From the back of the book: Refinishing furniture can be the end of you. Dyce (short for Candyce) Dare never thought she'd end up twenty-nine and divorced, with a toddler to raise, an ex who 'forgets' his child support, and a diet consisting mostly of pancakes. 31 December 2009
DIPPED, STRIPPED, & DEAD - Elise Hyatt
From the back of the book: Refinishing furniture can be the end of you. Dyce (short for Candyce) Dare never thought she'd end up twenty-nine and divorced, with a toddler to raise, an ex who 'forgets' his child support, and a diet consisting mostly of pancakes. 30 December 2009
ROSEMARY & RUE: An October Daye Novel - Seanan McGuire
From the back of the book: The world of Faerie never disappeared: it merely went into hiding, continuing to exist parallel to our own. Secrecy is the key to Faerie's survival--but no secret can be kept forever, and when the fae and mortal worlds collide, changelings are born. Half-human, half-fae, outsiders from birth, these second-class children of Faerie spend their lives fighting for the respect of their immortal relations. Or, in the case of October "Toby" Daye, rejecting it completely. After getting burned by both sides of her heritage, Toby has denied the fae world, retreating into a "normal" life. Unfortunately for her, Faerie has other ideas. 27 December 2009
SILENT NIGHT, HAUNTED NIGHT - Terri Garey
Holiday Challenge 2009 Wrap-Up
Here's my wrap up for the Neely's 2009 Holiday Reading Challenge: UNDEAD & UNRETURNABLE - MaryJanice Davidson, HB, chick-lit paranormal holiday
LET THERE BE SUSPECTS - Emilie Richards, MPB, cozy holiday mystery
A CHRISTMAS SECRET - Anne Perry, HB, mellow holiday Victorian mystery
JERUSALEM INN: A Richard Jury Mystery - Martha Grimes, MPB, British holiday mystery
LEGACY: An Anna Strong Mystery - Jeanne C Stein, MPB, paranormal holiday mystery
SILENT NIGHT, HAUNTED NIGHT: A Nicki Styx Mystery - Terri Garey, MPB, paranormal holiday mystery
UNDEAD & UNRETURNABLE - MaryJanice Davidson
From the inside cover: "This is how my tombstone read: Elizabeth Anne Taylor - April 25, 1974 - April 25, 2004 - Our sweetheart, only resting....Only I wasn't resting under it. I had, of course, died in the spring. Rose in the early dawn hours the day of my funeral and gone on undead walkabout. Since my body was MIA, the funeral was cancelled. But my mother, who had been in a huge fight with my dad and stepmom about what to spend on my marble tomstone, had rushed to order the thing. Byt the time it was finished, no funeral, no service, no burial. So anyway, my tombstone had been in storage for the last six months.
26 December 2009
The Holiday Loot
And this is the robe that Aunt Deb sent..Lady K has been wanting a robe forever and Aunt Deb came through with this comfy fleece 'hippie robe' as Lady K calls it...Aunt Deb also sent an American Girl doll that looks amazingly like Lady K...trying to get a pic
25 December 2009
23 December 2009
THE PRIVATE PATIENT - P D James, narr Rosalyn Landor

22 December 2009
Eight Years Ago Today....
21 December 2009
Books in the House Monday
Lotta lotta books have been showing in the last few weeks. I haven't had a lot of time to post them..now I do...amazingly considering what this week is...GoodReads win:
TRULY, MADLY - Heather Webber, MPB ARC, paranormal mystery
B&N:
THE DEMON'S LIBRARIAN - Lilith Saintcrow, TPB, UF
THE MAP OF MOMENTS - Christopher Golden & Tim Lebbon, TPB, fantasy
My buddy Mary Ann:
SAND SHARKS - Margaret Maron, HB, mystery
My buddy Jenna who is so sweet, she went to the book signing and got these books signed for me! *SQUEEEEE!!*:
MAGIC TO THE BONE - Devon Monk, SIGNED MPB, UF
WORKING FOR THE DEVIL - Lilith Saintcrow, SIGNED MPB, UF
She also sent me a DVD of Top Secret with Val Kilmer...sigh....and a ton of bookmarks and stickers for Lady K
Pamala, Our Lady of the Books:
THE GATEKEEPER - Michelle Gagnon, MPB, thriller
THE MURDER ARTIST - John Case, MPB, thriller
PANDORA'S CURSE - Jack DuBrul, MPB, thriller
JERUSALEM INN - Martha Grimes, MPB, mystery
TOMBS OF ENDEARMENT - Casey Daniels, MPB, paranormal cozy
DAUGHTER OF THE BLOOD: Book 1 The Black Jewels series - Anne Bishop, MPB, fantasy
THE BOOK OF SHADOWS - James Reese, MPB, historical suspense
MURDER IS A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND - Amanda Matetsky, MPB, cozy mystery
VULCAN'S FORGE - Jack DuBrul, MPB, thriller
MOVING MARS - Greg Bear, MPB, sci fi
ATLANTIS - David Gibbins, MPB, thriller
THE BIBLE OF CLAY - Julia Navarro, MPB, thriller
UNDEAD AND UNRETURNABLE - MaryJanice Davidson, HB, parnanormal mystery
DEATH SONG - Michael McGarrity, MPB, suspense
BLOOD PRICE - Tanya Huff, MPB, UF
AN UNQUIET GRAVE - P J Parrish, MPB, thriller
ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS - J T Ellison, MPB, thriller
MERCY FALLS - William Kent Krueger, MPB, thriller
19 December 2009
LET THERE BE SUSPECTS - Emilie Richards
From the back of the book: Now that a chalk outline no longer marks their front porch, Aggie Sloan-Wilcox and her minister husband can turn their attention back to the living...18 December 2009
A CHRISTMAS SECRET - Anne Perry
From the inside cover: Just in time for the holidays, Anne Perry gives her fans a marvelous gift: a new yuletide yarn full of light celebration and dark mischief.JERUSALEM INN - Martha Grimes
From the back of the book: A white Christmas couldn't make Newcastle any less dreary for Scotland Yard's Superintendent Richard Jury--until he met a beautiful woman in a snow-covered graveyard. Sensual, warm and a bit mysterious, she could have put some life into his sagging holiday spirit. But the next time Jury saw her, she was cold--and dead.13 December 2009
The Princess and the Frog
Lady K and I went to see this WONDERFUL movie this morning! I highly recommend this movie. It has a great score, fun dialogue and a superb message to deliver. The voices for the characters were wonderfully chosen and Randy Newman's music is the best I've heard in a long while. I usually cringe at musical movies, but this one is dance in your chair fun. I could easily see this one at the show again and we will definitely get this on DVD when it comes out. 12 December 2009
LEGACY: An Anna Strong , Vampire Novel - Jeanne C Stein

