Vixen's Daily Reads

80s Dance Par-tay!

2012-01-28T15:08:00.005-07:00

Lady K's school had a 80s dance party last night. Thanks to Tracy at Salon Tao http://www.thesalontao.com/, Lady K had the perfect outfit. Tracy does the best pedicures and manicures at Salon Tao and is a stylin' chickie. Her daughter is, too, and Tracy said she'd bring in her daughter's costume bits and pieces from being an 80s rocker chickie at Halloween. She brought in a bag filled with the cool neon fishnet stockings, bracelets, hoop earrings, and jammin' headband and skirt. And some FAB sparkly makeup! All we had to find was a top and leggings and shoes. I think we did a pretty nifty job.

Close up of the sparkly makeup Tracy at Salon Tao let me borrow

We had a lot of fun putting this look together

Ready to rock it....

The glow after winning the costume contest in the third grader category!!!

We had a good time. Plenty of kids and parents showed up and the place was hopping. I cannot remember the last time I did the Electric Slide, but the entire crowd was into that one and we had fun.

THAT THING AT THE ZOO: A Deacon Chalk Occult Bounty Hunter Novella - James R Tuck

2012-01-27T13:40:00.007-07:00

Shredding monsters is his stock and trade. He sniffs them out, tracks them down, and corners them. End of story. But when the tables are turned, expect the unexpected. . .
Knowing his enemy is a rule Deacon Chalk swears by. But he's never seen anything like whatever is leaving the Atlanta Zoo's most dangerous predators bloodless, skinned, and hanging high in treetops. And he's only got till sunrise to keep it from turning the entire city into a slaughterhouse. Now Deacon is in zoo lockdown with a handful of staffers to save. His zookeeper backup has more guts than monster-hunting experience. And the only chance Deacon has to run this thing to unholy ground is to risk unleashing his darkest, most uncontrollable instincts. . .
**********************************

What an excellent ride this novella was!! It was short and to the point, 62 pages of fab.

Deacon has so many things in his life that would keep anyone else down in a bottle somewhere. He chooses to hunt those things that go bump in the night.

One of the reasons I dig reading urban fantasy, or paranormal in general, is that there are so many takes on vampires, shapeshifters, demons, angels, etc. Reading this one has a difference between vampires and Nosferatu.

I really look forward to learning more about Deacon and his friends and the strip club he owns.
I found out about this novella on Amberkatze's blog http://amberkatze.blogspot.com/. She interviewed James this past weekend and there's a prize drawing for a signed copy of the first whole book in the series, BLOOD AND BULLETS
http://amberkatze.blogspot.com/2012/01/author-interview-contest-with-james-r.html

I have it on the WWBL, it comes out 7 Feb. If I don't win the signed copy, I'll be at the bookstore that day.

Four bump in the night beans.....

Books in the House Monday - 23 Jan 2012

2012-01-23T19:03:00.005-07:00

Barnes and Noble Nook Store {http://www.barnesandnoble.com/}:
THAT THING AT THE ZOO – James R Tuck, UF
SHOT AT AND MISSED – Larry J Hillhouse, thriller
TROUBLE IN MUDBUG – Jana DeLeon, cozy
AREA 51 – Robert Doherty, sci-fi
SINGLE WHITE PSYCHOPATH SEEKS SAME – Jeff Strand, horror
TROUBLE IN SPADES – Heather Webber, cozy
HOLLOWLAND – Amanda Hocking, YA fantasy
WINTER SEA – Susanna Kearsley, fiction/'time travel'

High Crimes Mystery Bookshop {http://www.highcrimesbooks.com/} :

TRESSED TO KILL: A Southern Beauty Shop Mystery #1 - Lila Dare, cozy, MPB

IT TAKES A WITCH: A Wishcraft Mystery #1 - Heather Blake, paranormal cozy, MPB

TEMPEST IN THE TEA LEAVES: A Fortune Teller Mystery #1 - Kari Lee Townsend, cozy, MPB

VampChix/Bite Club { http://vampchixreadbooks.blogspot.com/ } :

THE DEMI-MONDE WINTER - Rod Rees, fantasy, HB

Dru's Book Musings {http://notesfromme.wordpress.com/} :

BUFFALO WEST WING: White House Chef Mystery - Julie Hyzy, cozy, MPB, signed by the author

MURDER PAST DUE: A Cat in the Stacks Mystery - Miranda James

2012-01-22T18:15:00.003-07:00

Everyone in Athena, Mississippi, knows Charlie Harris, the good-natured librarian with a rescued Maine coon cat named Diesel that he walks on a leash. Charlie's returned to his hometown to immerse himself in books, but soon enough he's entangled in a real-life thriller....

A famous author of gory bestsellers and a former classmate of Charlie's, Godfrey Priest may be the pride of Athena, but Charlie remembers him as an arrogant, manipulative jerk----and he's not the only one. Godfrey's homecoming as a distinguished alumnus couldn't possibly go worse: by lunch, he's put a man in the hospital. And by dinner, Godfrey's dead.

Now it's up to Charlie, with some help from Diesel, to paw through the town's grudges and find the killer before an impatient deputy throws the book at the wrong person. But every last one of Charlie's friends and coworkers had a score to settle with the nasty novelist. As if the murder wasn't already purr-plexing enough.....

*********************************

Cats and cozies seem to go together. I like the mixture most of the time. This is one of those times. The cat in question here, Diesel, is pleasantly not too precious for words. He's a man's cat, perfect for Charlie, the main character. And perfect for me, a reader who doesn't dig too precious for words very well.

A darn good mystery even if I did figure out most of the action mid-book. I didn't mind since I was enjoying the dialogue and the scenery and Diesel. All of that goes a long way for me, especially when I have a McCrappeload of books on Mt Git'r'Read and have been known to put a book on the trade pile when I figure out whodunnit and the story isn't gettin' it done for me.

I don't get to see too many male protagonists in cozies, this was refreshing to see. And a male protagonist with a non-precious cat on a leash? Bonus. And he works with books? Extra sweet.

Four bonus extra sweet beans.....

NAPOLEON'S PYRAMIDS: An Ethan Gage Adventure - William Dietrich

2012-01-22T17:35:00.004-07:00

What mystical secrets lie beneath the Great Pyramids?
The world changes for Ethan Gage—one-time assistant to the renowned Ben Franklin—on a night in post-revolutionary Paris, when he wins a mysterious medallion in a card game. Framed soon after for the murder of a prostitute and facing the grim prospect of either prison or death, the young expatriate American barely escapes France with his life—choosing instead to accompany the new emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, on his glorious mission to conquer Egypt. With Lord Nelson's fleet following close behind, Gage sets out on the adventure of a lifetime. And in a land of ancient wonder and mystery, with the help of a beautiful Macedonian slave, he will come to realize that the unusual prize he won at the gaming table may be the key to solving one of history's greatest and most perilous riddles: who built the Great Pyramids . . . and why?

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While trying to build up the stack of books to give my dad his next visit, I came across this adventure thriller set back in the time of Ben Franklin. Ethan Gage is an American in Paris...an American in trouble in Paris and he has to get out of Dodge (euphemistically speaking) or go to prison for murder. A murder he didn't commit, but the fingers are pointing.

So off he goes with a group of savants as the scientists and thinkers are called who accompany Napoleon to Egypt. It's definitely not glamourous, in fact it's rather torturous to all and Ethan finds himself wondering if it might not have been better taking his chances back Paris or head back to America.

He gets a lot of help along the way, all because of the medallion he carries. There are many who feel it holds secrets to great power and these many are willing to do anything to get this.

I had fun reading this Indiana Jones/Dirk Pitt style adventure. I did better when I could read in a quiet place. It's a busy book, plenty of action and dialogue and characters to follow, so reading with distractions of a television or people chatting was an issue at times.
I am already looking forward to reading the next in the series, THE ROSETTA KEY. The series is a history lesson as much as an adventure.

You can visit William Dietrich here: http://williamdietrich.com/

Four adventure in history beans.....

A HOE LOT OF TROUBLE: A Nina Quinn Mystery #1 - Heather Webber

2012-01-21T18:02:00.006-07:00

Taken by Surprise, Nina Quinn’s landscaping firm specializing in surprise garden makeovers, is the only thing in her life that seems to be thriving. Her marriage to adulterous police detective Kevin Quinn has wilted. Her antisocial stepson Riley is spreading trouble like pungent manure. Even her gardening tools are disappearing, including a rather valuable set of hoes. Worst of all, the delightful old man who first introduced her to the joys of horticulture is dead—and not by natural causes. Something evil has taken root in Nina’s small Ohio town, and the local police—including dearly unbeloved Kev—are baffled. But it’s amazing what a resourceful gardener can dig up when she puts her mind to it—though, by sticking her hands too deeply into this fetid, fertile soil, Nina might well end up planted beneath her own petunias.

*****************************

I already love reading Heather Webber's Lucy Valentine series and I am eagerly looking forward to reading IT TAKES A WITCH: A Wishcraft Mystery she writes as Heather Blake.

If I were to have a landscaping business, it would be like Nina's 'Taken By Surprise'. It's a way cool concept of creating a project in one day and surprising the client. I adore gardening and surprises.

And I adore a well written mystery. And this one fits that profile. It's a mystery that has me very happy to have a Nook so I can read books that are no longer in print except at a used bookstore if you're lucky.

Visit Heather over at the Cozy Chicks: http://www.cozychicksblog.com/

and her website:http://heatherwebber.com/

Five blooming mystery beans.....

THE ABANDONED: Graveyard Queen prequel - Amanda Stevens

2012-01-20T14:40:00.003-07:00

Overview: There are rules for dealing with ghosts. Too bad Ree Hutchins doesn't know them.
When her favorite patient at a private mental hospital passes away, psychology student Ree Hutchins mourns the elderly woman's death. But more unsettling is her growing suspicion that something unnatural is shadowing her.
Amateur ghost hunter Hayden Priest believes Ree is being haunted. Even Amelia Gray, known in Charleston as The Graveyard Queen, senses a gathering darkness. Driven by a force she doesn't understand, Ree is compelled to uncover an old secret and put abandoned souls to rest—before she is locked away forever....
An ebook exclusive prequel to The Graveyard Queen series.

***********************

Oh how glad I am that I have a Nook! THE ABANDONED is only available (at least that's what I gather) as an ebook. And it was free, like a gimme so the reader can taste the world of Amelia Gray in this novella. I've read THE RESTORER (http://iyamvixenbooks.blogspot.com/2011/10/restorer-graveyard-queen-book-one.html) the first book in the series. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series as it comes out.

Amelia isn't in the book very much, but the setting from the first book is there. So dark and dank and scary. And gooooooood.

I hope the characters get revisited in future books.

Four sparkly scary diamonds......

Less Bacon and More Shakin' - 20 Jan 2012

2012-01-20T13:27:00.004-07:00

First time back to a Weight Watchers meeting in a month. First it was the holidays, then shift work, then a'feared of what the scale would say. Good news, down 1.2 pounds to 231.6. Thirteen pounds gone for good. A good push to increase my days at Lifetime Fitness.

Back to the gym in the new year. Discovered the rowing machine and Aqua Aerobics and Aqua Zumba. Too much fun and perfect for my intro back to group fitness classes.

TOO BIG TO MISS: An Odelia Grey Mystery - Sue Ann Jaffarian

2012-01-10T15:06:00.005-07:00

From the back of the book: Too big to miss—that's Odelia Grey. A never-married, middle-aged, plus-sized woman who makes no excuses for her weight, she's not super woman just a mere mortal standing on the precipice of menopause, trying to cruise in an ill-fitting bra. She struggles with her relationships, her crazy family, and her crazier boss. And then there's her knack for being in close proximity to dead people . . . .
When her close friend Sophie London commits suicide in front of an online web-cam by putting a gun in her mouth and pulling the trigger, Odelia's life is changed forever. Sophie, a plus-sized activist and inspiration to imperfect women, is the last person anyone would ever have expected to end her own life. Suspecting foul play, Odelia is determined to get to the bottom of her friend's death. Odelia's search for the truth takes her from southern California strip malls to the world of live web-cam porn to the ritzy enclave of Corona del Mar.

**************************************************************

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!! I had no idea what kind of book I was going to read when I started this humdingah!

Best of all, I loved Odelia's moxie, once she found it. Bless her, she's a big girl like me, plenty to love, but has to work on her 'go get 'em 'tude. Thankfully, she has her plus size bud, Sophie. Sophie has helped many other zaftig women in the area with her support group and morning walking group. Sophie is larger than life in more than dress size. So when she commits suicide, Odelia knows something is wrong with that picture. And she begins to investigate.

She learns some astonishing info on someone she thought she knew well. Rather than deter her, it makes Odelia work harder at finding out what happened.

There's a bevy of twists and turns in this fantabulous book and I cannot wait to read more adventures of Odelia. She has a new relationship with a sweetie and a green cat...what's not to want to discover?

Five shiny larger than life diamonds......

Books in the House Monday - 2 Jan 2012

2012-01-02T11:39:00.005-07:00

New on the Nook:
A HOE LOT OF TROUBLE: A Nina Quinn Mystery #1 - Heather Webber, cozy
THE ABANDONED: Graveyard Queen Novella - Amanda Stevens, Gothic thriller
THE CERBERUS PROTOCOL - Jon F. Merz & Joseph Nassise, UF
DRIFTNET - Lin Anderson, forensic thriller

From Library Thing (http://www.librarything.com)
WITCHFUL THINKING - H. P. Mallory, paranormal romance, ARC due out 28 Feb 2012

December 2011 Book Journal

2012-01-01T15:07:00.004-07:00

A quiet reading month for me and only nine books read or listened to:
SWITCHED: A Trylle Novel - Amanda Hocking, YA fantasy, ARC from Library Thing, fab!

THE REAPERS - John Connolly, thriller, BOCD, superb

THE DARLING DAHLIAS & THE CUCUMBER TREE - Susan Wittig Albert, cozy set in 1930s Alabama, BOCD, amazing

RAVEN BLACK: Shetland Island Quartet Book One - Ann Cleeves, thriller, TPB, awesome

HARK! THE HERALD ANGEL SCREAMED: An Augusta Goodnight Mystery - Mignon Ballard, cozy w/guardian angel, MPB, good

LEGACIES: A Repairman Jack Novel #2 - F. Paul Wilson, thriller, MPB, excellent

A SHEETCAKE NAMED DESIRE: A Piece of Cake Mystery #1 - Jacklyn Brady, cozy, MPB, excellent

WHO DO, VOODOO?: A Mind for Murder Mystery #1 - Rochelle Staab, cozy, MPB, really good

A SLICE OF MURDER: A Pizza Lover's Mystery #1 - Chris Cavender, cozy, Nookbook, decent

KARMA GIRL CHRISTMAS - Jennifer Estep, UF, Nookbook, good

Books: 7
Audio: 2
Total for month: 9
Total for 2011: 134

Happy New Year 2012

2012-01-01T01:00:00.001-07:00

A SLICE OF MURDER: A Pizza Lover's Mystery - Chris Cavender

2011-12-31T19:29:00.005-07:00

From Publisher's Weekly: Pizza lovers will relish the pseudonymous Cavender's delightful first in a new cozy series, which introduces Eleanor Swift, owner of A Slice of Life, a pizzeria in Timber Ridge, N.C. When late one winter night Eleanor delivers a pizza ("one of my specials decked out with pepperoni, sausage, ham, bacon, hamburger, and little bits of sliced sirloin"), she finds her customer, Richard Olsen, lying dead on the floor with a kitchen knife in his chest. Kevin Hurley, the surly local police chief who pursued her back in high school, responds to her 911 call. Suspecting Eleanor is guilty, Kevin does his best to make her life difficult. Olsen's dotty sister thinks so, too, but once she's convinced of Eleanor's innocence, she asks Eleanor's help in solving the murder. Eleanor's occasionally married sister, Maddy, assists in the sleuthing. A lively pace and a thrilling climax more than compensate for some distracting chatter and not always relevant sibling spats.

