Reflex

 

Reflex by Dick Francis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is another great book by Dick Francis. This focuses on a steeplechase jockey, Phil Nore. He finds himself embroiled in several mysteries involving family and friends. Meanwhile these events lead to some more questions judging his and others’ actions. There are some very suspenseful moments as well as some soul searching for sure. I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator, Simon Preeble, to be amazing for the subject and the setting

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #  104 
2. Audiobook  #2022AudiobookChallenge 10
3. What an Animal Book #57
4. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #128
5. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #96
6. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #90
7. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #116
8. Craving for Cozies  Book #108
9. Medical Examiner Challenge 3 Toe Tags
10. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scene- road; house; hospital
• Weapon- car wreck; drugs, cancer
• Detectives- Philip Nore
• Victims- George Millace; Carolie Nore; Grandmother Nore
11. Six Shooter Challenge  Target # 86 Shot #3
12. Bookworm # 25 A book with a title that has 5 letters

Butter Off Dead

 

Butter Off Dead is the 3rd book in the Food Lover's Village Series by Leslie Budewitz.  This series set in Montana is full of descriptions of the nature surrounding the area.  This narrative, as well as the variety of characters contained within the plot, make for a very engaging read.   The author's writing creates a movie in the readers' minds that allows them to experience the Jewel Bay stores and residents just as if they were there in real life.  I look forward to exploring the town more as the series continues.

Butter Off Dead by Leslie Budewitz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Good book but is a bit outlandish in some of the plot lines and I did predict the outcomes quite early. I still liked the characters and enjoyed hearing all about the delicacies sold at the Merc. The descriptions of the film and food festival were very well written and made it easy to visualize. Along with the descriptions of Montana wilderness. I liked the aspect of supporting new businesses and their development. As well the explanations about the reintroduction of wolves into the wilderness and the controversy. The book definitely incorporates a lot of topics and information

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The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book # 96  
2. Literary Escapes  #LiteraryEscapes   MT
3. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2022  Series: 43 Book #1
4. What an Animal Book #54
5. Audiobook  #2022AudiobookChallenge 9
6. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #117
7. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #85
8. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #83
9. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #111
10. Craving for Cozies  Book #101
11. Medical Examiner Challenge 2 Toe Tags
12. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scene- studio; road
• Weapon- shot; car 
• Detectives- Erin Murphy
• Victims- Christine Vandeberg;  Mr Murphy
13. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #14  Shot #4
14. Book Voyage  #bookvoyagechallenge  N America
15. Pick your Poison #24 a book to pass the time while your favorite author finishes their next book

Goodbye Cruller World

 Goodbye Cruller World is the 2nd Deputy Donut book by Ginger Bolton.   Set in WI it is a great cozy read for those with a sweet tooth and coffee lovers alike.   Bolton describes the brew of the day and the different specialty donuts they serve at Deputy Donuts.   I listened to this book on audio while on a road trip and it was so easy to visualize the food and the settings.   Emily's relationship with her cat, Dep- the namesake of Deputy Donut, is a great centerpiece to the story.   This series has a rivalry between professional detectives versus the more traditional amateur vs pro scenario.  In this case Brent willing takes assistance from Emily, but Yvonne from the state CID is the antagonistic investigator.  

The clues point at many different suspects and the storyline is well written and works through the different options.  The outcome does end up being a bit of a surprise. I look forward to reading more books about Emily, Dep and their friends.  

