Bury Your Dead

As Quebec City shovers in the grip of winter, its ancient stone walls cracking in the cold, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache plunges into the strangest case of his celebrated career. A man has been brutally murdered in one of the city's oldest buildings - a library where the English citizens of Quebec safeguard their history. And the death opens a door into the past, exposing a mystery that has lain dormant for centuries...a mystery Gamache must solve if he's to catch a present-day killer.

I'm a huge fan of Louise Penny's Armand Gamache series. I've loved all the books of the series, of course some more than others but to me the Armand Gamache series is awesome. The series has it all: great characters, great storylines and the best setting possible...Canada! Ok, Quebec. But it has the Canadian touch.

This book did not disappoint. The Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is in Quebec City to recover from a terrible accident. He needs time to recover pshycally and also psycologically. And the reader has a front row seat to his turmoil. It has an amazing experience seeing a great man remember and try to forgive himself his greatest mistake. Although Gamache's storyline is poignant, the scene stealer of the book for me was the history of the city itself. I think like many other English speaking Canadians I only know the minimal history of Quebec which is sad in a way, because it's a place full of rich history.

There was also the re-opening of the case involving Olivier, which was in The Brutal Telling. And what a twist in that story. My goodness I didn't see that one coming.

Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny (5/5) Mystery; Published: Minotaur Books (9/2010); Series: # 6, Armand Gamache; Canadian Author; Source: Library; Canadian Book Challenge (3); Favourite Reads 2011; Books 2011 (30);

Simply Irresistible

Maddie Moore's whole life needs a makeover.

In one fell swoop, Maddie loses her boyfriend (her decision) and her job (so not her decision). But rather than drowning her sorrows in bags of potato chips, Maddie leaves L.A. to claim the inheritance left by her free-spirited mother-a ramshackle inn nestled in the little coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington.

Starting over won't be easy. Yet Maddie sees the potential for a new home and a new career-if only she can convince her two half-sisters to join her in the adventure. But convincing Tara and Chloe will be difficult because the inn needs a big makeover too.

The contractor Maddie hires is a tall, dark-haired hottie whose eyes-and mouth-are making it hard for her to remember that she's sworn off men. Even harder will be Maddie's struggles to overcome the past, though she's about to discover that there's no better place to call home than Lucky Harbor.

I cannot believe that I hadn't heard of this author until now! I inhaled this book in one sitting. I kik you not! I began this book early afternoon and I refused to put it down until the very last page and now I want more! More!

I loved the main characters, Maddie and Jax. Both in their own way wanting to start a new and reclaim their lives. To Maddie that meant re-opening her mother's inn with her sisters. For Jax, that meant leaving a productive life in Seattle to living a happy life in Lucky Habor.

It was wonderful book!

Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis (4.5/5) Contemporary Romance; Published: Grand Central (10/2010); New Author; Series: # 1, Lucky Harbor Novel; Books 2011 (17)