**********************

I think PW liked this one better than I did. I'm not sure what it was that put me off. Might have been the waffling between how the pizzeria wouldn't make it after Eleanor is a suspect in the murder of a pizza delivery recipient and then a truckload of customers would arrive, then the waffle would begin again the next hour or the next day. It got a little irritating.

I could understand why Eleanor and Maddie wanted to investigate, since Eleanor is the main suspect. And I liked how they went about gathering the suspects, though I had the murderer figured out about halfway through. I kept reading to see if I was right and to get one more book read in 2011.

I wanted to enjoy this book and series. I have the second one on Mt Git'r'Read and will see how it goes. I like the premise and the setting and mostly like the characters, so I think the series shows promise. And there're recipes in the back of the book..that counts...

Three a pizza that shows promise beans.....

WHO DO, VOODOO?: A Mind for Murder Mystery - Rochelle Staab

2011-12-31T17:08:00.005-07:00

From the back of the book: Rochelle Staab's first novel in her thrilling new series features no-nonsense Liz Cooper, a psychologist forced to embrace the occult to clear her best friend of murder...

When Liz Cooper's friend Robin Bloom finds an unusual tarot card tacked to her front door, Liz writes it off as a prank. Robin refuses to ignore the omen---her late husband drew the same card, the Three of Swords, in a reading the night before he was killed in a car accident. As more cards and darker threats appear, Liz realizes someone very dangerous is upping the ante....

Liz turns to her brother's ex-college roommate, occult expert Nick Garfield. As Nick leads her into the voodoo community to locate the origin of the deck, she can't ignore their attraction to each other. Then, a woman is found murdered and Robin becomes the prime suspect. Determined to clear her friend, Liz teams with Nick to unravel otherworldly secrets and seek help from beyond---or risk being outwitted by a cunning killer.....

*********************************

A slight lean into the paranormal for this cozy. It made me want to go out for a reading of my future after I finished reading it. It was as informational on the occult as it was excellent a mystery to read.

There's a murder, a missing spell book, evil spellcasters, wannabe voodoo queens and princesses, all kinds of con artists...all set in the music world in Los Angeles.

I liked watching Liz fight her abilities. She's all about logic and rolls her eyes at her mother's beliefs in tarot and her friend's belief in omens.

Liz is single and has a psychology practice with patients that she can reschedule while she goes on the investigative trail to help her prove her friend innocent. That's better than the cozies where the women have families that they can seemingly drop off with neighbors so they can prove the innocents of those found guilty. Or I could just be envious.....

You can visit Rochelle here:http://www.rochellestaab.com/

Five heading out for a tarot reading beans......

PLEATING FOR MERCY: A Magical Dressmaking Mystery - Melissa Bourbon

2011-12-31T08:48:00.003-07:00

From the back of the book: All the Cassidy women possess special gifts. Harlow Jane Cassidy's is creating beautiful dresses. But she's about to discover secrets in her own family and another gift-one that can reach beyond the grave....

When her great-grandmother passes away, Harlow leaves her job as a Manhattan fashion designer and moves back to Bliss, Texas. But soon after she opens Buttons & Bows, a custom dressmaking boutique in the old farmhouse she inherited, Harlow begins to feel an inexplicable presence....

One of her first clients is her old friend Josie, who needs a gown for her upcoming wedding. But when Josie's boss turns up dead, it starts to look as if the bride-to-be may be wearing handcuffs instead of a veil. Suddenly, Josie needs a lot more from Harlow than the perfect dress. Can Harlow find the real killer-with a little help from beyond?

*****************************

A highly enjoyable paranormal cozy mystery! It would be highly enjoyable no matter the genre label.

I like reading the acknoweldgements for a book from time to time. In PLEATING, Melissa thanks her mother for teaching her to sew for the pride she felt in her newfound ability as a child and that sewing helped her come up with the character of Harlow Cassidy.

Harlow is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Butch Cassidy who threw a coin in an Argentinian fountain and made a wish. So starts the magical abilities of the Cassidy women with their charmed lives. Charmed being what you make of it. Each woman has their own unique ability and Harlow is hard-pressed to figure hers out. She knows she likes dressmaking and hopes to make a go of her dressmaking shop in Bliss, Texas, her hometown.

The mystery solving comes across as natural since Harlow wants to help her friend, Josie, and the police aren't moving in the right direction. The characters are engaging and believable, even the ghost of Meemaw who is a bit of a prankster.

I can't wait for the next in the series, A FITTING END, to come out on 7 Feb 2012. It's pre-ordered with Cynthia at High Crimes Mystery Bookshop ( http://www.highcrimesbooks.com/)

You can visit Melissa:
http://misaramirez.com/misa-ramirez-writing-as-melissa-bourbon-or-visa-versa/

Five Texas ghosts and dresses beans.....

Winter Break Movie Fun - Day Five - Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

2011-12-30T20:49:00.004-07:00

DH went with Lady K and me to the movies today. The only movie he's been interested in seeing over the holidays has been Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, so we waited until he told us when he wanted to go. He said he had enough hours this week to come home early and we could make the 4:10 show. Yippee!
So very glad he could go with us, we don't get to see movies together very often. He's not a fan of getting up early like Lady K and I to make the first show of the day. Any later and the theater can get crowded.
We lucked out tonight and it was quite manageable and I had two passes from a previous trip to the show that led to a bunch of shuffling from one theater to another due to a scheduling mixup. Only had to pay for Lady K this time...bonus.

That luck only enhanced the enjoyment of the fab movie that is the sequel to the superb Sherlock Holmes of a couple of years ago.

From imdb.com
Storyline
Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) and his longtime trusted associate, Doctor Watson (Jude Law), take on their arch-nemesis, Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris), with the help of Holmes's older brother Mycroft Holmes (Stephen Fry) and a gypsy named Sim (Noomi Rapace).Written by ABID NAZIR

********************

The story is well told with superb action and humor. I'd love to go see it again tomorrow if we had the time. I can't do too much in reviewing without feeling like I'd be giving up some spoilers. The disguises and dialogue are perfection and I'll leave it at that.

Highly enjoyable and definitely recommendable. Go see it!

Winter Break Movie Fun - Day Four - The Muppets

2011-12-29T14:01:00.007-07:00

Day four of the Winter Break Movie Fun featured 'The Muppets'. What a fun movie!!! Jason Segel, Amy Adams, a host of Muppets, and a lot of cameos are the good guys with Chris Cooper as the evil Tex Richman who wants the Muppet theater for his own selfish means. It's so much fun, good tunes especially when the song and dance scene ends and Amy Adams' or Jason Segel's daydream gets back to reality....kind of like when you sing out loud to the tune on the radio and your forget that you have your earbuds in? And everyone is looking at you kinda funny? It's perfectly played in the movie.
From imdb.com:
When 3 muppet fans learn that Tex Richman wants to drill under the muppet theater for oil Gary, Mary and Walter set out to find the muppets who have been split up for years Kermit lives in his own mansion depressed in hollywood, Gonzo is a high class plumber at Gonzo's Royal Flush, Fozzie performs with a tribute band called The Moopets , Miss Piggy is the plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, and Animal is at a celebrity anger managment rehab center in Santa Barbara.Written by Dre

Excellent tunes that make the audience grin especially if you are a fan of the show from back in the day. I am, so I was grinning like a fool the whole time. It was excellent sharing this with Lady K. We can both highly recommend this fun movie.

Mahna-mahna..do..doo..do..do..do...Mahna-Mahna...

Winter Break Movie Fun - Day Three - Arthur Christmas

2011-12-28T13:27:00.004-07:00

Day three brings us to 'Arthur Christmas', a very cute, rather funny holiday animated movie. It's a different take on the Santa Claus story where the Santa mantle is handed down father to son when the father retires. The current Santa, Malcolm, is on his 70th mission and everyone, especially his oldest son, Steve (as perfectly pompously voiced by Hugh Laurie), thinks this is the year Santa will retire and hand over the reigns of the sleigh. And not just any sleigh. This is the S-1, a HUGE sort of spaceship with plenty of elves on board to help deliver the presents in a timely, sort of military precision, fashion.

This year, the unthinkable happens. One child is missed and the only one who seems to be concerned about it is Steve, Santa's youngest son. Steve works in the mailroom, answering the letters to Santa. Steve has a big heart, but bigger feet. He's a bit clumsy and tends to get in the way, but he knows he needs to do something to get that last gift out to the little girl in England. She believes in Santa and Steve wants her to continue believing in the magic.

The rest of the movie is the mission to get the gift delivered and it's hilariously played out with three generations of Santa's and a whole lot of elves.

We can both definitely recommend this one to those with kids and those who are kids at heart.

Winter Break Movie Fun - Day Two - We Bought a Zoo

2011-12-27T16:27:00.004-07:00

Day two of the Winter Break Movie Fun was my choice, "We Bought a Zoo". It is based on a true story and stars Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church and is directed by Cameron Crowe, so I went in knowing it would be good. And I was right (I like being right). It was highly enjoyable for both Lady K and myself.
Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) is coping the best he can as a single father of two after his wife succumbs to cancer. She's been gone for six months and the oldest child has become a surly teen and the youngest is the sweetest and doing her best to help her sad father. Benjamin has always been a self-admitted adventure junkee and newspaper writer. The newspaper biz is going under and his son has messed up one too many times and is expelled after his third strike.
Benjamin knows the family needs a change of scenery and goes in search of a new home. He finds the perfect house with eighteen acres attached. That eighteen acres is necessary since it's a zoo.
Benjamin sees an opportunity to begin a new life and have a new adventure. The zoo is on its last legs and is in danger of being closed with all of the animals being disposed of.
Benjamin thinks otherwise and buys the place against family's advice.

The movie is about family and doing the right thing even against all odds. A family movie with something for everyone. I liked that it wasn't just parents and kids at the movie when we went this morning. There were couples, young and old as well as extended families of grandparents bringing their kids and grandkids.

I'd go see this again and will definitely get it on DVD.

Winter Break Movie Fun - Day One - Alvin & The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked

2011-12-26T15:18:00.004-07:00

Lady K and I are on day one of our turn at winter break. One of the nice things about winter break timeframe are the movies that get released....family movies especially. Lady K and I plan to see one movie a day at the show, doing out part to support AMC and popcorn growers.

Lady K has been wanting to see this third in the Alvin and the Chipmunks series of flicks for the longest time. The only reason I'd watch these is because of having an 8-year-old who loves the Chipmunks and Chippettes and tunes to dance to.

A reasonably decent storyline with cute catchphrases throughout. Even a mention of the honeybadger is in there, which made me grin.

The Chips and Dave are on a cruise ship destined for the International Music Awards. Alvin causes trouble resulting in the gang ending up on a desert island. Plenty of bits borrowed from other movies like 'Castaway' and 'Goonies'.

Then there are the tunes by Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, The Go-Go's done by the Chipmunks and Chippettes....catchy...

Tomorrow will be my choice, 'We Bought a Zoo'.

RAVEN BLACK: Shetland Island Quartet Book One - Ann Cleeves

2011-12-26T12:12:00.005-07:00

From the back of the book: Winner of Britain’s coveted Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award, Ann Cleeves introduces a dazzling new suspense series to U.S. mystery readers.

Raven Black begins on New Year’s Eve with a lonely outcast named Magnus Tait, who stays home waiting for visitors who never come. But the next morning the body of a murdered teenage girl is discovered nearby, and suspicion falls on Magnus. Inspector Jimmy Perez enters an investigative maze that leads deeper into the past of the Shetland Islands than anyone wants to go.

*****************

I don't know what it is about mysteries set anywhere in England, Scotland, or Ireland, but they seem to be darker. Dark days, darker nights, dark personalities to decipher.

Inspector Jimmy Perez has a murder of a young girl to solve, one that has similar patterns to a girl who went missing years before. That one has gone unsolved, the girl still missing. The one tie is a solitary, slightly unhinged man. The girls were seen at Magnus' house before going missing.

There are side stories that intertwine throughout the book, lonely characters with dark secrets interacting bringing the book to a startling conclusion.

I really cannot wait to read the rest of the quartet. I have the second, WHITE NIGHTS, on the WWBL highlighted as a soonest get.

Visit Ann at: www.anncleeves.com

Five dark Shetland Isles beans......

Happy Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T04:23:00.001-07:00

I hope your holidays are warm and wonderful and best wishes for a splendid 2012!!

The Waitresses - Christmas Wrappin'

2011-12-24T17:45:00.002-07:00

LEGACIES: A Repairman Jack Novel - F. Paul Wilson

2011-12-24T13:42:00.004-07:00

From the back of the book: Repairman Jack isn’t your average appliance repairman—he fixes situations for people, often risking his own life. Jack has no last name, no social security number, works only for cash, and has no qualms when it comes to seeing that the job gets done.

Dr. Alicia Clayton, a pediatrician who treats children with AIDS, is full of secrets. And she has just inherited a house that holds another. Haunted by painful memories, Alicia wants the house destroyed—but somehow everyone she enlists to help ends up violently killed. The house holds a powerful secret, and Alicia’s charmless brother Thomas seems willing to do anything to get his hands on that secret himself.

But not if Repairman Jack can find it first!

*************************

I know, I know...not your typical Christmas holiday read, but I like to opt of 'typical'. (C'mon, you knew that)

Jack is such an intriguingly diverse character to read. He's one of the best protagonists in the thriller world. He knows he should keep to himself, but loves the two women in his life, Gia and her daughter Vicky. He'd do anything for them and when Gia asks for Jack's help with what's going on at the Center for Children with AIDS where she volunteers, Jack doesn't hesitate.

Someone has stolen the toys that were donated for the children so that they might have a semblance of a normal Christmas. Jack does his magic and the toys are returned and crapweasel Grinch is definitely taught a valuable lesson the Repairman Jack way and put behind bars.

The rest of the book is repairing the issue of who's killing everyone involved in the house that Dr Alicia Clayton, a pediatrician who works at the Center, has inherited from her father. She doesn't want the house, but she wants help finding out what's going on and why her half-brother wants it so badly. What's in the house that someone is willing to kill?

Seriously awesome scenes abound throughout the book that has Jack defying the odds and fighting the good fight to make things better for good guy and doing what it takes to put away the bad crapweasels out there. I luh-huv this series!!

Five thriller holiday beans.....

HARK! THE HERALD ANGEL SCREAMED - Mignon F. Ballard

2011-12-24T12:57:00.004-07:00

From the back of the book: It’s Christmastime in the seemingly tranquil town of Stone’s Throw, South Carolina, but amid all the caroling, cookies, and cheer, a murderer casts a not-so-jolly pall on the holiday season.

Augusta Goodnight, guardian angel, sometime sleuth, and welcome boarder with longtime resident Lucy Nan Pilgrim, comes to the aid of her friends when, as Lucy Nan is searching for the perfect Christmas tree on her grandmother’s abandoned estate, a mysterious stranger plummets to his death from the mansion’s balcony. Lucy Nan can’t shake off childhood stories of the ghost of a girl who fell from the same spot long ago---has the ghost come back to haunt the living, or is there an all-too-human murderer at work?

Mysterious events are soon heating up faster than spiced punch left on the burner, and it will take Augusta’s help, not to mention some celestial Southern cooking, for peace to be restored and Christmas lights to shine once again in the little town of Stone’s Throw.

******************************

A perfect little cozy to read at this hectic time of year. Didn't have to think too hard and let the enjoyable story flow.