Goodbye Cruller World by Ginger Bolton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The characters are the stars in the Deputy Donut series and the plot is well structured. The reader is kept guessing throughout. The premise behind the Deputy Donut store and Emily’s relationship with the main characters are well thought out and intriguing. There is some fun matchmaking intertwined that makes it a fun and light plot line. The mystery itself is quite complex and the possible guilt pointed at several realistic choices. The series is engaging and I look forward to reading more

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book # 85 
2. Literary Escapes  #LiteraryEscapes  WI
3. What an Animal Book #51
4. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #103
5. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #75
6. Audiobook  #2022AudiobookChallenge  #8
7. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #70
8. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #97
9. Craving for Cozies  Book #88
10. Medical Examiner Challenge 1 Toe Tags
11. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scene- ballroom
• Weapon- poison
• Detectives- Emily Westhill
• Victims- Roger Manson
12. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #53  Shot #2
13. Monthly Motif #MonthlyMotifGXO  OCTOBER- Murder or Magic

Encyclopedia Brown Boy Detective

 This was a blast from the past for me.  I listened to the audiobook to satisfy a requirement for a book for entire family.   It felt like a fun opportunity to go back and read some of the initial mystery series I read way back when.  Even then, I was an avid mystery reader- Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins, Boxcar Children and Trixie Belden were all found in my reading pile during elementary school.  I still have copies of the original 54 Nancy Drew books.  Obviously I was hooked on the mystery and problem solving at a young age.

Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobol
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

fun to go back and read an early mystery series I read as a child. i must admit it is much easier to solve the problems as an adult with a greater attention to detail

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #65
2. Audiobook  #2022AudiobookChallenge #7
3. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #77
4. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #59
5. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #49
6. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #72
7. Craving for Cozies  Book #66
8. 52 Book Club  #the52bookclub  #46  A job title in the title 
9. BooklistQueen  #booklistqueenreadingchallenge2022 #41. Reread a Favorite
10. Nancy Drew # 52. The Secret of the Forgotten City (1975) - re-read a book that you read a long time ago
11. Pick your Poison #77 reread a childhood favorite
12. Beyond the Bookends  July- Listen to a family friendly audiobook
13. Century challenge  1960s

Meow if it's Murder

 Meow if it's Murder is the first in the Nick and Nora mysteries by T.C. LoTempio.  I picked this book to satisfy a prompt to read something by an author who shares my initials.  I came across this book on my TBR list and decided it was a perfect choice.  I ended up really enjoying the book more than I expected to.  It is kind of a cross between a cozy and an old-school PI detective book in some ways.  There's a bit of an implied supernatural element at play here as well.  So that is great for readers who enjoy those types of cozy mysteries too.  If you are a cat lover you will definitely enjoy the book and the interactions between Nora and Nick as he wins her over to the feline fans' side of the aisle.   The mystery has lots of twists; it isn't always obvious who is the bad guy, and there are twists and turns until the end.  I did suspect a chunk of the story but didn't get it all correct by any means.  If you are looking  for a new series you might want to give this one a go.

Meow If It's Murder by T.C. LoTempio
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

An enjoyable start to a series featuring a cat and a female detective. This series felt like a bit of a cross between a cozy mystery and a old fashioned PI detective story. There were plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing. The variety of themes from cats, supernatural, culinary and a bit of quirkiness ensures lots of interest by a wide group of readers.

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #57
2. What an Animal Book #37
3. Audiobook  #2022AudiobookChallenge 6
4. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #67
5. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #54
6. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #44
7. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #66
8. Craving for Cozies  Book #61
9. Medical Examiner Challenge 5 Toe Tags
10. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scene- ocean/boat/prison/road
• Weapon- drown/shot/asthma/shot/car accident
• Detectives- nora charles
• Victims- Lola Granger; Patty Simmons; Adrian Sloan; Nick Atkins; Lott
11. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #85  Shot #1
12. BooklistQueen  #booklistqueenreadingchallenge2022  # 26. Author Who Shares Your Initials
13. Nerdy Bookworm  #NerdyBookwormChallengeXO #27 Read an office romance novel
14. PopSugar #popsugarreadingchallenge #7. A book with an onomatopoeia in its title
15. Pick your Poison #104 a gritty detective story

Songteller

 Songteller is a wonderful memoir by Dolly Parton.  I listened to the audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed the format.  It was structured as an interview of sorts and Dolly answers questions and prompts to tell stories and the background about many of her songs.  Generally, there is a snippet of her singing her song at the start of the section.   Dolly has such a sweet and happy voice it was such a pleasure to listen to her tell stories.  It was almost as though she was sitting right there next to me as I listened.  

