Cozy Challenge is Almost Done....and I got one in under the wire!

Whew! I finished one more cozy for the September is Cozy Month challenge. Knit One, Kill Two - Maggie Sefton is a first in series and was fun to read. That it takes place in Colorado is a bonus. It's my first knitting themed cozy, too. A lot of firsts in this one for me, first in series, first of this author I've read, my first knit cozy....I enjoyed my time with it and I will definitely look for the rest of the series someday.

I am on tape 8 of 12, side 1 Stonehenge - Bernard Cornwell in the car, sooooo close to finishing purse book Shadow Man - Cody McFadyen that I've brought it up to be bedside book tonight and see if I can't stay up and finish it. I want to bring new books with to work tomorrow night. The Tunnel - Michele Gagnon is up next as a new-to-me author for Unread Author Challenge and I have Deep in the Woods: In The Beginning - Larry J Hillhouse as a Seconds Challenge by my friend Joy.

Shipment of Books - Just Like Christmas!!

I had a shipment of books from my B&N order last week and it was free shipping:
The Tunnels - Michelle Gagnon (recommended by BookBitch)
Death's Acre - Jon Jefferson and Bill M Bass
Rumor of Bones - Beverly Connor
Shoofly Pie: A Bugman Novel - Tim Downs
The Dollmaker - Amanda Stevens (recommended by Liz on RBL)

Deep in the Woods: The Beginning - Larry J Hillhouse (arrives today according to the UPS site) This one was recommended by the author in an email reply as a good starting point to his work.

Cozy Challenge Going Along Swimmingly...

Just love those well-written cozies. They go so quickly, short and well written so that a cozy-lovin' person wants read it for a long sitting (or lying/laying (??) if reading in bed). I finished Witch Way to Murder Shirley Damsgaard last night before going to sleep. What a good story, with nice realistic magical touches. Not supernatural type like Charlaine Harris or Kim Harrison, no vamps and werewolves (which I adore reading about, too, BTW). This is folk magick from the hills and the women who are in touch with the powers in the earth. A good mystery along the way with a magick grandmother and a magick reluctant granddaughter solving it.
I think I will start Wicked Women Whodunnit (Honey Who Hasn't?) MaryJanice Davidson, Amy Garvey, Jennifer Apodaca, and Nancy J Cohen as my next bedside book. I was going to read one of my medical thrillers, but I think I need at least one mellow cozy in the grouping. Especially as I am reading Shadow Man Cody McFadyen as my purse book. It's a wonderfully intense thriller mystery.

All Good Choices...Love When That Happens

I love when all of the books I choose are can't-wait-to-get-back-to-them good. Stonhenge Bernard Cornwell, BOT in the car, took a little getting used to, but now I am truly enjoying the story as it spends time with each character. Witch Way to Murder Shirley Damsgaard (bedside book)is another winner and I was able to loll around in bed yesterday after my pre-mid shift nap and read for over an hour. I could finish it today or tomorrow. My absolute favorite of the three, though, is Shadow Man Cody McFadyen. WOW! Thank you, SuziQ, for recommending it. When I get closer to the ending, I will get the next in series, Face of Death and have it ready to go. I'll have to take a break after this one, but the second in series will definitely be soon and I want to have it handy.

Love Hearing From Authors and Changes to the Line-up

I was pleasantly surprised to see a comment from Bruce Golden, author of Better Than Chocolate, my first Unread Author Challenge book. I was so glad it was as good as all of the hassle I had just trying to obtain it. Not that hassle is good, but I had my wish fulfilled that the book didn't disappoint as I was worried it would do after all of the hooey I had to do to get it. .....babbling, -V-, stop now.... I have it on my keeper shelf, needless to say.