The little town of Stone's Throw is another place that seems pretty neat to live if it weren't for all the murder and mayhem. Everyone has a part to play, either as friend or foe.

Lucy Nan is lucky to have her coffee loving guardian angel, Augusta Goodnight, around for all the help Augusta is able to give. Augusta cooks and bakes magnificent goodies for Lucy Nan and her friends to enjoy. She also helps Lucy Nan solve the murders that crop up.

Had plenty of people to keep track of while I read as well as keeping tally of the suspects and clues. There's a shady character, Melrose, who is courting one of Lucy Nan's dear friend, Idonia, and when he arrives on the scene, there's also the murder of a not very nice man whose body is discovered in Lucy Nan's ancestral home. Idonia is also wearing a locket given her by Melrose and this locket has caused an uproar.

All is solved in a pleasing pattern and makes me wish I had a guardian angel like Augusta Goodnight and friends like Lucy Nan and her buds to spend Christmas with.

A handful of yummy candycanes for this one.....

A SHEETCAKE NAMED DESIRE: A Piece of Cake Mystery - Jacklyn Brady

2011-12-21T18:29:00.005-07:00

From the back of the book: Sweet success can be a motive for murder....

There aren't many things pastry chef Rita Lucero hates more than losing. But two years after her marriage to fellow baker Philippe Renier fell apart, she's still trying to get him to sign the divorce papers. Exasperated, Rita visits Philippe's high-end New Orleans shop, Zydeco Cakes, to get his signature---and discovers that her marriage is already over when she finds Philippe dead with a chef's knife in his chest.

Rita is shocked to discover the body, and overwhelmed to learn that since the divorce wasn't final, she now inherits part ownership in Zydeco Cakes. But it's a mixed blessing: the gorgeous shop is actually in financial trouble, and Rita's windfall sets her up as a prime suspect in Philippe's murder. Her former mother-in-law demands that Rita find out who killed her son, and his former employees don't know whether to trust her. The feeling is mutual---especially since the real culprit is still out there, and Rita may be the next victim served....

************************************

I have confessed in the past that I have an addiction to Food Network and the Cooking Channel and I do love a good cozy mystery, especially a foodie cozy mystery. A SHEETCAKE NAMD DESIRE combines a fix for both of these two addictions most spectacularly.

The Food Network/Cooking Channel aspect is covered with cake baking like one of my favorite shows, Ace of Cakes, since the setting of this mystery series is a cake bakery, Zydeco Cakes, where they create extravagantly crazy cakes for those willing to foot the bill.

I loved the setting of this book. I've been to New Orleans several times in the past and am fascinated with this old world feel city. The book shows more than Bourbon Street, thankfully. The whole city has something to offer, not just having a good time drinking a Hurricane in Pat O'Brien's.

The bakery and the employees felt so real, I want to visit this place and order a cake.

The reader doesn't get a chance to meet the victim. He's killed before we are introduced. I learned about him through everyone else's descriptions and experiences. I'm not sure if I'd have liked him, but others did. Others..not so much. Others with agendas.

Rita, the main character, has decisions to make, her life to get on with. I liked watching her emotional roller coaster as she dealt with how she felt with her not-so-ex-husband and his death. And that his death will mean changes to her life.

Her getting involved in solving the murder is done well. She is a suspect since she had something to gain with Philippe's death and she needs to prove that she is innocent. She's good at asking questions and getting involved in a non-irritating way.

I like Rita a lot and I want to see her succeed.

I look forward to reading the rest of this series. It will be on the 'must get' list as soon as each book comes out.

Visit Jacklyn Brady: http://www.jacklynbrady.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jacklyn-Brady/180151502006968?sk=wall

Five sparkly New Orleans and cake (what's not to love) diamonds...

Books in the House Monday - 19 Dec 2011

2011-12-19T05:02:00.001-07:00

Only three this week from a couple of trips to B&N to get Lady K's book for her classroom's book exchange for the holiday party and then a trip the next day as I found I had some coupons in my purse...must use copons....

A SHEETCAKE NAMED DESIRE: A Piece of Cake Mystery #1 - Jacklyn Brady, cozy, MPB

NAPOLEAN'S PYRAMIDS: An Ethan Gage Novel #1 - William Dietrich, historic adventure thriller, MPB

MOON OVER SOHO: Peter Grant Novel #2 - Ben Aaronovitch, UF, MPB

A KARMA GIRL CHRISTMAS - Jennifer Estep

2011-12-18T17:55:00.004-07:00

From the back of the book: It's Christmas time in Bigtime, New York, but society reporter Carmen Cole isn't in the mood to celebrate since her husband, Sam, has to go on a business trip and might not make it home for the holiday. But Carmen has plenty to keep her busy, since she moonlights as Karma Girl, a member of the Fearless Five superhero team. On Christmas Eve, Carmen, as Karma Girl, is assigned to guard toys, clothes, food, and more that are intended for needy children and their families. But an ubervillain also has his eye on the toys and plans to steal and then sell them to the highest bidder. Carmen will have to use all her empathic powers just to stay alive, not to mention make sure Christmas is a happy one for all the kids who are counting on her. It's all in a night's work for a superhero ...

**************************

I have this series somewhere on Mt Git'r'Read and will definitely be on the lookout for it ASAP. This is a fun addition, or introduction for me, to the series.

There are superheroes and ubervillains and it's a campy tale. I liked the names of all of the characters and how they got the names, when Jennifer shared it.

Having a superhero guard the presents for the deserving kids who have little was looked at by Carmen/Karma Girl as a good cause, but wanted to know when she was going to be considered not the new-girl-on-the-superhero-block. This was a job for a rookie, not a bonafide, proven superhero like herself.

That all changed when the bad guys showed. Excellent kick butt action, kicky dialogue, fun story. I look forward to reading more in the series, especially once I find the books on Mt Git'r'Read.

Four kicky superhero beans......

DEATH BY THE DOZEN: A Cupcake Bakery Mystery - Jenn McKinlay

2011-12-17T16:32:00.004-07:00

From the back of the book:
Melanie and Angie are determined to win the Challenge to the Chef to promote their Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery. Mel's mentor from culinary school, Vic Mazzotta, may be one of the judges, but Mel and Angie will have to win fair and square. But, when Vic's dead body is found inside a freezer truck, Mel and Angie will need to use their best judgment to find the cold-blooded killer or they may lose more than the contest- they may lose their lives.

*************************

What is not to love about a mystery series that has a good mystery and cupcake recipes shared at the end of each book?

I love the setting of Scottsdale, Arizona for this series and the idea of a cupcake bakery like Fairy Tale Cupcakes is nifty. And the animosity between Mel and Angie and the rival bakery Olivia Puckett cracks me up. Olivia is truly off her rocker and it's fun to watch her go off.

All of this is in addition to a fab mystery to solve along with Mel and Angie. It's a wee bit like watching Lucy and Ethel solve a mystery, but that's not a bad thing.

Five a lot of fun beans......

THE DARLING DAHLIAS AND THE CUCUMBER TREE - Susan Wittig Albert

2011-12-17T15:54:00.005-07:00

From Publisher's Weekly: A small Southern town blooms into life in Albert's nostalgic first in a new Depression-era mystery series. Darling, Ala., is in the midst of financial upheaval surrounding the Darling Savings and Trust, though the ladies of the Darling Dahlias Garden Club are still excited about their clubhouse, an old estate recently inherited from Mrs. Dahlia Blackstone, whose garden includes a possibly haunted cucumber tree, which might shelter a buried treasure. Also distracting the members--especially widow and probate clerk Verna Tidwell; legal secretary and freelance journalist Elizabeth "Lizzy" Lacy, and Mayor Jed Taylor's wife, Ophelia Snow--are a prison break and the disappearance of drugstore clerk Eva Louise "Bunny" Scott, the town tart. After Bunny turns up dead in a wrecked stolen van, the ladies investigate. Veteran Albert (Holly Blues) combines great period detail with surefooted sleuthing that should satisfy fans and attract new ones.

**************************************

I listen to audiobooks on a daily basis since I keep one going in the car at all times for my commute and alone errands. I haven't felt like reviewing most of them for a long while, but DARLING DAHLIAS changes that.

I love Susan Wittig Albert's 'China Bayles' series. I've read or listened to most of the series and always have a good time with the folks in Pecan Springs.

Now I get to look forward to spending time with the folks in Darling, Alabama in the 1930's. The Dahlias are a group of ladies who spend time together as a gardening club. Times are tough, but the ladies still enjoy their time and activities.

There are also mysteries aplenty to be solved. Two convicts have escaped the local prison farm, money has gone missing in the town's bank, a woman has been found dead. All of the mysteries make sense, the ladies getting involved in the mysteries are written well, and I found myself intrigued with each character. There are sweet ladies, nice ladies, peppery ladies, ornery independent ladies....all neat to spend time with. That's a good story. And I can highly recommend it.

Five sparkly looking forward to more Darling Dahlias diamonds....

Less Bacon and More Shakin' - 16 Dec 2011

2011-12-16T20:03:00.004-07:00

The scale is moving down again. Down 1.4 lbs to 232.8. Good on watching my portions and and doing a lot of walking. Shift work and the craziness that leads up to the holidays kept me from Team Weight Loss so I walked Bailey as much as possible and parked far away from destinations to get in as many steps as possible.

Fri - 9 Dec - 11052 steps

Sat - 10 Dec - 5981 steps

Sun - 11 Dec - 4409 steps

Mon - 12 Dec - 9879 steps

Tues - 13 Dec - 6616 steps

Wed - 14 Dec - 9448 steps

Thurs - 15 Dec - 8151 steps

Fri - 16 Dec - 8819 steps

MORTAR AND MURDER: A DIY Mystery - Jennie Bentley

2011-12-13T08:25:00.004-07:00

From the back of the book: Avery Baker was once a New York textile designer, but inheriting her aunt's old Maine cottage 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 from behind the walls....

Avery and her boyfriend, Derek, are renovating a magnificent 225-year-old Colonial on Rowanberry Island, just off the coast of Maine. The DIY is going great even if the neighbor, a reclusive thriller writer, seems as strange and mysterious as his fiction. But his reputation seems in perfect keeping with what Derek and Avery discover next....

The body of an unidentified woman with a piece of paper in her pocket bearing the address of Derek and Avery's Realtor is found floating in the sea near the island. then a second woman is retrieved like jetsam from the harbor. But it's not until Avery discovers a secret room in the house, and learns about Rowanberry Island's long tradition of smuggling, that a bizarre link is made between the dead women---and if it foretells anything, it's that things on the island are only going to get deadlier.

*************************************

I love learning things as I read. Cozies with recipes or helpful tips in the back of the book are fab and this series is one of those. There are how-to's on creating your own stencils and an authentic canvas floor cloth like they did back in the day when rugs were prohibitively costly for the average Joe.

Add that to a really well done mystery with characters to get into in a location where I'd like to live (if it weren't for all the dead bodies) and you have a swell cozy mystery series.

I've not read the series in order and I'm not sure it's necessary. Not that the books are stand-alones, but they can be enjoyed on their own.

Avery is tenacious in her search for who the dead women are and I like how she keeps searching for their identity as well as who the killer might be. And what is the mystery behind the famous writer in the twin house to the one Avery and Derek are working on? She doesn't let the mystery get in the way of her relationship with Derek nor with their work.

I have another in the series on the nightstand to read and look forward to getting and reading more about Avery and Derek and their DIY-in'.

Visit Jennie Bentley:http://jennabennett.com/

Five DIY in New England beans.....

MIND YOUR OWN BEESWAX: A Queen Bee Mystery #2 - Hannah Reed

2011-12-11T09:19:00.004-07:00

From the back of the book: Summer is approaching in the picturesque town of Moraine, Wisconsin, but when a hive of Story Fischer's bees leads her straight into the middle of a murder investigation, the result is anything but sunny....

Story has her hands full with her successful local market; her Queen Bee Honey business; and new maybe boyfriend, Hunter Wallace, but being abandoned by a hive looking for better digs puts the busy beekeeper in a bad mood. While Story looks for the hive, the rest of Moraine is searching for Lauren Krrigan, a woman with a checkered past whose return has the whole town buzzing.

When both Lauren and a gun go missing, everyone assumes the worst. The situation gets sticky when Lauren and another town resident turn up dead in the woods---exactly wehre Story was searching for her bees. When it comes to murder investigations, Story just can't seem to mind her own beeswax. But this time, sticking her nose into the swarm just might get her stung.....

******************************************

Sometimes I am leery of liking a first in a new series too much. I worry the same about those as I do about liking a TV show too much. I just know that show will get cancelled if I fall for the story, characters, etc. (if only that worked on all those 'reality' shows).

I fell hard for the first in the Queen Bee series, BUZZ OFF ( http://iyamvixenbooks.blogspot.com/2010/12/buzz-off-queen-bee-mystery-hannah-reed.html), which got me even more into taking care of the bees on our property as well as eating more honey.

There are recipes in the back of the book and a list of flowering plants to add to your garden to coax more bees to your landscape.

Even better was revisiting Story and the group of friendly and not-so-friendly characters in town. Hannah writes the best characters that make me 'grrrrr' when they show up in the mystery. I dig that.

Story gets aggravated at her sister who helps when she wants within reason, has an interestingly *argh* relationship with her mother, loves her sweet odd grandmother to pieces, would love to take a bat to the flat side of the hateful realtor who had the affair with Story's ex and is always interfering with all things Story and the pewp-cranium bully of a police chief who has it in for Story. I feel the aggravation and head-buttin' coming through the pages. That's what keeps me turning the pages in one sitting as much as the fab mystery of who the killer is.

Visit Hannah Reed: http://www.queenbeemystery.com/ and fall in love with the series, too.

Five honey beans......

SWITCHED: A Trylle Novel - Amanda Hocking

2011-12-09T19:10:00.003-07:00

Overview of the book:
Amanda Hocking is an indie publishing sensation whose self-published novels have sold millions of copies all over the world. Switched is the book that started the phenomenon. Prepare to be enchanted….
When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She’s not the person she’s always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel—all because of Finn Holmes.
Finn is a mysterious guy who always seems to be watching her. Every encounter leaves her deeply shaken…though it has more to do with her fierce attraction to him than she’d ever admit. But it isn’t long before he reveals the truth: Wendy is a changeling who was switched at birth—and he’s come to take her home.
Now Wendy’s about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that’s both beautiful and frightening. And where she must leave her old life behind to discover who she’s meant to become…

**************************************

This is one of those fab-when-you-find-it books, one of those books that is meant to be read in one sitting if possible. Thankfully, it was possible for me.

Fantasy can be a tricky genre for me, especially YA fantasy. It walks a fine line of being gunky or good. Since the Trylle trilogy is about trolls (yep, that's a lotta 'trah'), it could easily be on the gunky side. But it's not.

Not your stereotypical trolls of Brothers Grimm. The reader learns in the book that trolls are written badly in stories. They trade out their babies, changelings, with human babies. The troll babies look like humans, put with families until old enough to realize what they are. Troll hunters come get them and bring them home. Home is their own community in Minnesota (who'da thunk it?) and there is a distinct heirarchy in place. Wendy finds out life as she knows it is no more.

Wendy knows she's different, she knew when her mother tried to kill her when she was young that something wasn't quite right. She just didn't know how different until Finn, the hunter, comes along.

I read a few reviews of for SWITCHED before reading it and hesitated a bit. Glad it was a LibraryThing win or I might have passed it by. Some of the reviews compare SWITCHED to TWILIGHT. I am not a fan of the sparkly vampires, so you will understand my hesitance. By no stretch of the imagination is the same as the sparkly vampire series. Trylle trilogy will stand on its own, no sparkles needed.