Previous to this book I had no idea just how prolific a songwriter she is.  The impact and diversity of her work are amazing both in the music industry and her other business and philanthropic endeavors.    Readers will be happy to know she discusses some of her most famous- "Nine to Five" and "Jolene".  Also, I forgot she was the songwriter behind Whitney Houston's famous "I Will Always Love You."

I can highly recommend this book to anyone who likes Dolly or enjoys hearing stories told from personal experiences.

Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics by Dolly Parton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dolly is such a sweet and honest soul and it comes through in this audiobook. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to her tell about her songs and what inspired each of the ones they discussed. The format was a unique one as it was like a question and answer session. Listening to her stories about the business, her family and writing songs was such a peaceful experience. So glad I read this book

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #54
2. Literary Escapes  #LiteraryEscapes TN
3. Audiobook  #2022AudiobookChallenge #5
4. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #74
5. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #53
6. Memoir  #15  Written by someone over 40
7. Non Fiction Reader  #ReadNonFicChal   Book #3. Language
8. 52 Book Club  #the52bookclub  #30 Audiobook is narrated by the author
9. BooklistQueen  #booklistqueenreadingchallenge2022  #50. Inspiring Memoir
10. Nerdy Bookworm  #NerdyBookwormChallengeXO #4 Read a memoir
11. PopSugar #popsugarreadingchallenge #21. A book about a band or musical group
12. Pick your Poison # 70 a non fiction book about someone you admire
13. RAD challenge #aradreadingchallenge #6 A Celeb Memoir
14. Diversify your reading #DYRC22  Jan theme of Memoir
15. Lifetime of Reading  Books that Follow the Main Character over Several Decades
16. 52 books in 52 weeks  #29 Clef Notes

Possible Prompts book could be used for

Memoir  # 9 Written by a woman;  #6 Music Memoir

Pick your Poison #38 a memoir focused on the author's profession

Space Case

 Space Case is a middle grade reader by Stuart Gibbs.  I selected it because we have the Spy School books in our house and this one caught my attention as meeting several of my challenge prompts.  Specifically the middle grade and set in space.  It also meets the Space Opera one as well.

It is a cute book that has a mystery set on the moon.  The whole colonizing of the moon brings up some interesting aspects and really had me thinking about what life would be like if it ever happened.  This story also felt fitting with all the Space X rocketry that is going on these days.  All in all an enjoyable book and would please mystery readers of all ages.

Space Case by Stuart Gibbs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. I liked how the author alternated a chapter of the story with a section of the moon base manual. This book was a fun read with a good mystery ad s bit if comedic action and suspense thrown in. Although it’s a middle grade book I found the mystery engaging and not too easy to solve. It was a fun premise that in the future there is a colony living on the moon and space tourism exists. Maybe it’s not so far off in reality. Time will tell

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #48
2. Audiobook  #2022AudiobookChallenge 4
3. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #59
4. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #48
5. 52 Book Club  #the52bookclub  #31 Technology-themed 
6. Around the Year in 52 Books #16. A book related to Earth Day
7. Bookworm #8 Read a book that takes place in the future
8. PopSugar #popsugarreadingchallenge #35. A book with a constellation on the cover or in the title  
9. Pick your Poison #100 a book about space travel

Aunty Lee's Chilled Revenge

 This is the fourth Aunty Lee Singaporean Cafe book by Ovidia Yu.   After Aunty Lee's Chilled Revenge, there has only been one more book published thus far.  I sincerely hope that the next book is the last in the series as I thoroughly enjoy reading about Aunty Lee and Singapore.  

