for only one category.
I am open to additional category suggestions. Please email me (phryne1969 AT gmail DOT com) with your suggestions. Once I decide to add a category and it shows up on the list below, then it will be fair game for challenge completion. Category suggestions will be considered through January 31. 
You are welcome to count these books towards any other challenges as well.
Challenge runs from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013. Sign up any time between now and November 30, 2013. Any books read from January 1 on may count regardless of your sign-up date. If you have a blog, please post about the challenge and your theme commitment. Then sign up via one of the linkys below. And please make the url link to your Challenge post and not your home page. (Links that do not follow this rule will be removed.) Please use the appropriate linky for the mini-challenge.
I would love to see reviews of your challenge books, but it is not necessary to participate. If you do not have a blog, post to the comments what your challenge commitment will be and then post again at the progress site (see below) when you have completed your challenge (include a list of books read). If you don't review and you've gotten creative with the categories (i.e. it's not obvious how a certain book fits a category), then please give a brief explanation when you post your completion comment.
Everyone who completes the 8 book minimum will be entered for a prize drawing at the end of the year. Anyone who completes 16 or more books will automatically receive their choice from a prize list. 
Once you have met the 8 book minimum, you may repeat any category (except the last one) any number of times to reach the 16+ level.
On January 1st, I will post a site where you can link up your reviews/progress.

And the Vintage Categories are (taken from My Reader's Block):


1. Colorful Crime: a book with a color or reference to color in the title

2. Murder by the Numbers: a book with a number, quantity in the title

3. Amateur Night: a book with a "detective" who is not a P.I.; Police Officer; Official Investigator (Nurse Keate, Father Brown, Miss Marple, etc.)

4. Leave It to the Professionals: a book featuring cops, private eyes, secret service, professional spies, etc.

5. Jolly Old England: one mystery set in Britain

6. Yankee Doodle Dandy: one mystery set in the United States

7. World Traveler: one mystery set in any country except the US or Britain

8. Dangerous Beasts: a book with an animal in the title (The Case of the Grinning Gorilla; The Canary Murder Case; etc.)

9. A Calendar of Crime: a mystery with a date/holiday/year/month/etc. in the title (Hercule Poirot's Christmas, Holiday Homicide, etc.)

10. Wicked Women: a book with a woman in the title--either by name (Mrs. McGinty's Dead) or by reference (The Case of the Vagabound Virgin)

11. Malicious Men: a book with a man in the title--either by name (Maigret & the Yellow Dog) or by reference (The Case of the Haunted Husband)

12. Murderous Methods : a book with a means of death in the title (The Noose, 5 Bullets, Deadly Nightshade, etc).

13. Staging the Crime: a mystery set in the entertainment world (the theater, musical event, a pageant, Hollywood, featuring a magician, etc)

14. Scene of the Crime: a book with the location of the crime in the title (The Body in the Library, Murder at the Vicarage, etc.)

15. Cops & Robbers: a book that features a theft rather than murder 

16. Locked Rooms: a locked-room mystery

17. Country House Criminals: a standard (or not-so-standard) Golden Age country house murder

18. Murder on the High Seas: a mystery involving water

19. Planes, Trains & Automobiles: a mystery that involves a mode of transportation in a vital way--explicitly in the title (Murder on the Orient Express) or by implication (Death in the Air; Death Under Sail) or perhaps the victim was shoved under a bus....

20. Murder Is Academic: a mystery involving a scholar, teacher, librarian, etc. OR set at a school, university, library, etc.

21. Things That Go Bump in the Night: a mystery with something spooky, creepy, gothic in the title (The Skeleton in the Clock, Haunted Lady, The Bat, etc.)

22. Repeat Offenders: a mystery featuring your favorite series detective or by your favorite author (the books/authors you'd read over and over again) OR reread an old favorite

23. The Butler Did It...Or Not: a mystery where the butler is the victim, the sleuth....(gasp) the criminal....or is just downright memorable for whatever reason. 

24. A Mystery By Any Other Name: any book that has been published under more than one title (Murder Is Easy--aka Easy to Kill [Christie]; Fog of Doubt--aka London Particular [Christianna Brand], etc.)

25. Dynamic Duos: a mystery featuring a detective team--Holmes & Watson, Pam & Jerry North, Wolfe & Goodwin, or....a little-known team that you introduce to us.

26. Size Matters: a book with a size or measurement in the title (Death Has a Small Voice, The Big Four, The Weight of the Evidence, etc.)

27. Psychic Phenomena: a mystery featuring a seance, medium, hypnotism, or other psychic or "supernatural" characters/events

28. Book to Movie: one vintage mystery that has appeared on screen (feature film or TV movie).

29. The Old Bailey: a courtroom drama mystery (Perry Mason, anyone? Witness for the Prosecution...etc.) OR a mystery featuring a judge, lawyer, barrister, D.A., etc.

30. Get Out of Jail Free: This is a freebie category. One per customer. You tell me what special category the book fits ("It's got an awesome cover!"..."First book I grabbed off my shelf") and it counts. Only thing I won't take is "It's a Vintage Mystery!"--that's a given. :-)


If you're interested in joining in the fun, click here to sign up.

Hmmm... choices....

My books and categories:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.

2013 Colorful Reading Challenge

The 2013 Colorful Reading Challenge is being hosted by Becca from Lost in Books.

Here's the info on the challenge (taken from Lost in Books):

1. Just choose 9 books with colors in the titles.                            2. The books can overlap with other reading challenges (because let's face it, we need them to.)                                                  3. Post your links to your reviews each month to share with other participants.                                                                            4. The challenge runs from January 1, 2013 to December 1, 2013.                                                                                                                                5. Read to your heart's content! 

When most people think of colors they think of the basics- red, yellow, blue, green, orange, purple, white, black, and brown. But don't forget, as Crayola taught us, colors have a wide array of tints and shades so don't forget you can include colors such as silver, gold, plum, pink, crimson, scarlet, turquoise, blonde, gray, pumpkin, the list goes on.

This one sounds like fun... If you're interested in participating click here to sign up. If you want ideas on books to read for this challenge, visit here.

My books:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Return to Willow Lake

Sonnet Romano's life is almost perfect. She has the ideal career, the ideal boyfriend, and has just been offered a prestigious fellowship. There's nothing more a woman wants—except maybe a baby…brother? When Sonnet finds out her mother is unexpectedly expecting, and that the pregnancy is high risk, she puts everything on hold—the job, the fellowship, the boyfriend—and heads home to Avalon. Once her mom is out of danger, Sonnet intends to pick up her life where she left off. But when her mother receives a devastating diagnosis, Sonnet must decide what really matters in life, even if that means staying in Avalon and taking a job that forces her to work alongside her biggest, and maybe her sweetest, mistake—award-winning filmmaker Zach Alger. So Sonnet embarks on a summer of laughter and tears, of old dreams and new possibilities, and of finding the home of her heart.

Susan Wiggs is one of those authors that I know I will enjoy her novels, regardless of it being a historical or a contemporary setting.  You can say she is one of my feel good authors.  Reading her books will always put a smile on my face.

And this one did not disappoint. It had the ups and downs of real relationships, and I loved the way that Sonnet, Nina, and Zach handled their ups and downs.  I found Nina's story to be poignant and beautiful, and it had me in tears several times.  Sonnet and Zach's love has been one of stories I've been waiting for a while, loved them as teens in previous books and I was very curious on how the author would get them together.  Loved it!

Return to Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs (4/5) General Fiction; Published: Harlequin MIRA (8/2012); Series: # 9, Lakeshore Chronicles; New Release; Library; Books 2012 (47);