I enjoyed my time with this book and I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy. Thank you LibraryThing for sending this book my way.

Five not your historical troll beans.....

Got That X-Mas Worry - A song from Lady K

2011-12-09T07:44:00.004-07:00

When it's 20 days til X-mas and 19 days til eve

You start on worrying the days are never gonna leave

It's when you get that X-mas worry

All the presents under the tree

When you feel the stocking from the outside

Is when you get that X-mas worry

Your parents tell ya no

But you say yes

When you were only 6

You thought you were so smart

But then you got in trouble

You weren't that smart a kid

But then as you grew

You understood you had something to look at later

But now, right now, I've still got that X-mas worry

Less Bacon and More Shakin'....7 Dec 2011

2011-12-07T20:02:00.005-07:00

I maintained this week, so still 334.2. Losing would have been better, but I know where I went astray. Not much in the activity area as I was on day shifts this rotation.

Off yesterday and went to Team Weight Loss. Today will be cardio and weights, Friday TWL. Along with walking of the Bailey in the nice cold mornings. Back to swings on Saturday, so plenty of time to hit the gym for the next week.

The title of the blog is the catchphrase Lady K came up with...it's appropriate since I know the activity is what gets the fluff to disappear.

Pedometer and activity:

1 Dec - 6403 steps

2 Dec - 6269 steps

3 Dec - 5680 steps

4 Dec - 4808 steps

5 Dec - 7623 steps

6 Dec - 5939 steps

7 Dec - Walked Bailey 30 min, Team Weight Loss 65 min, 14575 steps

Books in the House Monday - 5 Dec 2011

2011-12-05T05:07:00.001-07:00

A nice group of books came in this past week:

Won from Library Thing (http://www.librarything.com):

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS, DIES IN VEGAS - Mark Everett Stone, thriller, ARC

Won from Bite Club (http://vampchixreadbooks.blogspot.com/):

FALLEN - Traci L. Slatton, fantasy, TPB

From High Crimes Mystery Bookshop (http://www.highcrimesbooks.com/):

LEGACIES: Repairman Jack #2 - F Paul Wilson, UF, MPB (this will be a Christmas read)

MIND OVER MONSTERS: A F.R.E.A.K.S. Squad Investigation - Jennifer Harlow, UF, TPB

MOONLIGHT DOWNS: An Emily Tempest Investigation #1 - Adrian Hyland, suspense, TPB

STILL MIDNIGHT: Alex Morrow Novel - Denise Mina, thriller, TPB

WELL-OFFED IN VERMONT: Pret' Near Perfect Mystery #1 - Amy Patricia Meade, cozy, TPB

WHO DO, VOODOO: A Mind for Murder Mystery #1 - Rochelle Staab, cozy, MPB

Chit-chat with Santa

2011-12-03T17:24:00.005-07:00

J was a good daddy today and took Lady K to see Santa. One of our favorite nurseries, Garden Country in Broomfield, stays open through December and Santa comes in for a visit. We've found that this is the best Santa visit out there for us. Santa isn't mobbed, the kids are mellow, they take a commemorative photo, we can take photos, there are refreshments and plants and decorations...a good time for all....

November Book Journal

2011-12-01T12:13:00.004-07:00

A good month for reading. You'll notice a copious amount of cozies going on this past month. It will be the same in December, too. Some holiday reads and plenty of cozies to relax during this possibly crazy month.

THE HOUR OF DUST AND ASHES: Charlie Madigan #3 - KellyGay, UF, MPB, excellent

NIGHT OF THE LOVING DEAD: Pepper Martin Mystery #4 - Casey Daniels, paranormal cozy, MPB, super

PROVEN GUILTY: Dresden Files #8 - Jim Butcher, UF, BOCD, excellent

THE CULTIST - Mark Boss, suspense, e-book from the author, super

WITCH HUNT: Ophelia and Abby Mystery - Shirley Damsgaard, paranormal cozy, MPB, good

MIND OVER MURDER: A Raven's Nest Bookstore Mystery #1 - Allison Kingsley, paranormal cozy, MPB, good

I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM: A Mystery a la Mode #1 - Wendy Lyn Watson, cozy, MPB, good stuff

MIND YOUR OWN BEESWAX: A Queen Bee Mystery #2 - Hannah Reed, cozy, MPB, really good

BLEEDING HEARTS: China Bayles Mystery - Susan Wittig Albert, cozy, BOCD, good

MORTAR AND MURDER: A DIY Mystery #4 - Jennie Bentley, cozy, MPB, good stuff

DEATH BY THE DOZEN: A Cupcake Bakery Mystery #3 - Jenn McKinlay, cozy, MPB, super

PLEATING FOR MERCY: A Magical Dressmaking Mystery #1 - Melissa Bourbon, paranormal cozy, MPB, superb

DEAD OR ALIVE: Kevin Kerney #12 - Michael McGarrity, thriller, BOCD, excellent

Books this month: 10

Audio this month: 3

Total for the Month: 13

Total for the year to date: 125

Keepin' it Real on the Journey - 30 Nov 2011

2011-11-30T17:01:00.003-07:00

It's been a month since my last Weight Watchers meeting due to shift work and my Team Weight Loss sessions occurring at the same time as meeting times and me forgetting that there are other meeting times.....
Anyway, good news...even through the crazy month of November of my birthday and Thanksgiving, I still managed to lose 3.4 pounds and that puts me at 234.2 for a grand total of ten pounds down since getting back to my meetings and starting with Life Time Fitness.

Pedometer for the last seven days:

23 Nov 8440
24 Nov 5039
25 Nov 6898
26 Nov 7792
27 Nov 6590
28 Nov 7084
29 Nov 13339
30 Nov 14889

Naked to Dressed...Christmas tree that is...

2011-11-29T18:38:00.004-07:00

Take one basically naked Noble Fir

Add one table full of 30 years of collecting ornaments

And....ta-da!!!

We don't light our tree since the outlet in the foyer went phhhhht a few years ago. We found that we like it this way. We put lights on the railing and the holiday village pieces have lights, so we haven't gone totally Little House on the Prairie.

Books in the House Monday - 28 Nov 2011

2011-11-28T16:54:00.003-07:00

Books on the Nook:
HIRED GUNS – Mark Boss, thriller
HIGH TIDE – Ann Summerville, cozy
A SLICE OF MURDER: Pizza Lover’s Mystery #1 – Chris Cavender
TOO BIG TO MISS: Odelia Gray Mystery #1 – Sue Ann Jaffarian, cozy
A SCREAM OF ANGELS: The Templar Chronicles 32 – Josephe Nassise, UF
A TEAR IN THE SKY: the Templar Chronicles 33 – Joseph Nassise, UF
A KILLING TIDE – P J Alderman, suspense
CHOKE HOLD – Christa Faust, noir thriller

From Mary Ann in New Jersey:
HOLLY BLUES: A China Bayles Mystery - Susan Wittig Albert, amateur sleuth, HB

From Library Thing (http://www.librarything.com):
SWITCHED: A Trylle Novel - Amanda Hocking, YA fantasy, ARC

B&N to see hellah cool Jeanne Stein:
CROSSROADS: Anna Strong Novel #7 - Jeanne Stein, UF, MPB, signed by the author
TRICK OF THE LIGHT: A Trickster Novel #1 - Rob Thurman, UF, MPB
RETRIBUTION FALLS - Chris Wooding, fantasy, TPB

MIND OVER MURDER: A Raven's Nest Bookstore Mystery - Allison Kingsley

2011-11-28T14:16:00.006-07:00

From the back of the book: Cousins and best friends Clara and Stephanie Quinn run the Raven's Nest bookstore in quaint Finn's Harbor, Maine. It's where people go to find their most coveted reads, having no idea it's Clara who's reading their minds.....

For some time, all Clara Quinn wanted was to get away from Finn's Harbor---and her inherited abillity to see into the future and read people's thoughts, a trait her family calls the Quinn Sense. But Clara couldn't stay away for long, and soon she's helping her cousin, Stephanie Quinn Dowd, in her bookstore, the Raven's Nest.

The bookstore has made an enemy of the town crier, Ana Jordan, who's outraged by the store's occult collection and how it's poisoning the town's youth. Meanwhile, the store's number one employee, Molly, has made no secret of her anger over Ana's antics. So when Ana is found dead, killed by a bust of Edgar Allen Poe----sculpted by Molly---the evidence is stacked against her. Clara knows Molly and the the store are in trouble. Now she must rely on her gift to make sense of his senseless murder.....

****************************************

I mostly liked this cozy mystery. It meets the criteria of interesting characters, set in a town I wouldn't mind visiting, good-versus-whacked-in-the-cranium-mean, with the added bonus a tinge of paranormal.

One issue was that the whacked-in-the-cranium-mean person got whacked before I had a chance to really see why she was so mean and no one liked her.

The story was a little choppy, but I still wanted to find out what was going to happen next and see if it flowed any better as the book continued. It was blurbed by Yasmine Galenorn, one of my favorite authors, so I know it has promise and I will look for the next in the series.

Allison Kingsley is a pseudonym for Kate Kingsbury/Doreen Roberts/Rebecca Kent. http://www.doreenrobertshight.com/

Four voices in the cranium beans....

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-24T06:18:00.001-07:00

I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM: A Mystery A La Mode - Wendy Lyn Watson

2011-11-23T15:38:00.005-07:00

From the back of the book: Tallulah Jones, proprietor of Dalliance, Texas's old-fashioned ice-cream parlor, dishes up luscious ice cream that is simply to die for.....

Unfortunately, Remember the A-La-Mode's profits are melting faster than a snow cone in July---and Tally's stuck scooping sundaes for her two-timing ex-husband and his bodacious new girlfriend, Brittanie, at his company luau. To make matters worse, twenty years after she dumped him in the Tasty-Swirl parking lot, Tally's high school beau, Finn Harper, comes back to town---looking every bit as delicious as a double-dip raspberry mascarpone waffle cone.

The cherry on top? Brittanie drops dead, and Tally's suddenly the prime suspect in her murder investigation. To catch a killer, Tally will have to churn up Dalliance's darkest secrets and dip deep into the past. But can Tally freeze out the real culprit before a murder charge puts her dreams on ice for good?

************************************

I don't know what it is about mysteries or any of the books I've read set in the South that makes me happy. There can be humor, suspense, thrill, Gothic mystery, what-have-you.

Texas, especially, seems prime for crack-me-up humor and twisted wrong-doin's. I have heard a lot about this series and glad I finally have a couple of them on Mt Git'r'Read. The humorous analogies, colloquialisms, and the names could easily coast and go over the top and take over the mystery. Not this one.

Tally has to solve the mystery of the death of her ex-husband's hottie girlfriend or lose her business. That meets my requirement for how the main character gets involved in the mystery. Tally is sassy and funny and loyal to her friends and family, even her ex gets her loyalty where I'd have smacked him upside the cranium.

I look forward to reading more of this series. Check in with Wendy here: http://www.wendylynwatson.com/

Five Texas ice cream is awesome beans.....

WITCH HUNT: An Ophelia and Abby Mystery - Shirley Damsgaard

2011-11-23T14:50:00.004-07:00

From the back of the book:
Small-town librarian Ophelia Jensen is finally starting to embrace her lot as one of the "chosen"—a psychic and folk magick practitioner, a.k.a. a witch. Expert loving guidance from her magickally adept grandmother Abby helps—and adopting Tink, an exceptionally talented teenage medium, has given Ophelia's life new purpose . . . until a brutal murder clouds the sunshine of their days.
Ophelia's co-worker and best friend, Darci, is distraught when her cousin is implicated in the small Iowa town of Summerset's most recent murder—the violent death of a biker. Unfortunately for Darci's cousin, it's her fingerprints all over the murder weapon. She claims she's innocent, but it'll take Ophelia and Abby more than a good incantation or two to get to the bottom of this crime—what with ghosts, crooked cops, secret identities, and a small army of outlaw bikers thrown into this devil's brew.

******************************************

There's trouble brewing in Ophelia's neck of Iowa. A motorcycle gang has moved in and the cousin of Ophelia's best friend Darci has been accused of murdering one the gang. She can't remember a thing, but was found in a compromising situation. It's up to Ophelia to help clear the cousin's name.

There's a plethora of schtuff going on in this one: murder, Ouija boards, spirits, outlaw motorcycle gang and one of the gang in particular, Cobra, has pegged Ophelia to intimidate.

I enjoyed this fast moving paranormal amateur sleuth mystery as I have all in the series so far. I look forward to reading the rest of the series, any of those not read yet.

Five ghosts and motorcycle gang beans......

Out with the Old...

2011-11-21T14:30:00.005-07:00

DH and I will have our 10 year wedding anniversary in December. We decided to buck traditional gifts and get our new lighting we've both been wanting for the family room, breakfast nook, and dining room.

Above: Old lighting in the family room Above: New copper lighting in the family room
Above: Old 1984 fixture in the breakfast nook

Above: New and improved lighting and ceiling fan in the breakfast nookAbove: Old lighting in the dining room Above: My favorite of the bunch, the lighting over the dining room table

THE DEMON TRAPPER'S DAUGHTER - Jana Oliver

2011-11-21T08:59:00.005-07:00

From the back of the book: Riley Blackthorne just needs a chance to prove herself – and that’s exactly what the demons are counting on…
Seventeen-year-old Riley, the only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper, Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father's footsteps. The good news is, with human society seriously disrupted by economic upheaval and Lucifer increasing the number of demons in all major cities, Atlanta’s local Trappers’ Guild needs all the help they can get – even from a girl. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing crush on fellow apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving distressed citizens from foul-mouthed little devils – Grade One Hellspawn only, of course, per the strict rules of the Guild. Life’s about as normal as can be for the average demon-trapping teen.
But then a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood. And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, sudden tragedy strikes the Trappers’ Guild, spinning Riley down a more dangerous path than she ever could have imagined. As her whole world crashes down around her, who can Riley trust with her heart – and her life?

***************************************

YA paranormal can walk a fine line with story content and characters. It can go over the top or sound preachy or condescending. Or it can be one of the well-written versions and hit all cylinders.

DEMON TRAPPER'S DAUGHTER is one of those that has the coolest premise and hits all power cylinders.

Riley lives in the open world of paranormal creatures. Everyone knows about them. Necromancers raise the dead to work for the living and Riley's dad's grave has to be guarded after his death at the hands of demons. Demons who are working together, something that no one has ever seen before and no one believes has happened. But Riley saw it and needs to prove it.

She also has to keep her apprenticeship for the Demon Hunters Guild and that is in jeopardy now that her father is dead.

She guards her father's grave by night and hunts demons in the day as well as go to school as often as she can even though school is now held wherever it can in old Starbucks stores or grocery shops.

I loved this book and cannot wait to read the follow on in the series, SOUL THIEF.

Five can't wait to read the next one beans.....

FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT - Darynda Jones

2011-11-20T17:55:00.006-07:00

From the back of the book:
This whole grim reaper thing should have come with a manual. Or a diagram of some kind. A flow chart would have been nice.....

Charley Davidson is a part-time private investigator and full-time grim reaper. Meaning, she sees dead people. Really. And it’s her job to convince them to “go into the light.” But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (like murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she’s been having about an entity who has been following her all her life…and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely. But what does he want with Charley? And why can’t she seem to resist him? And what does she have to lose by giving in?

****************************

A funny, full of thrills book is this! I love Charley Davidson's character and how she handles the ups and downs of being a reaper. There are the dead she helps cross over, some are ready and some not so much. Three need her help with the why so they can move on.

Luckily, Charley is a PI as well as the reaper, so she has the mad skills to git'r'done.