From the back of the book: "Anna Strong live up to her name: equally tenacious and vulnerable, she's a heroine with the charm, savvy, and intelligence that fans of Laurel K Hamilton and Kim Harrison will be happy to root for." Publishers Weekly
11 December 2009
THE MEDIATOR: TWILIGHT - Meg Cabot, narr Johanna Parker
From the back of the BOCD: Suze Simon finds it difficult to come across as an average teenager when she's constantly visited by ghosts. Suze is a mediator, you see. And her boyfriend Jesse is, well, a ghost himself--from the 19th century! Fellow mediator Paul Slater has figured out how to travel through time and alter Jesse's future so he and Suze will never meet, leaving Suze in a conundrum. Does she let Paul succeed so Jesse lives an ordinary life in his own time period, leaving Suze with no memory of him? Or does she stop Paul and force Jesse to be a ghost forever? And all the while, Suze must cope with the perils of a normal teenage life.
Number one New York Times best-selling author Meg Cabot delivers a quirky depiction of the normal and exaggerated hazards all teenagers face in this sixth installment of the Mediator series. Young adult listeners will identify with Suze through the exuberant narration of Johanna Parker.
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Poor Suze, she never seems to catch a break. She loves Jesse, her ghost boyfriend, but since he's from the 19th century, he's very proper and she wonders if they will ever get past whatever base is past hot kissing. And there's Paul, the fellow mediator, who Suze is alternately drawn to and repelled by. He's just bad incarnate, using his mediator abilities for his selfish means.
What I like best about this series is how normal Suze is in being a teenager with the added *agh* factor of having ghosts around her all the time. And some of those ghosts aren't very nice. Suze wants to go to the dance, wear cool clothes and be on time for dinner so her stepdad won't get disappointed.
I do enjoy Meg Cabot's ability to write in her various series. I know I would be highly disappointed should I ever find out she has a team of writers as I found other authors do.
Four Please don't let me be disappointed beans.....
November Book Journal

03 December 2009
DEATH'S HALF ACRE: A Deborah Knott Mystery - Margaret Maron, narr C J Critt
From the back of the BOCD: Margaret Maron's Judge Deborah Knott mysteries set in rural North Carolina are cherished by discerning readers who value authentic characters and intriguing plots. The 14th addition to this award-winning series, DEATH'S HALF ACRE finds suburban sprawl creeping across the land unchecked, while small town farmers fight back however they can. A DILLY OF A DEATH: A China Bayles Mystery - Susan Wittig Albert
From the back of the book: In her latest mystery, A DILLY OF A DEATH, national bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert has crafted "more than just a whodunit...readers will relish this more-sweet-than-sour adventure." (Booklist) Lawyer-turned-herbalist China Bayles becomes immersed in a local mystery -- and to find clues, she'll have to scrape the bottom of the pickle barrel.....01 December 2009
DESOLATE ANGEL: A Dead Detective Mystery - Chaz McGee
From the back of the book: He was once a second-rate cop, a mediocre husband and an absent father. But ever since he was killed in a drug bust gone bad, Kevin Fahey's been a lost soul in limbo, searching for a way out of his solitude and hoping for redemption. Now he'll have to prove to be a better ghost than he ever was a man...After I died, I wandered my town, unseen, alone, and wondering why I'd been sentenced to linger in this world. Then Alissa, the victim in a long-ago murder case I'd worked, came to me. She led me to a body sprawled in the weeds, and the terrible truth dawned on me: I'd let Alissa's real killer escape. I'd imprisoned an innocent man--and now another young girl was dead.
I know my redemption lies in righting this wrong. And the only way I can do that is to somehow forge a connection with my replacement on the force, Maggie Gunn. Now I'm haunted by the fear that dragging Maggie into this may turn out to be the biggest mistake of my afterlife....
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Because this was my purse book, it took me a little while to get into it and I wasn't sure I liked it in the very beginning. The main character, Kevin Fahey, was not a sympathetic character and the first few pages I managed to get through kind of moseyed along.
Then I found a chunk of time and the story grabbed ahold and hung on.
I liked watching Fahey become a better person as a ghost than he was a live being. He was able to move on do what he needed to help Maggie with her case. And Maggie, she grabbed the case like a bulldog and held on and shook it til it all fell into place.
The story is an appalling one that had me in tears at times and I was rigorously pleased with the outcomes to the bad and did the happy dance for the outcomes of the good guys.
I really look forward to the rest of the series as the books come out.
Four afterlife looks intriguing beans....