Aunty Lee is quite a character who uses her age to her advantage while investigating mysteries.  She fully acknowledges she has a nosiness about her especially when she is indulging in investigating a mystery.  As a reader I feel like I am reading about a fun grandmotherly type person.  The mysteries are well structured and this one in particular had several twists.  

I did figure out one of the twists early on and found myself a bit irritated that the characters weren't seeing it when I did.  I realize it was part of the story development but I did find myself getting annoyed at them for not realizing it.  Even though I figured that piece of the mystery out, there were other aspects that were a surprise ending for me as well.

These books do a wonderful job of demonstrating the relationships between different generations of  Singapore residents.  I like how the characters contrast old Singapore with new modern generations and attitudes.  I also appreciate Ms. Yu discusses some of the history of the country and points out some of the drawbacks as well as benefits of the government and cultural structure.  As I have mentioned before I really enjoy reading books set where I have visited and Singapore fits that bill.  I like reading about the Merlion and the food stalls.  These details make the story that much richer and the descriptions enlightening.  

As I mentioned I hope the next book is not the last in the series but even if it is, i am intrigued to try her other series set in 1930s Singapore.  

Aunty Lee's Chilled Revenge by Ovidia Yu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I always enjoy reading books that provide insight into other cultures. This book delivers on that front as does the whole series. I love the characters in this series as they evoke emotions from me as I am reading. In this particular book I figured out a twist early and it was driving me crazy that Aubrey Lee and Salim couldn’t see what I had figured out. It was darn right annoying in fact. In the end they figure it out and the mystery is wrapped up with a few surprises and explanations for why the guilty did what they did. I hope there’s more in the series but I am not sure if there are more to come or not

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #50
2. Literary Escapes  #LiteraryEscapes Singapore
3. AtoZ   #2022AtoZReadingChallenge  #AlphabetSoupChallenge
4. Alphabet Soup Author Edition #AlphabetSoupAuthorChallenge  O or Y
5. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2022  Series: 29  Book #1
6. What an Animal Book #33
7. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #61
8. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #50
9. Cozy Mysteries   #18 AAPI Author
10. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #40
11. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #61
12. Craving for Cozies  Book #57
13. Medical Examiner Challenge 3 Toe Tags
14. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scene- hotel room/bathroom/office
• Weapon- cable ties x2; poison
• Detectives- Aunty Lee
• Victims- Vallerie Love; Samantha Kang; Brian Wong
15. Six Shooter Challenge  Target # 22 Shot #3
16. Around the Year in 52 Books #18. A book by an Asian or Pacific Islander author
17. BooklistQueen  #booklistqueenreadingchallenge2022  #18. Asian American & Pacific Islander Author
18. Bookworm # 40 A book with 5 objects on the cover 
19. PopSugar #popsugarreadingchallenge #15. A book by a Pacific Islander author
20. Pick your Poison #32 a book with "aunt" or "uncle" in the title
21. Book Voyage  #bookvoyagechallenge South Asia- Singapore

Assault and Pepper (A Spice Shop Mystery, #1)

 Assault and Pepper (A Spice Shop Mystery, #1) is a new series for me. I have read some of Ms Budewitz's other series the Food Lovers' Village set in Montana. This one was a bit more social conscience undertone for my liking. I did enjoy listening to the story and the mystery was well constructed it is just that at times it felt too much like it was trying to make the reader feel guilty they didn't live in Seattle and that the rest of the country didn't treat people well. Maybe I am just too sensitive to feeling as though we are constantly made to feel guilty for professional and economic success. I do believe all people should be treated respectfully but I don't need my books which I read for escape to be a constant reminder of the political strief in the country.