There's a next door neighbor who is her bud, ghosts a plenty not ready to move on and love to mess with her.

There's also a mysterious entity who is invading her dreams and life.

I cannot wait to read the next in the series, SECOND GRAVE ON THE LEFT, to find out what's going to happen next.

Five sparkly I-want-those-shoes-on-the-cover diamonds.....

NIGHT OF THE LOVING DEAD: A Pepper Martin Mystery - Casey Daniels

2011-11-15T11:00:00.005-07:00

From the back of the book: Pepper Martin, heiress-turned-cemetery-tour-guide, has her hands full with work, two hotties, and the ghosts of who won't let her rest----or work, or shop---in peace....

The last thing Pepper wants during her Chicago business trip is more ghosts seeking her help, as they've been doing ever since she hit her head on a tombstone. Then again, being bored stiff during a seminar might actually be worse than being with bored stiffs.

The specter of Madeline---a young woman in a lab coat---wants Pepper's help. Before she died, Madeline worked with Dan Callahan, the sexy, mysterious doctor who once saved Pepper's life. According to Madeline, Dan's life is in danger. But, little does Pepper know, there's more to the story, including a devious doctor---and an obsessive, crazy love.....

*********************************

Pepper Martin is one of my favorite characters in a book. I can read the books in any order and laugh and empathize with Pepper as she goes through her travails as newly not-rich and with her ability to talk with the dead.

Casey had me at DON OF THE DEAD, the first in the series. Excellent titles and a superb premise.

Pepper has her hands full in this one. She gets to go on a business trip to Chicago for Garden View, the cemetery she works in. She even gets to give a speech, "Reactions to the Resurrectionists in the Planning and Design of the Urban Cemetery". You know Pepper's thrilled as all get out.

Pepper also has a new ghost on her hands and neither living or dead is happy about it. Madeline is as snooty in ghostliness as she must have been alive and Pepper can't stand her, but knows the only way to get rid of her is to help her move along into that light.

It's not an easy trip, but to tell more is to give away the book's story.

I can say I loved this one immensely. Perfectly funny and well told.

Five perfectly funny beans.....

Books in the House Monday - 14 Nov 2011

2011-11-14T01:19:00.001-07:00

Been a little while since I've done up the Books in the House and the stack is teetering:

From J's sister:
THE FIRE - Katherine Neville, mystery, HB

From Marie-Louise:
LE FREAK: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny - Nile Rodgers, autobiography, ARC
DEATH IN THE CITY OF LIGHT: The Serial Killer Of Nazi-Occupied Paris - David King, thriller, ARC

Scholastic order:
THE RED PYRAMID - Rick Riordan, YA fantasy, TPB

B&N order:
SANDMAN SLIM - Richard Kadrey, UF, MPB
PLEATING FOR MERCY: A Magical Dressmaking Mystery #1 - Melissa Bourbon, paranormal cozy, MPB

King Sooper:
FLIPPED OUT: A DIY Mystery - Jennie Bentley, cozy, MPB

Target:
MIND OVER MURDER: A Raven's Nest Bookstore Mystery #1 - Allison Kingsley, cozy, MPB

High Crimes Mystery Bookshop:
POISON PEN: A Claudia Rose Mystery - Sheila Lowe, forensic handwriting mystery, TPB
MIND YOUR OWN BEESWAX: : A Queen Bee Mystery #2 - Hannah Reed, cozy, MPB
COOKIE DOUGH OR DIE: A Cookie Cutter Shop Mystery #1 - Virginia Lowell, cozy, MPB
DEATH BYT THE DOZEN: A Cupcake Bakery Mystery #3 - Jenn McKinlay, cozy, MPB

In support of Carolyn Haines' Zinnia Store that allows her to help animals (http://www.carolynhaines.com):
T-shirt with a Jitty saying, "I be dead people" (read this superb series and you'll understand)

From Pamala, Our Lady of the Books:

TOMB WITH A VIEW: A Pepper Martin Myster - Casey Daniels
NIGHT OF THE LOVING DEAD: A Pepper Martin Mystery - Casey Daniels
CRUEL AND UNUSUAL INTUITION: A Karma Crime mystery - Claire Daniels
FINAL INTUITION - Claire Daniels
Death on the Lizard - Robin Paige
Death at Gallows Green - Robin Paige
Death at Devil's Bridge - Robin Paige
Death at Epsom Downs - Robin Paige
Death at Bishop's Keep - Robin Paige
Death at Glamis Castle - Robin Paige
Death at Hyde Park - Robin Paige
Death at Dartmoor - Robin Paige
Death at Daisy's Folly - Robin Paige
Death at Whitechapel - Robin Paige
Death at Roddingdean - Robin Paige
The Great Bridge - David McCullough, the epic story of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge
KATHERINE - Anya Seton
THE MIDNIGHT MAYOR - Kate Griffin, UF

THE CULTIST - Mark Boss

2011-11-11T16:16:00.004-07:00

From book overview on B&N:
The Cultist: How do you save a lost child no one believes exists?When young yet jaded hacker Takara Murakami meets 10-year-old Tyler online, she doubts the boy's story of escape from a cult group's mass suicide in the New Mexico wilderness. The police find no evidence of Tyler's existence and warn Takara it's a hoax, or worse, a trap.But the death of her younger brother in an earthquake years ago still haunts Takara. As Tyler's laptop computer dies and he loses communication with the outside world, Takara races from high-tech Tokyo to the rugged Gila National Forest to save him. However, cult leader Silas also tracks the boy, determined to kill the only surviving witness to his crime.Who will find Tyler first?

********************************

Tyler is a 10 year old boy whose family is caught up in the noose of a fanatic’s cult. Tyler escapes death and the fanatic. Now he is on his own in the New Mexico wilderness. His only aid comes from a woman in Tokyo, Japan via an online fantasy role playing game called Lair of the Hydra that is about to go defunct.
Time is running out for the boy. The woman, Takara, is doing all she can even though she is half a world away from this boy she knows nothing about except his role playing character. It could be a hoax, but she doesn’t want to take that chance and have anything happen to this boy.
Silas, the cultist, is searching for Tyler. He's the only witness to Silas's evil act of murder.
Tyler is hungry, thirsty, lost and trying to keep out of the reach of the crazed fanatic, Silas. I heartily admired Tyler’s intestinal fortitude in figuring things out as he went. He’s seen Animal Planet and read, so he knew some things about his location and how to survive. The rest he figures out as he goes. He didn’t whine or whimper, he just kept going, doing his best to escape the fate he knows he’ll meet if Silas caught up to him.
I also highly admired Takara for coming to Tyler’s aid when she realized he was indeed in danger. And Tak’s friends, Jiro and Shoda, for all that they did to help. It took a huge leap of faith to go through all that they did.

Mark Boss commented on one of my reviews a month or so ago and asked if I'd be interested in reading and reviewing one of his books. I looked him up and immediately sent him an email saying I'd love to. I love when authors ask if I'd like to read one of their books. I like finding new-to-me authors and adding to the WWBL. I look forward to reading everything else he writes.

Look for Mark here: http://www.chimpwithpencil.com/

Five intestinal fortitude beans....

October 2011 Book Journal

2011-11-09T18:30:00.004-07:00

DEATH AT DEVIL'S BRIDGE: A Victorian Mystery - Robin Paige, cozy, MPB, good

THE DIVA HAUNTS THE HOUSE: A Domestic Diva Mystery - Krista Davis, cozy, MPB, good

BEYOND DELICIOUS: The Ghost Whisperer's Cookbook - Mary Ann Winkowski & David Powers, cookbook, ARC from Library Thing, good

GHOST A LA MODE: A Ghost of Granny Apples Mystery #1 - Sue Ann Jaffarian, paranormal cozy, TPB, excellent

THE RESTORER: The Graveyard Queen #1 - Amanda Stevens, supernatural thriller, TPB, excellent

A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES - Deborah Harkness, supernatural, BOCD, good

FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT: A Charlie Davidson Mystery - Darynda Jones, UF, TPB, excellent

AT GRAVE'S END: A Night Huntress Novel #4 - Jeaniene Frost, UF, MPB, excellent

GHOST SHIP: A Port Chatham Mystery #2 - P J Alderman, MPB, paranormal mystery, excellent

FIRST DROP OF CRIMSON - Jeaniene Frost, UF/romance, MPB, good

THE DEMON TRAPPER'S DAUGHTER - Jana Oliver, UF, TPB, good

Books: 11
Audio: 1
Month: 12
YTD: 112

THE HOUR OF DUST AND ASHES - Kelly Gay

2011-11-08T17:49:00.008-07:00

From the back of the book: To save her sister, she must stop a silent killer......

Protecting Atlanta from the off-world criminals of Underground is tough enough, but now Detective Charlie Madigan and her siren partner, Hank, learn that the addicts of the off-world drug 'ash' have begun taking their own lives. 'Ash' makes humans the perfect vessels for possession, and something or someone is leading them to their deaths. Charlie is desperate to save her addicted sister, Bryn, from a similar fate. As New Year's Eve approaches and time runs out, Charlie makes a deadly bargain with an ancient race of beings and embarks on a dangerous journey into hellish Charbydon with Hank and the Revenant Rex to save Bryn and make it back before it's too late. Only, for one of them, coming home means facing a fate worse than death....
*******************************
This is one of my favorite UF series. It has grit, action, chemistry between the characters, fae world, Hell and Heaven creatures, just about everything for the perfect story.

THE HOUR OF DUST AND ASHES had me claustrophobic, tense, happy, sad, a super mix of emotions that had me turning the pages in the need to find out what was going to happen next with Kelly Gay's excellent pacing.

I know the story was mostly about Bryn's addiciton to 'ash', the off-world drug, and Charlie trying to get her off of the drug and keeping her safe, but the fascinating aspect of the book for me was learning more about Hank, Charlie's partner. He's always been easy-going, hottie, funny and action-oriented in the first two books and the reader gets more of Hank's background and it is fascinating. And now I can't wait to read book four in the series, whenever it comes out.

Visit Kelly at http://www.kellygay.com/

Five c'mon Kelly write faster please beans.....

FIRST DROP OF CRIMSON: A Night Huntress World Novel - Jeaniene Frost

2011-11-05T15:29:00.006-06:00

From the back of the book: From the New York Times bestselling author of the Night Huntress series comes a breathtaking new journey to the dark side of desire.

The night is not safe for mortals. Denise MacGregor knows all too well what lurks in the shadows---her best friend is half-vampire Cat Crawfield---and she has already lost more than the average human could bear. But her family's past is wrapped in secrets and shrouded in darkness---and a demon shapeshifter has marked Denise as prey. Now her survival depends on an immortal who lusts for a taste of her.

He is Spade, a powerful, mysterious vampire who has walked the earth for centuries and is now duty-bound to protect this endangered, alluring human----even if it means destroying his own kind. Denise may arouse his deepest hungers, but Spade knows he must fight his urge to have her as they face the nightmare together...

Because once the first drop of crimson falls, they will both be lost.

*************************************

I was so into reading about Cat and Bones, that I grabbed up this one from Mt Git'r'Read after finishing AT GRAVE'S END and started in. Another one that was a quick read-in-one-sitting story. A little more of the hottie action between the sheets than on the streets, but still good. And I kind of figured that would be the case from the 'come bite me, you hottie hunka glowy-eyed creature of the night' cover.

I really liked Denise's spitfire demeanor. Her husband was killed in a supernatural fight, her family is under attack from a demon and she is demon-marked to keep her in line while she searches for an ancestor who escaped the demon.

Through all of this, Denise fights back. She enlists the aid of Spade, who she remembers from the supernatural fight a year ago. She doesn't know that Spade remembers her rather fondly too and is willing to help out however he can.

The chemistry is pretty fiery and interesting to watch. They work well together, even while fighting the attraction.

I'll keep reading this series as well as the Night Huntress series since Jeaniene Frost mixes it up with characters, dialogue and action (street and sheet).

Five fiery beans......

AT GRAVE'S END: A Night Huntress Novel - Jeaniene Frost

2011-11-05T14:40:00.005-06:00

From the back of the book: Some things won't stay buried....at grave's end...

It should be the best time of half-vampire Cat Crawfield's life. With her undead lover Bones at her side, she's successfully protected mortals from the rogue undead. But though Cat's worn disguise after disguise to keep her true identity a secret from the brazen bloodsuckers, her cover's finally been blown, placing her in terrible danger.

As if that wasn't enough, a woman from Bones's past is determined to bury him once and for all. Caught in the crosshairs of a vengeful vamp, yet determined to help Bones stop a lethal magic from being unleashed, Cat's about to learn the true meaning of bad blood. And the tricks she's learned as a special agent won't help her. She will need to fully embrace her vampire instincts in order to save herself---and Bones---from a fate worse than the grave.

**************************************

Usually I run in the other direction when I see anything in the back cover description "..with her undead lover...", but I make exceptions when it comes to Bones and Cat as written by Jeaniene Frost. This series is more urban fantasy than paranormal romance, so more action on the streets and only some between the sheets.

Cat is working on her hybrid half human/half vampire and working with the government's paranormal unit. She also has a friend who wishes for more even though said friend knows Cat's with Bones.

And, yummy, the reader gets to hang with Spade, Mencheres and Ian, part of Bones's past. Everyone works together to beat back the big bad, each in their own way. Some are serious, some are smartass, all get the job done.

I dig when I remember why I loved a series in the beginning after finding one on the back of Mt Git'r'Read and getting the chance to read it in practically one sitting since it's just so damned good. Night Huntress series is one of those for me.

Five damned good beans.....

GHOST SHIP: A Port Chatham Mystery - P J Alderman

2011-11-03T13:21:00.004-06:00

From the back of the book: RITA-nominated author P J Alderman's delightful new mystery series blends haunting ghosts with hunting criminals as therapist Jordan Marsh dives deep into the past to solve a modern murder.

A recent transplant to Washington State's charming seaside town of Port Chatham, Jordan is still getting used to sharing her slightly run-down but historic lodging with ghosts. As if living with the long-deceased isn't enough of a challenge, she's just found a corpse: The town's notorious womanizer Holt Stillwell is lying on the beach with a bullet in his head.

Before Jordan can reel in a suspect, another victim surfaces. And this one isn't taking murder lying down. Holt's ancestor Michael Seavey, the Pacific Northwest's most infamous shanghaier, has materialized in Jordan's house, seeking to solve his own death in a suspicious shipwreck in 1893. With two murders to solve and a killer on the loose, Jordan faces yet another equally terrifying prospect: her growing attraction to the very alive and criminally attractive pub owner Jase Cunningham.

*****************************************

Port Chatham is one of those towns so well-drawn in a book that I want to move there immediately. I want to live in Jordan's neighborhood. Heck, I want to live her ghosted-up house.

GHOST SHIP is the second in the Port Chatham Mystery series and set more in the present day than the first, HAUNTING JORDAN http://iyamvixenbooks.blogspot.com/2011/05/haunting-jordan-port-chatham-mystery-p.html. There are two mysteries going on, one in the past and one in the present, but the one set in the present seemed more predominant. Which meant more time with ghost whispererJordan, hottie pub owner/lawyerJase, police chief Darcy and the ghosts of sisters Hattie and Charlotte.

I like how the townspeople of Port Chatham accept Jordan's newfound ability to see and talk to ghosts. They all wish they could do the same. Jordan only has to accept it herself and not live in denial or try to hide her ability. She does feel compelled to solve the past and present murders or she'll have problems with the extra ghosts who keep appearing in her life.

The books in the series are thicker than your average paranormal amateur sleuth/cozy mystery. That's not a bad thing, by any means. It's that much more to enjoy of this superb series.

Five superb bigger than normal beans....

