GRAVE WITCH: An Alex Craft Novel - Kalayna Price

From the back of the book: Grave witch Alex Craft can speak to the dead, but that doesn't mean she likes what they have to say.

As a private investigator and consultant for the police, Alex Craft has seen a lot of dark magic. But even though she's on good terms with Death himself---who happens to look fantastic in jeans----nothing has prepared her for her latest case. Alex is investigating a high-profile murder when she's attacked by the "shade" she's raising, which should be impossible. To top off her day, someone makes a serious attempt on her life, but Death saves her. Guess he like having her around....

To solve this case Alex will have to team up with tough homicide detective Falin Andrews. Falin seems to be hiding something---though it's certainly not his dislike of Alex. But Alex knows she needs his help to navigate the tangled web of mortal and paranormal politics, and to track down a killer who wields a magic so malevolent, it may cost Alex her life....and her soul.

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Boy, oh, boy! My butt aches from all the kicking I've giving it for waiting so long to pick this out from the nightstand section of Mt Git'r'Read!!!

I saw the interview on BittenByBooks, one of my favorite go-to blogs for all things good readin', and immediately put GRAVE WITCH on the Wanton Wantin' Book List. Then it arrived in the mail and I had a few other books to read...then got in the right UF frame of mind and enjoyed the hell out of Alex, Falin the hot cop, Death (THE Death), Tamara the very cool medical examiner, and all the rest.

I love this book's open world that acknowledges magic exists. Fae have come out of the faery ring, ghosts can be spoken to, witches are flinging magic.

But someone is raising evil that has attacked Alex and if she doesn't do something soon, she's gone for good.

Once again, I can't say much more or it will be spoiler hell. I can say, though, get GRAVE WITCH and visit Kalayna on her blog.

Five witches and fae sparkly diamonds.....

Books in the House Monday - 21 FEB 2011

From Abigail on All Things Urban Fantasy:
FOREST MOON RISING: Tess Noncoire Adventure #4 - P. R. Frost, UF, TPB/ARC

From Becky on WW GDT/Booktalk the Original:
DEATH AT DEVIL'S BRIDGE: A Victorian Mystery #4 - Robin Paige, cozy mystery, MPB
BIG BONED: Heather Wells #3 - Meg Cabot, amateur sleuth, TPB

From Cassie on WW GDT/Booktalk the Original:
THINK OF A NUMBER - John Verdon, thriller, ARC

BittenByBooks interview/contest with Lakisha Spletzer:
WERELOVE: Dusk Conspiracy - Lakisha Spletzer, paranormal romance, signed !

High Crimes Mystery Bookshop:
A CRAFTY KILLING: A Victorian Square Mystery #1 - Lorraine Bartlett, cozy mystery, MPB
ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY: Lucy Valentine #3 - Heather Webber, paranormal cozy mystery, MPB
FATAL FIXER-UPPER: DIY Mystery #1 - Jennie Bentley, cozy mystery, MPB

From Marie-Louise on WW GDT/Booktalk the Original:
IRON QUEEN: Iron Fey #3 - Julie Kagawa, fantasy, ARC
WITHER: The Chemical Garden Trilogy #1 - Lauren DeStefano, YA dystopia, ARC
NIGHT SHADE - Andrea Cremer, YA paranormal, ARC
MOONDOGS - Alexander Yates, suspense, ARC
ACID CHRIST: Ken Kesey, LSD, and the Politics of Ecstasy - Mark Christensen, biography, ARC
THE MONKEY BIBLE - Mark Laxer, an allegory, ARC
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE - Beth Revis, YA science fiction, ARC

Gnomeo and Juliet review

What's not to enjoy with a combination of tunes by Elton John, a story based on Bill Shakespeare, and garden gnomes? Lady K and I saw it this morning in non-3D and don't feel like we missed a thing by seeing it in 2D.
Highly enjoyable and can't wait til it comes out on DVD to add to the collection.

666 PARK AVENUE - Gabriella Pierce

From the back of the book: What if your mother-in-law turned out to be an evil, cold-blooded witch....literally?