I posted last night that I was trying to read Corpse, but it wasn't doin' it for me. I changed out to Shadow Man Cody McFadyen instead. Here's a little blurb and you'll see why I chose it:

from B&N preview:

Once, Special Agent Smoky Barrett hunted serial killers for the FBI. She was one of the best-until a madman terrorized her family, killed her husband and daughter, and left her face scarred and her soul brutalized. Turning the tables on the killer, Smoky shot him dead-but her life was shattered forever. Now Smoky dreams about picking up her weapon again. She dreams about placing the cold steel between her lips and pulling the trigger one last time. Because for a woman who's lost everything, what is there left to lose? She's about to find out.In all her years at the Bureau, Smoky has never encountered anyone like him-a new and fascinating kind of monster, a twisted genius who defies profilers' attempts to understand him. And he's issued Smoky a direct challenge, coaxing her back from the brink with the only thing that could convince her to live.The killer videotaped his latest crime-an act of horror that left a child motherless-then sent a message addressed to Agent Smoky Barrett. The message is enough to shock Smoky back to work, back to her FBI team. And that child awakens something in Smoky she thought was gone forever.Suddenly the stakes are raised. The game has changed. For as this deranged monster embarks on an unspeakable spree of perversion and murder, Smoky is coming alive again-and she's about to face her greatest fears as a cop, a woman, a mother...and a merciless killer's next victim.

And I looked up my package from B&N and a box o' books will be waiting for me when I get home tonight. Oh boy!!! Just in time for the start of my 12 hour shifts!!! I plan to do as much reading as possible. Lord knows, Mt Git'r'Read could use some thinning....

Dry, dry, dry....

So I am trying to read and absorb my next purse book (supposedly), Corpse, and it is sort of grabbing my attention, but not completely. I am truly hoping UPS delivers my package of books from B&N as there are some doozies in that and I can change out purse books. I am thinking I am going to change it out anyway....I have to be able to carry in my small purse and this one is a TPB.

Banner Reading Completion Day

Had a rather good day of completion for three books. I finished my bedside book Ghost of a Chance Yasmine Galenorn instead of napping before swing shift. Finished Dearly Devoted Dexter Jeff Lindsey on my way in to my swing shift. And just now finished purse book The Chick and the Dead Casey Daniels while on swing shift and nothing is going on to pay much attention to except my book. All good in each their own way. I think of the three, I liked Dearly Devoted Dexter best.
And now I am ready to move on to three new books. I have my audiobook started already. I chose Stonehenge Bernard Cornwell and narrated by George Guidall. I have my next purse book Corpse: Nature, Forensics, and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death by Jessica Snyder Sachs. This one is non-fiction, but still in my interest level of forensics used to solve crimes. Not sure yet what I will choose for my next bedside book.

First Unread Authors Challenge Book Finished!!

Better Than Chocolate - Bruce Golden is the first out of the shute for the Unread Authors Challenge and I am so glad I made it my first one to start out this fun challenge! WOW! It was a pretty cool mix of sci-fi, mystery, and sex. I love the way with words, especially the term pow-whammy! You will have to read the book to know.....I had it figured out whodunnit, but it didn't piss me off like M J Rose did in The Halo Effect, I won't read more of that series, but I will definitely read more if Bruce Golden has more. He did recommend two other authors that I have in my little black book. I posted those two authors in a previous post.

Now reading The Chick and the Dead: A Pepper Martin Mystery - Casey Daniels as purse book, Dearly Devoted Dexter - Jeff Lindsay BOCD in the car, and Ghost of a Chance: A Chintz and China Mystery - Yasmine Galenorn is my bedside book. All are wonderful in their own way and I am enjoying when I get the time to read/listen to them.

Good Readin'

For all that it felt like I had to go through to get Better Than Chocolate Bruce Golden in my possession, I was beginning to wonder if it was going to be worth it. I couldn't find it at a bookstore, had to pre-pay when I ordered it at B&N, then they lost it. Went with the receipt from UPS yesterday and they finally found it on their shelves! For their own stock! I know mistakes happen, but those are the ones that seem to happen quite a lot to me. sigh....Anyway, I finally had it in my hot little manos, along with Witch Way to Murder Shirley Damsgaard and The Rest Falls Away: The Gardella Vampire Chronicles Colleen Gleason. Dontcha know I had to ensure my trip would be partially worth it....
So I started Better Than Chocolate last night and I am now halfway through it. It is well written and entertaining as all get out. I can only hope that Mr Golden has written others, though he does recommend two other authors, Mike DiCerto and M D Benoit. The last one I have Metered Space on a wishlist. I am a sort of fan of sci-fi books, but some get too into the weeds for my enjoyment. This one is futuristic mystery and dry humor with interesting premises. Detective Dane loses his partner in a shoot-out and is reassigned a new one who/which is a droid in the form of Marilyn Monroe. Apparently a company made celebrity-droids and then they fell out of fashion. The droids had to find other assignments. Jim Morrison is a garbageman, or Shaman of Sanitation as he would prefer. Diggin' it!!