All Hail The Spider Queen

2011-11-01T19:58:00.003-06:00

Lady K was The Spider Queen this year for Halloween. Her scepter is one of DH's walking sticks with two big ol' sparkly spiders rubberbanded to it. And we attached little spiders to one of her tiaras for her royal crown. We had a good time putting it all together and trying to figure out how to get her blonde hair tucked under the black wig...not exactly successful, but we had fun.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T06:00:00.001-06:00

Happy Halloween! I hope yours is a spooky good one!

GHOST A LA MODE: A Ghost of Granny Apples Mystery - Sue Ann Jaffarian

2011-10-28T13:50:00.004-06:00

From the back of the book: Rotten to the core or the apple of his eye?

Granny was famous for her award-winning apple pies---and notorious for murdering her husband, Jacob, at their homestead in Julian, California. The only trouble is, Granny was framed, then murdered. For more than one hundred years, Granny's spirit has been searching for someone to help her see that justice is served---and she hits pay dirt when she pops in on a seance attended by her great-great-great granddaughter, modern-day divorced mom Emma Whitecastle. Together, Emma and Granny Apples solve mysteries of the past---starting with Granny's own unjust murder rap in the final days of the California Gold Rush.

Along with a sprinkling of history, this spirited new mystery series features the amateur sleuth team of Emma Whitecastle and the spirit of her pie-baking great-great-great granmother, Granny Apples.

***************************************

I loved this book! I had so much fun reading about Emma and her finding her ability to hear and see ghosts with the help of Granny Apples.

All the excellent ingredients that I love in a book, good history lesson, a weensy start at a possible romance for the main character who really isn't looking for any kind of entanglement due to the poopcranium ex-husband. And an excellent mystery to solve.

There's humor, danger, suspense, and ghosts...it's all good and I cannot wait to read the next in the series, GHOST IN THE POLKA DOT BIKINI.

Five ghostly sparkly diamonds.....

Well Rounded Activity for a Less Rounded Me - Week 2

2011-10-28T12:42:00.003-06:00

Week 2 of Weight Watchers and Life Time Fitness/Team Weight Loss. Three days of Team Weight Loss which is about 75 minutes of powered up treadmill time, one day of weight training, and a .4 lb weight loss to be at 236.8 lbs. I'll take it. I feel better, my butt and legs are feeling worked. My chest and back are a little tweaked from yesterday's weight training. I look forward to doing this twice a week for now.

Steps on the pedometer:
Fri - 21 Oct - 14278
Sat - 22 Oct - 5694
Sun - 23 Oct - 5519
Mon - 24 Oct - 16459
Tues - 25 Oct - 7670
Wed - 26 Oct - 16229
Thurs - 27 Oct - 15966
Fri - 28 Oct - 13423 (so far today)

Having Bailey in the house has helped, too. Twice a day or more walks with a frisky pup is excellent.

Meet Bailey, the Newest Addition to the Clan

2011-10-27T08:21:00.004-06:00

Meet Bailey, a two-year-old GoldenDoodle. We found out about her online from a couple who moved into a smaller townhouse without a back lawn for her to play in. They were looking for a family with a big back yard and maybe a young'n to hang to keep up with Bailey. We most definitely fit that bill.
So we met at the halfway point between our house and Monument and Bailey traded families. We received her permanent kennel, her portable kennel, her food, her toys, leash, blankets and Bailey.
Bailey has settled in pretty well once the initial excitement of discovering her new home. Up and down the stairs, down to the mancave where her kennel will be when we are out of the house.
She slept in Lady K's room and did pretty well. She's housetrained and did her business outside when Lady K got up once in the night. That was the only time she's barked since arriving. She went down to the back door and, seeing we weren't coming down too, barked to let us know she'd like to use the facilities please.
She walked with me to take Lady K to school this morning and then we trotted around the lake. She loves the snow and I saw her retriever mode come out when she saw the ducks, coots, and geese swimming about. She was ready to go get 'em.
We are super lucky to get her.

First Snow of Fall 2011

2011-10-26T15:16:00.004-06:00

Glad we got some in from the woodpile before this hit

No sitting here for a while...

The front of the house...lots of shovelling...
Poor farmer guy....

The skeleton under the tree...and snow...

Those would be skeletal hands reaching out of the snow in the front (c'mon! It's Halloween decs!)

HEXES AND HEMLINES: A Witchcraft Mystery - Juliet Blackwell

2011-10-25T08:27:00.004-06:00

From the back of the book: With her vintage clothing store taking off, Lily Ivory is finding that life in San Francisco suits her just fine. But her ability to sense vibrations from the past, so useful in locating secondhand gems, has landed her in themiddle of a new mystery....

Lily gets called away from Aunt Cora's Closet when the police need a witch's take on a strange case. Malachi Zazi was stabbed to death in his apartment, under a ladder, surrounded by the number thirteen, a broken mirror, and a black cat----superstitions that the victim, as head of a rationalist society, was devoted to discrediting.

When the police identify a suspect from the Serpentarian Society, Lily is shocked to learn it's someone she knows. But with bad luck plaguing all the members, she begins to wonder if there's more at work than mere coincidence. And while there aren't many clues from the crime scene, Lily finds evidence of dark witchcraft and a hex on her friend's doorstep. With her friend's safety at stake, Lily is determined to use magic to find the murderer before everyone's luck runs out.....

**********************************

This is such an excellent paranormal cozy series. I love Lily and would love to be friends with her, Bronwyn, would love to at least look at Aidan Rhodes, and definitely hang with Oscar, who is Lily's familiar. And to shop in Aunt Cora's Closet would be suh-weeeet!

The mixture of light-hearted and grim has the right touch for a reader to stay up late and keep turning those pages into the night to see what's going to happen next.

Lily is learning to love having friends, something she didn't have much of growing up in her suspicious Texas town. When her friend Bronwyn starts acting completely opposite her sunny warm welcoming self, Lily wants to help. I like that Juliet Blackwell has Lily learning how to be a friend and we get to see it.

Lily is also learning more about her abilities and she knows she has more to experience. Much as she isn't happy about it, she knows that Aidan Rhodes is going to be instrumental in her growth. That is a heckuva cool cliffhanger to make this reader want the next book ASAP. Okay, Juliet, please write faster!

Five please write faster beans.....

Keepin' it Honest on the Journey

2011-10-20T10:25:00.005-06:00

Joined Life Time Fitness this morning and down 7 pounds per yesterday's WI at WW meeting.

I am on my way on this long journey.

THE DIVA HAUNTS THE HOUSE: A Domestic Diva Mystery - Krista Davis

2011-10-19T16:34:00.004-06:00

From the back of the book: This Halloween, a murderer is up to mischief.....

Domestic diva Sophie Winston is getting into the holiday spirit, and her decorations for a community haunted house are so good, it's scary. Not to be outdone, rival domestic diva Natasha is throwing a spooktacular Halloween party at her house. But when Sophie arrives, she discovers one of Natasha's guests dead in a hair-raising Halloween display, and a pale, fanged partygoer fleeing the scene.

The cause of death is not immediately apparent, but the victim does have two puncture wounds on his neck. While Sophie's boyfriend, homicide detective Wolf, investigates, rumors start flying faster than witches on broomsticks. Could the killer be a real vampire---the same one rumored to have lived in Sophie's haunted house back when it was a boardinghouse? Good thing a domestic diva never runs out of garlic......

********************************

I get hungry and amazed each time I read a foodie cozy, but especially this series. There is always an occasion to pull out the themed food or meal or flatware/plate/napkin/table runner. I wonder where Sophie gets the time to prep all of these goodies and where the heck she keeps all of the holiday themed dishware. Sometimes this distracts me from what's going on in the story. I know it's likely that I am the only who notices this or is bothered, but there it is.

It is a fun series and I like watching Sophie and Natasha tangle. I'd kick Natasha to the curb, but she's with Sophie's ex, Mars, who Sophie still likes as a friend and Mars comes over to escape the foo-foo life that is Sophie.

The haunted house that Sophie and the kids are working on is pretty cool, the mystery is decent, the food and recipes are gonzo, so all the way around a pretty good book.

Four haunted house beans......

Jaye Wells Has Declared October is International Urban Fantasy Month!!!

2011-10-18T12:21:00.003-06:00

Huzzah!! Jaye Wells has declared that October is International Urban Fantasy Month!!! One can write a love letter to UF or an ode or why one loves UF on their blog. Or you can go to Jaye's websitehttp://jayewells.com/2011/10/18/urban-fantasy-month-contest/ and let her know in the comments.

There are fabu prizes out the ying-yang, of course. A buncha buncha books from various and sundry UF authors.

So get thee over there and make your UF mark.

************************************

My love letter to UF:

I cannot think how long it's been that I have enjoyed the many flavors of Urban Fantasy. Some of it is grim, some humorous, main characters are vampire, shifter, witch, wizard or just plain ol' have a calling that is a legacy of ass-kicking.

One day I will have to make a list of authors and books of all of the Urban Fantasy I have read and loved.

Authors from the top of my cranium:

Devon Monk http://www.devonmonk.com/

Caitlin Kittredgehttp://www.caitlinkittredge.com/

Jim Butcher http://www.jim-butcher.com/

Jaye Wells http://jayewells.com/

Jeri Smith-Ready http://www.jerismithready.com/

Kat Richardson http://katrichardson.com/

Kevin Hearne http://www.kevinhearne.com/

Kelley Armstrong http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/

Kalayna Price http://www.kalayna.com/

Richelle Mead http://www.richellemead.com/

Charlaine Harris http://www.charlaineharris.com/

Rachel Caine http://www.rachelcaine.com

Rocket City Rednecks-Newest Guilty Pleasure on TV

2011-10-16T18:19:00.005-06:00

I admit to a fascination with Rocket City Rednecks on National Geographic. This is one of my favorite channels, along with Discovery Channel, Cooking Channel, TNT and USA for neat new shows.
RCR is an outstanding addition to my TV/DVR shows. I've no idea how long this show has been on, but I am so very glad to have finally found it.
The show is based on the scientific redneck activity of five Southern Gentlemen (which is one of their S trilogy of rules)
From National Geographic channel site: "Meet the self-proclaimed Rocket City Rednecks. They’re five “backwoods” guys from the rocket city: Huntsville, Alabama, home to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and the birthplace of the U.S. space program. Sure, they love to shoot stuff and drink beer, and one of ’em lives in a trailer, but with a family tree full of NASA rocket scientists (not to mention their own PhDs and advanced degrees), they aim a little higher—like using homemade moonshine to fuel a rocket! In each episode, we'll see how they apply redneck ingenuity with advanced engineering and physics to creatively solve real-world problems... and have a little fun, of course!"

Watching this show reminds me of one of DH's (my own Rocket Redneck) favorite sayings, "Just because I talk slow, doesn't mean I am slow." Would that the rocket scientists where I work were as hellah cool as these five and their friends.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/rocket-city-rednecks/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rocket-City-Rednecks/282578225104180?ref=ts&sk=wall

THE RESTORER: The Graveyard Queen Book One - Amanda Stevens

2011-10-15T17:36:00.005-06:00

From the back of the book: Never acknowledge the dead. Never stray far from hallowed ground. Never get close to the haunted. Never, EVER tempt fate.

My father's rules. I've never broken them ........until now.

My name is Amelia Gray. I'm a cemetary restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I've always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe.

It started with the discovery of a young woman's brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I've been hired to restore. The clues to the killer---and to his other victims--- lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret.

Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I've vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.

*******************************

Understand that I am way behind on my book reviews. I still have a couple from September to do yet. Time has gotten away from me with visits from fam, shift work, life schtuff in general.

That said, I had to share my thoughts on this outstanding latest book I've read from one of my favorite authors, Amanda Stevens. I've read THE WHISPERING ROOM ( http://iyamvixenbooks.blogspot.com/2009/05/whispering-room-amanda-stevens.html), THE DOLLMAKER
(http://iyamvixenbooks.blogspot.com/2009/05/whispering-room-amanda-stevens.html)

and THE DEVIL'S FOOTSTEPS
(http://iyamvixenbooks.blogspot.com/2008/03/devils-footsteps-amanda-stevens.html)

All of these scared the bejeezus out of me, but THE RESTORER had me making it my purse book instead of my bedside book after the wake-up-looking-under-the-bed dream I had one night. *shudder*

This is not a gore-fest kind of scary, it's a tremendously Southern Gothic dark atmospheric style book. Amanda Stevens writes fab atmosphere. I could feel the heat and humidity as Amelia worked her way through Oak Grove Cemetery and could almost smell the magnolia.

The ghost lore is unique. Amelia has a set of rules she lives by as given her by her father. These are not friendly ghosts who only want to share space on this earthly plane.

Nope, these spirits are like psychic vampires, draining the energy of whoever they attach themselves to. So Amelia makes sure she doesn't acknowledge them in any way or she'd have a host of them around her at all times.

There are secrets still to be revealed. There's the police detective Amelia is helping and is strongly attracted to. Devlin is the perfect Southern Gothic male protagonist. Brooding, haunted, gruff, appealing....

Amelia and her family have their secrets they keep, too.

I am very glad that this is a trilogy or a series. And I hear tell that a television network is highly intrigued with the series......

Visit Amanda http://www.amandastevens.com/ and on http://www.facebook.com/#!/amandastevensbooks Read her books. The covers alone are excellent, let alone the story she weaves.

A big bowl of leave-the-light-on-when-you-read-this diamonds......

DEATH AT DEVIL'S BRIDGE: A Victorian Mystery - Robin Paige

2011-10-13T14:11:00.004-06:00

From the back of the book: Together they solved the murders at the Countess of Warwick's weekend house.....and together they fell in love. Now newlyweds Charles and Kate Sheridan have moved into Kate's ancestral Georgian home Bishop's Keep, where Kate plans to devote herself to her writing and Charles to the responsibilities of the landed gentry. He agrees to host an automobile exhibition and balloon race at Bishop's Keep attended by Europe's foremost investors, among them the young Mr Charles Rolls and Henry Royce.

But speed, competition, and money prove to be more explosive than gasoline---and for one automobile builder, more deadly....

Sir Charles Sheridan is a renowned photographer, amateur scientist, and a skilled detective. Kate Ardleigh is his Irish-American wife and a writer of crime fiction. Together, they are unraveling Victorian England's most intriguing and unusual mysteries.....

*******************************

You know I love my cozies however I can get them. So long as they are well written, I don't care what they are about or what time they are set.

I especially like when I get to 'meet' people of history. Like this one where Charles Rolls and Henry Royce are side characters (and might be murder suspects).

The book is set in a time of change. Automobiles are making a showing and life rather miserable for the people who don't necessarily want change. All the people who own stables, feedstores, blacksmiths, wagon and carriage makers..you get the idea. There are plenty of folk who like it quiet and the automobiles are loud and the drivers race about at over 15 mph!

Plenty of suspects to study, lots of history to watch unfold. A highly enjoyable mystery.

I've wanted to read this series by the writing team of Susan Wittig Albert and her husband Bill Fourth, for some time. One of my friends sent this one to me and it has whetted my appetite for more...which are on the way from one of my favorite online used booksellers. I plan on starting at the beginning if possible.

Four Victorian beans.....