30 November 2009
Books in the House Monday
A lot of books made their way into the house last week! From a little shopping trip to B&N:
SILENT NIGHT, HAUNTED NIGHT - Terri Garey, UF
BETTER PART OF DARKNESS - Kelly Gay, UF
ANGEL'S ADVOCATE - Mary Stanton, paranormal mystery
From the author (SIGNED!!)
DROP DEAD, GORGEOUS - MaryJanice Davidson, chick-lit mystery
From my buddy Marie-Louise
STRANGE THINGS HAPPEN - Stewart Copeland (yep, that Stewart Copeland), autobio
From Pamala, Our Lady of the Books
BODY IN THE VESTIBULE - Katherine Hall Page, cozy mystery
HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE / ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE - Jeaniene Frost, paranormal
GHOST WALK - Brian Keene, horror
CHARM CITY - Laura Lippman, suspense
DOWN RIVER - John Hart, mystery
PERSONAL DEMON - Kelley Armstrong, UF
FANGLAND - John Marks, paranormal
Trixie Belden: MYSTERY IN ARIZONA/SECRET OF THE MANSION/THE RED TRAILER MYSTERY/MYSTERY OFF GLEN ROAD
29 November 2009
OVER MY DEAD BODY - Michele Bardsley
28 November 2009
Link to Nancy Holzner's Contest

pARTiculars - The Lafayette Art Market...my new favorite treasure shop!

27 November 2009
TGIF!! Do you celebrate Black Friday?

26 November 2009
23 November 2009
HOLIDAY GRIND: Coffeehouse Mystery #8 - Cleo Coyle
From the back of the book: The holidays bring more than eggnog lattes and gingerbread biscotti to the Village Blend. When manager and head barista Clare Cosi finds a red-suited body in the snow, she adds solving Santa's slaying to her coffeehouse menu...Clare's grown very fond of Alfred Glockner, the part-time comic and genuinely jolly charity Santa who's been using her coffeehouse as a place to warm his mittens. When she finds him gunned down in a nearby alley, a few subtle clues convince her that Alfred's death waas something more than the tragic result of a random mugging, despite the conclusions of the police.
With Clare's boyfriend, NYPD detective Mike Quinn, distracted by a cold case of his own, and ex-husband, Matt, "investigating" this year's holiday lingerie catalogs, Clare charges ahead solo and discovers this Santa had a list that he was checking twice--and the folks on it were not very nice. Then someone tries to ice Clare, and she gets really steamed.
Between baking delicious Christmas goodies and fending off the attentions of a persistent professional Elf, Clare sets out to solve St Nick's murder. But she'd better watch out, because if she fails to stop this stone-cold killer, she may just get the biggest chill of her life
INCLUDES RECIPES AND COFFEE-MAKING TIPS!
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This one of my top favorite cozy series. I was pleased that I won this from Cleo Coyle's site, CoffeeHouseMystery and it's a signed copy! This is chock-full of a superb story and loaded with foo-foo coffee info like Tips For Being Your Own Barista, Coffehouse Terms, Guide to Roasting Terms, and (my favorite) Coffee Drink Recipes, Coffee Syrups, Caffe Latte Recipes (including the Fa-L-La Lattes in the book). And there are Holiday Recipes for the food depicted in the book too. YUM!
This one is my favorite of the series. It shows even more the growing relationship between Mike and Clare and the difficulties and wonderfulness that it is. Clare's ex-husband, Matt, is in the throes of his new marriage and all that that entails and it's causing headaches for Clare as well.
I am always curious how the author will have the main character get involved in the mystery that needs solving. Sometimes they can be a wee bit awkward, but Cleo Coyle always has Clare getting involved rather seamlessly. It's because it's someone she knows or someone she cares about asks her to get involved.
Five yummy holiday beans....
22 November 2009
Holiday Challenge 2009
