Finishing Books

I finished The Sugar Camp Quilt Jennifer Chiaverini, BOT, yesterday on the way home from work. This is my favorite of hers, so far. It does take place in Elm Creek, but is not part of the series. It is a wonderful story and I highly recommend it. Takes place pre-Civil War and deals with both sides of the coin and is a splendid study in human kindness, bravery, cowardice, and stupidity and lack of depth of soul. I wanted to reach inside the cassette player and alternately hug and slap different characters.

I finished another gut wrencher today. One of my purse books, A Secret Rage Charlaine Harris, was very hard to pick up and very hard to put down. I am most fond of her Southern Vampire series, then her Shakespeare series. Next in line is the Grave series. Charlaine is a prolific and varied author. I wasn't sure I would like her stand alone novels, but I was pleased (if that is a correct term) to find that they are equally attention grabbing.

Emails from Authors!!

Hey, I just had an email, actually two emails, from Stephanie Bond in response to mine to her telling her how much I enjoyed In Deep VooDoo and looking forward to Finding Your Mojo. What a sweetie and I will definitely read all she has written. She is funny and intelligent, a great combo.

Getting Fashion Tips From a 4 Year Old

Lady K just walked in asking if she looked like a real Mother. I told her, 'Yes, because that's how I go out every day, with my little red purse, monkey baby and cape around my shoulders. And I never leave the house without my sparkly tiara.'

Another Cozy Finished

Feint of Art Hailey Lind is another finished cozy thanks to some time in a wonderfully comfy spa pedicure chair. I finished a fun and a well done book and my toes look FAB! I hope there is more to the series from this sister writing team.
I immediately began A Secret Rage Charlaine Harris. It's bee waiting patiently (or as patiently as an inanimate object can wait) in my purse for the right time. It's good so far, but I am partial to Charlaine Harris.
I then went to The BookKeeper and shelved books for two hours and picked out Silent Joe T Jefferson Parker, Walking On Water Gemma O'Connor, Whiskey Sour J A Konrath, Drop Shot Harlan Coben, and The Chick and the Dead Casey Daniels. Whiskey Sour has been on my shopping cart for a long while and The Chick and the Dead is second in a series that I started with Don of the Dead. Pepper Martin bonked her cranium on a tombstone while performing her duties as a tour guide in a cemetary and now can see dead people. I do believe this will be my next bedside book.
I am still looking for a couple of medical thrillers for that challenge and I am looking for or hoping that my Unread Authors Challenge arrives soon. If not, it is a trip to High Crimes tomorrow. Like that is hardship....and another trip to The BookKeeper to earn more books.

First Book for September Finished

I guess I can consider The Trouble with Magic Madelyn Alt as first of 'September is Cozy Month' book completed. I finished it last night and read quite a bit in Feint of Art Hailey Lind. That should be finished this week. It's one of the reasons I dig the cozies, they are quick. Other reasons include the things I learn as the main characters specialize in something other than mystery solving. Herbs, teas, coffees, knitting, sewing, wine, magic......whatever.
Received an email from B&N that Better Than Chocolate Bruce Golden is on its way. That one is on my list for Unread Authors Challenge and I haven't been able to find any of the others. I feel a trip to High Crimes on the agenda this week. I have a small stack on the nightstand in the Candy Room (name Lady K gave one of the spare rooms), so will be choosing something from there in the meantime.

Books Read For August

Deal Breaker - Harlen Coben, pbk, I am in love with Myron Bolitar!!

Bubbles A Broad - Sarah Strohmeyer, BOT, Bubbles is indeed a broad in the best possible sense. This is my favorite of the series

Glass Houses: The Morganville Vampires, Vol 1 - Rachel Caine, pbk, super good and getting the rest of series and anything else Rachel writes

Decaffeinated Corpse - Cleo Coyle, pbk, best of series

In Deep VooDoo - Stephanie Bond, pbk, super ride of a book. Getting more.

Denial - Keith Ablow, pbk, WOWOWOWOWOW!!!! Get all of this series and read in order

Anonymous Rex - Eric Garcia, TPB, just so freakin' awesome fun

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - JK Rowling, BOCD, if not for Jim Dale I might have set this aside for later