Wednesday Wanton Wantin' Book List

2011-10-12T15:05:00.003-06:00

~THE BROKEN TEAGLASS - Emily Arsenault, suspense

~IN THE FORESTS OF THE NIGHT: Den of Shadows Book One - Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, paranormal

~MISS DIMPLE DISAPPEARS - Mignon Ballard, cozy set in WWII, TPB

~MUST LOVE LYCANS: A Broken Heart Oklahoma Vampire Mystery - Michele Bardsley, paranormal-romance mystery

~QUICKSTEP TO MURDER - Ella Barrick, cozy

~THE SHAPE OF WATER: Inspector Montalbanco #1 - Andrea Camilleri, suspense

~THE POTTER'S FIELD: Inspector Montalbanco #14 - Andrea Camilleri, suspense

~SHELTER - Harlan Coben, YA suspense

~COUP d'ETAT - Ben Coes, second in suspense series, looking for the first

~WILD, WILD DEATH: Pepper Martin #6 - Casey Daniels, paranormal cozy

~BRYANT & MAY OFF THE RAILS - Christopher Fowler, 8th in series, looking for first in series, suspense

~BLOOD ROCK: Skindancer Book Two - Anthony Francis, UF

~THE LAKE OF DEAD LANGUAGES - Carol Goodman, thriller

~GHOST IN THE POLKA DOT BIKINI: Ghost of Granny Apples Mystery #2 - Sue Anne Jaffarian, paranormal cozy

~BLOOD AND GUITARS - Heather Jensen, UF, TPB

~DARKNESS BECOMES HER - Kelly Keaton, YA paranormal

~SHADOW BOUND - Erin Kellison, UF

~SHADOW MAN - Erin Kellison, UF

~SLEIGHT OF PAW: Magical Cats Mystery #2 - Sofie Kelly, cozy

~THE TRAITOR'S WIFE - Kathleen Kent, colonial Massachusetts suspense

~DEATH IN A DIFFICULT POSITION: Mantra for Murder #4 - Diana Killian, cozy

~MIND OVER MURDER: A Raven's Nest Mystery #1 - Allison Kingsley, cozy

~POISON PEN: A Forensic Handwriting Mystery #1 - Sheila Lowe, cozy

~COOKIE DOUGH OR DIE: Cookie Cutter Shop Mystery #1 - Virginia Lowell, cozy

~LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA - Scott Lynch, fantasy

~EMPIRE OF GOLD - Andy McDermott, archeological thriller

~DEATH BY THE DOZEN: Cupcake Bakery Mystery #3 - Jenn McKinlay, cozy

~DUE OR DIE: A Library Lover's Mystery #2 - Jenn McKinlay, cozy

BUTTON HOLED: Button Box Mystery - Kylie Logan

2011-10-11T18:00:00.004-06:00

From the back of the book: In a big-picture world, it's the little things that appeal to button dealer Josie Giancola. There's history in every button. There's art, and craft, and style. There might be clues to murder, too.

Working out of her button shop in a Chicago brownstone, Josie Giancola has quietly become one of the country's leading experts on buttons---antique buttons, jeweled buttons, artistic buttons. Her reputation draws a Hollywood starlet to the Button Box to shop for one-of-a-kind buttons for her made-to-order wedding gown.

But after the Button Box is ransacked and the actress is murdered, Josie's cozy world is thrown into chaos. Homicide detective Nevin Riley is looking to her for clues, starting with the murder weapon---an antique buttonhook. But a killer has other ideas, likekeeping Josie's lips buttoned up....permanently.

Includes tips on antique button collecting!!
***********************************

Here's what I adore about reading cozy mysteries, I learn something new in each one. It's either the niftiness of owning a cupcake bakery or managing a fab New York coffeeshop or making quilts or owning a bookstore, running a library or solving crimes with two Siamese cats.

BUTTON HOLED is a new one on me. Josie Giancola is a bit of a nerd for buttons, all kinds of buttons. And she has a button shop. She knows the walk-in clientele might be limited, but she has a healthy online button business, too.

One of her walk-in clients is movie star (and major league not-nice-person),

Kate Franciscus, who demands the best of Josie's specialty buttons for her one-of-a-kind wedding dress for her upcoming wedding to uber wealthy Prince Roland.

Then Kate ends up dead in the Button Box and it's up to Josie to help solve the case so she can get her buttons back in order and her life back to mellow.

Excellent characters abound through the book. Along with Josie, there's the crusty retired cop, the schmoozy ex-husband, and the hottie detective. Add in the new-to-me button collecting gig and it's a winner all the way around.

Five win-win buttons beans....

HARD MAGIC: Book One Paranormal Scene Investigations - Laura Anne Gilman

2011-10-10T16:38:00.004-06:00

From the back of the book: Welcome to PUPI: Private, Unaffiliated, Paranormal Investigations

A handpicked team trained to solve crimes the regular police can't touch---crimes of magic.

My name's Bonnie Torres. Recent college grad, magic user and severely unemployed. Until I got a call out of nowhere to interview for a job I hadn't applied for. It smelled fishy, but the brutal truth was I needed the work---so off I went.

Two days later I'm a PUPI--me and Nick, Sharon, Nifty and Pietr. Five twentysomethings, thrown into an entirely new career in forensic magic.

The first job we get is a doozy: proving that the deaths of two Talents were murder, not suicide. Worse, there are high-profile people who want us to close up shop and go away. We're sniffing out things they'd rather keep buried.

Looks as if this job is gonna get interesting. The only problem is, we're making it up as we go along.....

*************************

HARD MAGIC is a highly cool mixture of what it would be like watching a hybrid episode of CSI and Supernatural.

This newly minted team is given the task of investigating crimes against magic-using beings by using magic. Magic users are called Talents and use the current, or magical energy, that flows through all things. This can cause issue since it runs along-side electrical current and the two don't exactly get along. Think disposable cell phones a must.

There's also the issue of the two types of Talent, the Council and the Lonejacks. Council is the sort of governing group of the magic users and the Lonejacks are the loners, non-team players. The two types of Talent don't always get along. And the team is made up of Lonejacks and the people reluctantly coming to ask for help are Council. Oil and water.

There are people trying to stop the team's investigation and formation. Dangerous people using magic and non-magic means to stop them.

I think what I enjoyed the most was how the magic use was explained as rather non-mystical. It's explained as a fact of life and as real as science.

I look forward to the rest of this series and, really, anything Laura Anne Gilman writes. I've read STAYING DEAD: The Retrievers Book One in the past (http://iyamvixenbooks.blogspot.com/2009/09/staying-dead-retrievers-book-1-laura.html) and highly enjoyed it. I can definitely recommend both series based on just the first book in each one.

http://www.lauraannegilman.net/blog/

Five highly excellent Talent beans.....

Books in the House Monday - 10 OCT 2011

2011-10-10T08:04:00.004-06:00

It's been a couple of weeks since I've been able to post what all's been rolling in either through the mail from orders or friends or wins or even a trip to the ye olde B&N. Here goes...

B&N online order:
~CEMETERY GIRL - David Bell, thriller, TPB
http://www.davidbellnovels.com/
~WELL OF SORROWS - Benjamin Tate, fantasy, MPB
http://www.sff.net/people/benjamintate/
~THE SKEWED THRONE: Book One of the Throne of Amenkor - Joshua Palmatier, fantasy, MPB
http://www.sff.net/people/jpalmatier/

B&N shopping trip cuz I had a coupon (that's my story):
~SINS OF THE ANGELS: The Grigori Legacy Book One - Linda Poitevin, UF, MPB
http://www.lindapoitevin.com/
~GHOST A LA MODE: A Ghost of Granny Apples Mystery #1 - Sue Ann Jaffarian, paranormal cozy, TPB
http://sueannjaffarian.blogspot.com/

Library Thing for September win (http://www.librarything.com):
~BEYOND DELICIOUS: The Ghost Whisperer's Cookbook - Mary Ann Winkowski and David Powers
http://www.maryannwinkowski.com/

From the author via Dark Faerie Tales (http://darkfaerietales.com/) contest:
ISLE OF NIGHT: The Watchers Book One - Veronica Wolff, YA paranormal romance, signed and she included some bookmarks (awesome!)
http://www.veronicawolff.com/

From Kat Richardson (http://katrichardson.com/):
~a signed bookplate, "Return to my minion"
~ two very cool bookcards

From Jenna (http://imzadidragonfly.blogspot.com/):
~DEAD IRON: The Age of Steam Book One - Devon Monk, signed, steampunk, TPB
http://www.devonmonk.com/

~DOWNPOUR: Greywalker # 6 - Kat Richardson, signed, UF, HB
http://katrichardson.com/

~the coolest T-shirt ever for The President's Vampire
http://chrisfarnsworth.com/

From Dad, extra bennies from his visits:
THE POACHER'S SON - Paul Doiron, thriller, TPB
THINK OF A NUMBER - John Verdon, thriller, MPB
HEAT LIGHTNING - John Sandford, suspense, MPB
THEY'RE WATCHING - Gregg Hurwitz, thriller, MPB
THE PARIS VENDETTA - Steve Berry, suspense, MPB
THE WRONG SIDE OF DEAD - Jordan Dane, thriller, MPB

Blooms on Sunday - 9 OCT 2011 - A Trip to the Denver Botanic Garden

2011-10-09T08:25:00.006-06:00

I took my dad to the Denver Botanic Garden earlier this past week. Neither of us had been in the longest time and knew it was time for a visit much as we both love playing in the dirt. It has grown! It's always been gorgeous, but it is even more so now. And it's logistically easier to access with better parking and more pathways. Dad and I spent over three hours meandering and wandering the paths, getting ideas, adding to the list of plants we want.
If you find yourself in the area, please visit the Denver Botanic Garden at 1007 York St. http://www.botanicgardens.org/ Stalking the butterfly on the plentiful asters

I want this gorgeous rustic Southwestern style shelter in my back garden

I am planting masses of this gomphrena next year...pinks, whites, and this strawberry hued one

I became fascinated with this bloom. The stalks towered over our heads, the blooms looking like something out of a Dr Seuss illustration...Found out it's called Giant Lion's Ear..I am searching for a source to get it added to my garden

We never did find out what this South African plant was...it looked a school of puffer fish...and I want one! I heard from Shelly at Garden Country that I can send this pic to the Botanic Garden and they will be more than happy to identify it for me

A highly probable project to attempt soon....not quite as ambitious as this one in one shade garden area...the entire path was paved with on-edge black pebbles, about 25 feet or so. I think I will start small like a paving stone or so....off to start collecting pebbles....

This is just one patch of asters among the masses of gorgeous purple blooms....I think if you click on the pic, you can see the gazillion bees that were happily buzzing about

Another pretty little plant that I coveted...and couldn't identify...adding to the email to the Garden peeps

Guilty Pleasure Flick Saturday - The Princess Bride - 25th Anniversary

2011-10-08T09:03:00.003-06:00

I saw the reunion of the cast of The Princess Bride on Good Morning America this week and hadn't realized it had been 25 years (more or less) since the movie's release. I remember seeing this at the theater while stationed at Kunsan AB, RoK after being talked into it by my buddies. I ended up loving it and seeing it every night it was there. AND bringing our guy friends from work to see it after they heard us raving about it. They ended up digging it as much as we.

What's not to love about this classic fairy tale that makes you laugh, wince, sigh....and remember the classic lines?

With its tongue firmly in cheek, Rob Reiner's delightful revisionist fairy tale The Princess Bride simultaneously challenges and reaffirms the conventions of happily-ever-after stories. Once upon a time, as this particular yarn goes, there was a beautiful princess named Buttercup (Robin Wright) who was being held against her will by the evil Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon) and his dastardly henchmen. Luckily, her childhood sweetheart, now the Dread Pirate Roberts (Cary Elwes), and his newfound friend, the dashing swordsman Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin), come to the fair maiden's rescue. In chronicling their adventures, director Reiner and screenwriter William Goldman tinker playfully with time-honored plot devices and counterbalance swashbuckling action with plenty of laughs. Broad character turns by Billy Crystal, Peter Falk, Carol Kane, and André the Giant give the film a loosey-goosey feel, and all the actors play it to the hilt throughout. Although the twinkles in their eyes could have made this a cloying affair, Reiner finds a nice balance, never making it feel as if they're trying too hard to have fun. (Ed Hulse, Barnes & Noble http://video.barnesandnoble.com/DVD/The-Princess-Bride/Cary-Elwes/e/27616092199?itm=1&usri=Princess%2Bbride)

************************

The Grandson: A book?

Grandpa: That's right. When I was your age, television was called books. And this is a special book. It was the book my father used to read to me when I was sick, and I used to read it to your father. And today I'm gonna read it to you.

The Grandson: Has it got any sports in it?

Grandpa: Are you kidding? Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles...

The Grandson: Doesn't sound too bad. I'll try to stay awake.

Grandpa: Oh, well, thank you very much, very nice of you. Your vote of confidence is overwhelming.

**************************

Grandpa: [voiceover] Nothing gave Buttercup as much pleasure as ordering Westley around. Buttercup: Farm boy, polish my horse's saddle. I want to see my face shining in it by morning. Westley: As you wish.

Grandpa: [voiceover] "As you wish" was all he ever said to her.

Buttercup: Farm boy, fill these with water - please.

Westley: As you wish.

Grandpa: [voiceover] That day, she was amazed to discover that when he was saying "As you wish", what he meant was, "I love you." And even more amazing was the day she realized she truly loved him back.

Buttercup: Farm boy... fetch me that pitcher. [It's right over her head, so he has to stand next to her]

Westley: As you wish. [Cut to them kissing]

The Grandson: [interrupting] Hold it, hold it. What is this? Are you trying to trick me? Where's the sports? [suspiciously]

The Grandson: Is this a kissing book?

Grandpa: Wait, just wait.

The Grandson: Well, when does it get good?

Grandpa: Keep your shirt on, and let me read.

**************************

Inigo Montoya: Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.

Count Rugen: Stop saying that!

*********************

Westley: I told you I would always come for you. Why didn't you wait for me?

Buttercup: Well... you were dead.

Westley: Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.

Buttercup: I will never doubt again.

Westley: There will never be a need.

**********************

Miracle Max: You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles.

***********************

[Vizzini has just cut the rope The Dread Pirate Roberts is climbing up]

Vizzini: HE DIDN'T FALL? INCONCEIVABLE.

Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

*********************

Inigo Montoya: I do not mean to pry, but you don't by any chance happen to have six fingers on your right hand?

Man in Black: Do you always begin conversations this way?

***********************

Westley: Why won't my arms move?

Fezzik: You've been mostly-dead all day.

****************

Inigo Montoya: Who are you?

Man in Black: No one of consequence.

Inigo Montoya: I must know...

Man in Black: Get used to disappointment.

Inigo Montoya: 'kay.

************************

Man in Black: All right. Where is the poison? The battle of wits has begun. It ends when you decide and we both drink, and find out who is right... and who is dead.

Vizzini: But it's so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of you: are you the sort of man who would put the poison into his own goblet or his enemy's? Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own goblet, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool, you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.

Man in Black: You've made your decision then?

Vizzini: Not remotely. Because iocane comes from Australia, as everyone knows, and Australia is entirely peopled with criminals, and criminals are used to having people not trust them, as you are not trusted by me, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you.

Man in Black: Truly, you have a dizzying intellect.

Vizzini: Wait till I get going! Now, where was I?

Man in Black: Australia.

Vizzini: Yes, Australia. And you must have suspected I would have known the powder's origin, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.

Man in Black: You're just stalling now.

Vizzini: You'd like to think that, wouldn't you? You've beaten my giant, which means you're exceptionally strong, so you could've put the poison in your own goblet, trusting on your strength to save you, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But, you've also bested my Spaniard, which means you must have studied, and in studying you must have learned that man is mortal, so you would have put the poison as far from yourself as possible, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.

Man in Black: You're trying to trick me into giving away something. It won't work.

Vizzini: IT HAS WORKED! YOU'VE GIVEN EVERYTHING AWAY! I KNOW WHERE THE POISON IS!

Man in Black: Then make your choice.

Vizzini: I will, and I choose - What in the world can that be?