Ever since fabulously wealthy Malcolm Doran walked into her life and swept her off her feet, fledgling architect Jane Boyle has been living in a fairy tale. When he proposes with a stunning diamond to seal the deal, Jane can't believe her incredible luck and decides to leave her Paris-based job to make a new start with Malcolm in New York.

But when Malcolm introduces Jane to the esteemed Doran clan, one of Manhattan's most feared and revered families, Jane's fairy tale takes a darker turn. Soon everything she thought she knew about the world----and herself----is upended. Now Jane must struggle with newfound magical abilities and the threat of those who will stop at nothing to get them.

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Thank you LibraryThing for sending this to me from the December batch. 666 PARK AVENUE was so flippin' GOOD!

It started out slowly and I thought I was going to be in for a long haul since it began with a girl shopping for the perfect dress...phhhht.....but it then picked right the heck up and got on with the story of Jane, said shopping girl, and her life as she discovers she has magical abilities, her grandmother wasn't so much keeping from the outside world so much as protecting her from the magical outside world and that all is not a sparkly shiny as it would first appear when she meets her Prince Charming. There be some evil magical tarnish in them thar rich people's Park Avenue hills...

I enjoyed watching Jane go from small town Parisian girl (just go with it) to learning how to deal with the rich witch socialites she's marrying into and with her growing witch powers.

I was pleased to find out that this is the first book in a series or trilogy. The ending is a supremely fab cliffhanger and I cannot wait to see what Ms Pierce has in mind for Jane and good versus mega-rich evil.

Five witchy sparkly diamonds......

Happy Valentine's Day

SPACKLED AND SPOOKED: A DIY Mystery - Jennie Bentley

From the back of the book: Avery Baker was once a New York textile designer, but inheriting her aunt's old Maine cottae has led her down a new career path---home renovation. Finding a property's hidden potential has rewards and challenges---especially when a mystery surfaces behind the walls....

Home renovation is never easy, especially when the home's inhabitants are dead. Avery's boyfriend and business partner, Derek Ellis, wants to flip a seriously stigmatized ranch house where murder occurred two decades ago. It's a good thing Avery has more faith in her boyfriend than in ghosts.

Their renovations are quickly interrupted when a presence is felt----and it's not happy with the new alterations. Could it really be that the property is possessed? If they're going to flip this house, all the outdated fixtures---including the lingering mysteries----must be disposed of, or else this project will haunt them forever.....

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I bought this cozy because of the title. I really thought I was going to get a new-to-me paranormal cozy. I didn't...and that's okay. Good, in fact. Wee hint of ghosty activity, the rest is good ol' fashioned cozy mystery fun.

Avery is a neat lead character, still has issues with taking on this house renovation in this tiny little town in Maine, when she could be back in exciting Manhattan creating her textile designs.

The extra characters are filling and a good combination working with Avery on figuring out the mystery and keeping the story moving along.

Home renovation tips in the back, cozy mystery with good characters and a good story to make you want to try them.

Five flip this house beans.....

A NIGHT AT THE OPERATION: A Double Feature Mystery - Jeffrey Cohen

From the back of the book: Murder is No Joke

Most men wouldn't be terribly upset if their ex-wives suddenly vanished. But then, most men aren't Elliot Freed. So when his ex----Dr. Sharon Simon-Freed----goes missing, Elliot finds it hard to focus on running Comedy Tonight, his all-comedy movie theatre. Especially when it's rumored that Sharon might be somehow connected to a patient's death----a death that looks like murder.

While his theatre starts to fall apart and his most trusted employee threatens to quit, Elliot embarks on a frantic search for his ex with help from her second (and thankfully soon-to-also-be-ex) husband, his passive-aggressive mother and desperate-to-please father, and his good friend Detective Vidal. Because murder is now laughing matter.....

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Elliot is such a sweetie. I enjoy watching his mind work out problems that occur, how he manages to get rides to places that are too far for him to ride his bike to get to, taking care of his people and his people taking care of him: at the theater, at the bike shop, at his ex-wife's medical practice. Even how he gets involved in the murder solving that keep happening around him.