[Vizzini gestures up and away from the table. Roberts looks. Vizzini swaps the goblets]

Man in Black: What? Where? I don't see anything.

Vizzini: Well, I- I could have sworn I saw something. No matter. First, let's drink. Me from my glass, and you from yours.

[Vizzini and the Man in Black drink]

Man in Black: You guessed wrong.

Vizzini: You only think I guessed wrong! That's what's so funny! I switched glasses when your back was turned! Ha ha! You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders - The most famous of which is "never get involved in a land war in Asia" - but only slightly less well-known is this: "Never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line"! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha...

Vizzini: [Vizzini stops suddenly, his smile frozen on his face and falls to the ground dead]

Buttercup: And to think, all that time it was your cup that was poisoned.

Man in Black: They were both poisoned. I spent the last few years building up an immunity to iocane powder.

*******************************

Buttercup: You mock my pain.

Man in Black: Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.

***********************

Buttercup: Westley, what about the R.O.U.S.'s?

Westley: Rodents Of Unusual Size? I don't think they exist.

[Immediately, an R.O.U.S. attacks him]

**********************

Inigo Montoya: You know, Fezzik, you finally did something right.

Fezzik: Don't worry, I won't let it go to my head

**************************

Inigo Montoya: Are you the Miracle Max who worked for the king all those years?

Miracle Max: The King's stinking son fired me, and thank you so much for bringing up such a painful subject. While you're at it, why don't you give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice on it? We're closed.

*************************

Miracle Max: Have fun stormin' da castle.

Valerie: Think it'll work?

Miracle Max: It would take a miracle.

******************

BEYOND DELICIOUS: The Ghost Whisperer's Cookbook (More Than 100 Recipes from the Dearly Departed) - Mary Winkowski & David Powers

2011-10-07T16:49:00.007-06:00

From the back of the book: What you hold in your hands is completely unique.

For the first time ever, here's a cookbook that will tickle your tastebuds while making your paranormal senses tingle. BEYOND DELICIOUS is half cookbook and half ghost story---the two ingredients you need to create meals that are yummy and chilllingly unforgettable....

We cook because our connections to food is everpresent. We cookd for sustenance and joy. What Mary Ann Winkowski (aka "The Ghost Whisperer") has learned over the years in talking with spirits is that this connection with food is not broken after death. In fact, some spirits become earthbound because of food.

Mary Ann has been communicating with earthbound spirits for most of her life. Through the years, she has received countless recipes from spirits of great cooks who have passed on. As she notes, these recipes are the best home-cooked meals you can find because they came straight from the kitchens of families who prepared, and perfected them, over a lifetime.

BEYOND DELICIOUS includes more than 100 recipes. Each entry includes the ghost story of how Mary Ann learned about the dish then the recipe. The cookbook is divided into sections such as soups, casseroles, beef, chicken, vegetables and sides, desserts, and much more. The stories and recipes come from every slice of society.

These are meals so beloved that the living asked Mary Ann to get them before a loved one crossed over, or so meaningful that a spirit asked her to record them for those they left behind. Each one inspires the kind of love and attention that fills homes with mouthwatering aromas and creates long-lasting memories for guests. The stories that go along with the recipes are often sweet, sometimes spooky, and always transfixing. When you reach for your favorite cookbook, make sure to grab BEYOND DELICIOUS so you can prepare family favorites that have been handed down "directly" from previous generations.

******************************************
Another book that I am very pleased to have received from LibraryThing (http://www.librarything.com/). I had a lot of fun reading each recipe and the ghost story accompanying each. I have to admit to a fondness more for the dessert choices, like Ted's Coconut Kisses, Mitzi's Golden Pumpkin Cookies, Lemon Sour Bars, Elderberry Pie, Frying Pan Cake (sort of a pineapple upside down cake in a frying pan)

There were some intriguingly named ones: Hank's Rabbit Pie...take one cleaned rabbit...., Florence's French Pork Pie, Grandma's Cuban Chicken, Toledo Lebanese Meatballs.

There were two that I know I will never ever, no way, nuh-uh make: Grandma's Pickled Beet Soup, Secret Harvard Beets...ask my mom, she'll tell you.

The stories accompanying each recipe were sweet, funny, odd and any mixture thereof. I do hope that Mary Ann does do a travel book sometime like she thought about in the book. I'd love to read about where she goes and the sites she visits, as much as the ghosts she sees every day.

I have a new cookbook for the keeper shelf in the kitchen. I look forward to trying many of these and see what my family thinks. I know the desserts will be a hit. Brown Sugar Refrigerator Cookies or Chocolate Torte to start.....

Four spooky yummy beans.....

THOSE ACROSS THE RIVER - Christopher Buehlman

2011-10-06T17:37:00.005-06:00

From the back of the book: The debut novel that has everyone talking and scared.

Haunted by memories of the Great War, failed academic Frank Nichols and his wife, Eudora, have arrived in the sleepy Georgia town of Whitbrow, where Frank hopes to write a history of his family's old estate---the Savoyard Plantation----and the horrors that occurred there. At first, the quaint, rural ways of their new neighbors seem to be everything they wanted. But under the facade of summer socials and small-town charm, there is an unspoken dread that the townsfolk have lived with for generations. A presence that demands sacrifice.

It comes from the shadowy woods across the river, where the ruins of the Savoyard Plantation still stand. Where a long-smoldering debt of blood has never been forgotten.....

Where it has been waiting for Frank Nichols....

*********************************************

WOW!

I cannot get over how utterly frightening this book was to read. Perfect Southern Gothic horror with excellent pacing to draw you in to the story. I had to read this either in the daytime or at night, but surrounded by people in a lit place.

It is definitely more than a horror story. The story is the sensual relationship of Frank and Eudora, how they came to be a couple and move to Whitbrow, Georgia. They could easily let everything that happens to them overwhelm them, but they take everything in stride for as long as they can.

Atmosphere was everything throughout the book. Dark, bleak, frightening, you-do-not-want-to-go-in-those-woods atmosphere.

I feel like if I say more, it will be filled with spoilers. What I can absolutely do is definitely recommend this read-in-the-daytime horror Gothic novel.

Thank you LibraryThing (http://www.librarything.com) for sending this book to me! I won this from their August Batch of Books for Early Review.

Five darkly sparkling horror diamonds....

September Book Journal

2011-10-03T17:46:00.003-06:00

Not too bad this past month for reading. Might have been more, but didn't get as much reading done while on stay-cation and one of my audiobooks was 15 tapes long (but really good, so worth it)

BUTTERCREAM BUMP OFF: A Cupcake Bakery Mystery #2 - Jenn McKinlay, cozy, MPB, SO good!!

THE LOVERS: Charlie Parker #8 - John Connolly, supernatural thriller, BOCD, WOW!

REALLY UNUSUAL BAD BOYS - MaryJanice Davidson, paranormal romance, MPB, good

SMALL FAVOR: Dresden Files #10 - Jim Butcher, UF, MPB, highly excellent

DEATH SONG: Kevin Kearney Mystery - Michael McGarrity, suspense, BOCD, good

AFTER HOURS: Tales from the Ur-Bar - anthology, fantasy, MPB, good

BLOOD PRICE - Tanya Huff, UF, MPB, excellent

HEXES & HEMLINES: A Witchcraft Mystery #3 - Juliet Blackwell, paranormal mystery, MPB, super

BUTTON HOLED: A Button Box Mystery #1 - Kylie Logan, cozy, MPB, super

HARD MAGIC: Book One Paranormal Scene Investigations - Laura Anne Gilman, UF, TPB, super

THOSE ACROSS THE RIVER - Christopher Buehlman, horror, ARC from LibraryThing, so so amazing!!!

MORTAL FEAR - Greg Iles, thriller, BOCD, exhaustingly good

Books: 9
Audio: 3
Total for September: 12
Total for 2011 so far: 100

Blooms on Sunday - 2 Oct 2011

2011-10-02T15:53:00.004-06:00

Even though it's officially fall, there are still a few blooms left...this is the Joe Pye against the back fence valiantly making its way through the ornamental grasses in front of it

Rose Heart Althea that we were sure had given up the ghost earlier this year...apparently just biding its time

Newly planted sedums I bought yesterday at Harlequin's Gardens (http://www.harlequinsgardens.com/) in the trough we made at 'Spa Week' this summer

I yanked the copious amounts of cosmos at the side of the house and found that the roses are still blooming

Fall is a great time to dig in new plants and it's also when nurseries have some fab sales...this is a solidago we picked out at Harlequin's Gardens yesterday at their mag sale...I think I need to get back there...

The rogue blanket flower that keeps popping up in the front berm

Paprika achillea is blooming again once I did some deadheading

Guilty Pleasure Flick Saturday - Tin Cup

2011-10-01T08:41:00.005-06:00

Guilty Pleasure Flick for today is Tin Cup with Kevin Costner (Roy McAvoy), Renee Russo (Molly Griswold), Cheech Marin (Romeo) and Don Johnson (David Simms).

I know DH wishes I loved the game of golf as much as I love this golf movie. Happily, you don't need to love the game to love this Guilty Pleasure Flick. All the chemistry is there between Roy McAvoy and Molly Griswold and Roy and Romeo and the rivalry chemistry between Roy and David.

Movie synopsis:

Roy McAvoy (Kevin Costner) is a talented golf pro, who owns his own driving range. That sounds impressive, but the reality is quite different. While it's true that Roy is indeed a talented golfer and does own a driving range, it is in a tiny, unheard of Texas backwater. With almost no customers, he is likely to go broke. His golfing talents remain untapped and his life is rapidly going nowhere. To pass the time, he drinks a lot of beer with his buddies, or swings at a bucket of balls. Sometimes, he even plays real golf, and his friend and assistant Romeo (Cheech Marin) caddies for him. That's all there is for Roy, until he is wakened from his deathlike reverie by a visit from a newcomer in town, psychologist Molly Griswold (Renee Russo). Teaching her how to swing a club reminds him of feelings he had nearly forgotten. Discovering that she is the girlfriend of his old golfing rival, David Simms (Don Johnson), goads him yet further, and he returns to the PGA golf tour to compete in the U.S. Open. Maybe he'll get Molly for himself, maybe not, but in the meantime he has some things to prove to himself. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi All Movie Guide

Favorite Lines thanks to IMDB.com:

Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy: Okay, so how do I do it? Therapy, I mean, I mean, wh - how do I start doing it?
Dr. Molly Griswold: Ooo-kay, Roy. Well, in parlance you might understand, just kick back and let the big dog eat.
Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy: Suppose there's this guy, and he's standing on the shore of a big wide river, and the... river's full of all manner of disaster, you know, piranhas, alligators, eddies, currents, shit like that... nobody'll even go down there to dip a toe. And on the other side of the river's a million bucks, and on this side of the river... is a rowboat.
Dr. Molly Griswold: Mm-hmm?
Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy: I guess my question's this: What would possess the guy standing on the shore to swim for it?
Dr. Molly Griswold: He is an idiot.
Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy: No, see, he's a helluva swimmer. His problem's more like why does he always have to... rise to the challenge?
Dr. Molly Griswold: He is a juvenile idiot.
Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy: You don't understand what I mean by the river.
Dr. Molly Griswold: Roy, we're talking about you, and what you like to call your inner demons - that human frailty you like to blather about - not some mythopoetic metaphor you come up with in a... feeble and transparent effort to do yourself credit.
Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy: You mean you're going to make me feel lousy?
Dr. Molly Griswold: No.
Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy: I came here to feel better. I mean, what kind of therapy is...
Dr. Molly Griswold: Roy, Roy, Roy, you don't have any inner demons. What you have is inner crapola, inner debris... garbage... loose wires, a few... [laughs]
Dr. Molly Griswold: horseshit in staggering amounts.
********************

Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy: Sex and golf are the two things you can enjoy even if you're not good at them.
***************************

Dr. Molly Griswold: There's no such thing as semi-platonic.
Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy: Well there ought to be.
*****************************

Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy: Does my inner child need a spanking?
*********************

Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy: You don't think I can knock it on from there?
Commentator: Let's just say it's a low-percentage shot.
Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy: Well, so am I! I mean, look at me, all right, what I'm wearing. I mean, I'm playing for Rio Grande Short-Haul Trucking, Briggs and Brown Sanitation, First State Bank of Salome, Woody's Smokehouse... You think a... you think a guy like me bothers to worry about the percentages?
************
[Asking Romeo to be his caddy again instead of Earl]
Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy: Look, I love Earl, okay, but... I need you.
Romeo Posar: You don't love me?
Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy: Yeah, yeah, I-I love you too, goddammit.
Romeo Posar: Well, as much as Earl?
Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy: I don't know! I mean, when I was with Earl, I was thinking of you... Yes, uh, as much as Earl. More than Earl. More than Earl.
Romeo Posar: Am I special?
Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy: Well, if you can remove the sexual overtones and add a golf theme, then Romeo, I am your Juliet.
***************************

Doreen: You're not one of those women who tries to fix men, I hope. I mean, men cannot be fixed, and especially him.
*****************************

Romeo Posar: Look, boss, I only got one rule. And that's never bet money that you don't have on a dog race with an ex-girlfriend who happens to be a stripper.
*********************

Dr. Molly Griswold: I find him... mildly attractive when he's obnoxious and arrogant like this. Romeo Posar: Oh, good. That's his best side.
**********************

Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy: Do you find me sexy?
Dr. Molly Griswold: You have your moments.
Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy: Well, you let me know which moments are my moments and I'll try and duplicate 'em.
********************

Molly: [watching Roy break all of his clubs over his knee as he argues with his caddy during U.S. open qualifying] Is this normal for him?
Earl: Well, the words "normal" and "him" don't often collide in the same sentence.

Books in the House - 27 Sep 2011

2011-09-27T08:22:00.003-06:00

From Recorded Books (www.recordedbooks.com) using my Buy It For $12 coupon:
KINDNESS GOES UNPUNISHED: Walt Longmire Mystery - Craig Johnson, suspense, narr George Guidall, BOCD

From author via Dru's Book Musings (http://notesfromme.wordpress.com/):
A DEAD RED CADILLAC - R P Dahlke, cozy, TPB, signed

From John Connolly book signing thanks to High Crimes Mystery Bookshop(http://www.highcrimesbooks.com/) and Oriental and Navajo Rug Gallery(http://www.orientalandnavajorugs.com)
EVERY DEAD THING: Charlie Parker #1
THE GATES
BAD MEN
THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS
Prezzies from John Connolly:
~CD of Love and Whispers: A Soundtrack to the Novels of John Connolly Vol 3
~signed bumper stickers
~buttons for Lady K

B&N bender:
~CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER - Tom Franklin, suspense, TPB
~BLOOD PROPHECY - Stefan Petrucha, supernatural, MPB
~TO BE QUEEN: A Novel of the Early Life of Eleanor of Acquitaine - Christy English, historical fiction, TPB (thanks to a review by Mary http://bookfanmary.wordpress.com/)
~MAMA GETS HITCHED: Mace Bauer #3 - Deborah Sharp, funny Southern mystery, TPB
~FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT - Darynda Jones, UF, TPB
~ENTHRALLED: Anthology of Paranormal Diversions - anthology, TPB

Lady K-ism of the Day

2011-09-25T16:25:00.002-06:00

Lady K-ism of the day: Running into the house, hollering, "Where's Daddy's manly Band-Aids? Daniel's got himself a scrape and a Tinkerbell Band-Aid isn't gonna get it."

Blooms on Sunday - 25 Sep 2011

2011-09-25T15:15:00.003-06:00

First rogue pumpkin from the garden on display...it's officially fall

A bug more than a bloom....
First rogue canteloupe from the garden...smelled like strawberries

Darn tasty, too Fixin's for next year's rogue crop....