He has extra reason this time since it's Sharon, Elliot's ex, who is accused of causing the death of one of her patients. Sharon disappears, not answering her phone, and it makes her look all the more guilty. Elliot to the rescue.

Would that I had a movie theatre around here in our neck of Colorado so I could see these classic comedies. Heck I'd want to work there. I hope he's working on another Double Feature Mystery, but at least I have the Haunted Guesthouse series to keep me happy, since he writes that one as E J Copperman...YAY!

Five let's go to the movies beans....

Books in the House Monday - 7 Feb 2011

From B&N:
ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE - Wm Mark Simmons, paranormal, MPB, author recommended by Charlaine Harris
A BRUSH OF DARKNESS - Allison Pang, UF, MPB
ARSENIC AND OLD PAINT: An Art Lover's Mystery - Hailey Lind, amateur sleuth, TPB
NIGHT'S COLD KISS - Tracey O'Hara, UF, MPB
DEATH'S SWEET EMBRACE - Tracey O'Hara, UF, MPB

HOOKED ON MURDER: A Crochet Mystery - Betty Hechtman

From the back of the book: Molly Pink is about to discover the joys of crochet. It's a relaxing escape from her hectic life as a bookstore event coordinator....and from the stress of being the latest murder suspect in Tarzana, California.

For Molly, the weekly crochet group at Shedd & Royal Books and More was just another event to manage. Then she stumbled across the body of group leader Ellen Sheridan. Molly's complicated past with Ellen has made her a prime suspect, and after being cuffed and questioned, she could use a diversion. Never mind that she doesn't know how to crochet. Granny squares don't look that hard to make.....

But while Molly's fending off a detective with a grudge and navigating crochet-group politics, the real killer is at large. And it's up to Molly to catch the culprit---before she winds up in a tight knot....

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It took me a couple of chapters to really enjoy hanging with Molly and the crochet peeps, but once I got to chapter 3, I was in there. Molly has a legitimate reason for gettng involved in the murder solving. She was found over the dead body, the victim bought out Molly's business after the death of Molly's husband, the victim's partner, and the detective in charge of the case has the hots for Molly's boyfriend, another police detective.....keeping up? Yeah, that was my problem at first. A whole bunch of backstory with a whole bunch of characters to learn. Once I got the hang of everyone and everything, it was all good and I highly enjoyed the rest of the book.

Molly learning to crochet was fun to watch and I admired her backbone sticking up for herself against her bossy oldest son and the take charge boyfriend.

Nice characters to enjoy and some well written characters with some issues that I wanted to pop upside the cranium.

I started the book not sure I wanted to finish it and by the end of the story, I had the second in the series, DEAD MEN DON'T CROCHET, on the WWBL.

Four crocheting is the next big thing beans.....

January 2011 Book Journal

~IF WALLS COULD TALK: A Haunted Home Renovation Mystery #1 - Juliet Blackwell, paranormal mystery, MPB, good stuff

~ARSON AND OLD LACE: Far Wychwood Mystery #1 - Patricia Harwin, cozy, MPB, pretty good

~SKINWALKER: Jane Yellowrock #1 - Faith Hunter, UF, MPB, superb!

~THE CORPSE WORE TARTAN - Kaitlyn Dunnett, cozy, HB from LibraryThing, good

~SPECIALS: Uglies #3 - Scott Westerfeld, YA dystopia, BOCD, good

~AMERICAN GODS - Neil Gaiman, fantasy, BOCD, highly excellent

~KINDNESS GOES UNPUNISHED: Walt Longmire #3 - Craig Johnson, suspense, BOCD, excellent

~THE GREYFRIAR: Vampire Empire Book One - Clay Griffith & Susan Griffith, steampunk/alternate history, TPB, supremely excellent

~GHOULS, GHOULS, GHOULS: Ghost Hunters #5 - Victoria Laurie, paranormal mystery, MPB, good

~CURSE OF THE WENDIGO: Monstrumologist #2 - Rick Yancey, YA horror, BOCD, scary good

~PURGATORY RIDGE: Cork O'Connor #3 - William Kent Krueger, suspense, BOCD, best yet of the series

Books read: 6

BOCD listened to: 5

Total in month: 11

Year to date: 11