Assault and Pepper by Leslie Budewitz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a very well written mystery I did not guess the guilty party u til the absolute end. That being said I just couldn’t give it a 4 star ( I don’t generally give cozies 5 stars). There was something a bit preach about the main character that just didn’t sit well with me. I did listen on audio so maybe it was more in the tone of the narration but I do t think so. I think it was just a bit too much of a feeling like “Seattle is such a progressive and perfect city for how we treat everyone”. As though the no Seattle residents aren’t compassionate. I also found the descriptions of the areas and the Pike Place Market to be confusing rather than providing clarity. This just caused a bit of annoyance and frustration which took away from my enjoyment. As I said, I liked the mystery and I like her Idaho based series so maybe my issue is with the setting

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #42
2. What an Animal Book #29
3. Audiobook  #2022AudiobookChallenge  #3
4. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #33
5. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #54
6. Craving for Cozies  Book #50
7. Medical Examiner Challenge  1 Toe Tags
8. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scene- street
• Weapon- poison
• Detectives- Pepper Reece
• Victims- Doc Finch
9. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #14  Shot #3
10. Nerdy Bookworm  #NerdyBookwormChallengeXO #14  Listen to an audiobook

A Safe House

 Given this is the 61st book in the Stone Barrington series by Stuart Woods I am not surprised it is formulaic and predictable.   This was the first and probably the last time I read it as an audiobook.  I did not care for the narrator's portrayal of Dino Bacchetti's voice. It was far too nasally, and I have lived in NYC so I am familiar with NY accents, this was an over the top nasal twang.  

  The other aspect of this book that I did not care for was the level of stupidity the characters portrayed.  Bill Eggers the managing partner of the law firm Stone works for was made to sound like a bumbling idiot.  The choices Stone and Jenna (his client) make regarding entrance to properties where they are staying are pathetic considering they are being pursued by individuals looking to kill them both.  

I don't read these novels for intellectual stimulation or hard hitting thoughts, but this particular installment was darn right annoying.  I will not be rushing to check out the next Stone Barrington entry anytime soon.

A Safe House by Stuart Woods
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is about on par with the others in the series in terms of plot complexity and predictability. At least Stones’s bedroom antics are monogamous in this book. It was full of globetrotting to his different homes while trying to outrun a hired gun of an angry ex. I really am giving this a 2.5 because I did not care for how dumb Bob Eggers was portrayed. He was made to be a bumbling idiot vs successful law partner. Also the ludicrous behaviors of Stone and Jenna in light of attempted murders of both of them were ridiculous. I know someone is pursuing me but I’m going to buzz them into my office unattended. Come on. Also I listened to the audio book for this and I did not care for the portrayal of Dino Bacchetti’s voice. It rubbed me the wrong way.
If you want a mindless thriller that you can get lost in for a day or 2 then this will meet that requirement don’t read it for hard hitting storylines or literary value

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #29
2. Literary Escapes  #LiteraryEscapes  ME
3. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2022  Series: 11 Book #2
4. Audiobook  #2022AudiobookChallenge  #2
5. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #40
6. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #43
7. Medical Examiner Challenge  3 Toe Tags
8. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scene- car; home office; bedroom
• Weapon- car bomb; gun
• Detectives- stone barrington; dino bacchetti
• Victims- Jamie Jacoby; Wallace Slade; Harley Quince
9. Six Shooter Challenge  Target # 5 Shot #4
10. Around the Year in 52 Books #51 A book published in 2022
11. Bookworm #30 Read a Revenge Story
12. BooklistQueen  #booklistqueenreadingchallenge2022  #29. An Audiobook
13. Nerdy Bookworm  #NerdyBookwormChallengeXO #7 Thriller novel 
14. Nancy Drew #5. The Secret of Shadow Ranch (1931) - read a book with horses in the story
15. Pick your Poison #23 a suspense novel
16. Diversify your reading #DYRC22  April: Mystery

Audiobooks

 

 #2022AudiobookChallenge

 I would like to try the 2022 audiobook challenge hosted by Kimberly at  Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Jen at That's What I'm Talking About  This will be my 2nd year attempting this challenge.

This year I will try for Newbie which is 1-5  only because I haven't been doing as many audiobooks since I don't drive as much anymore.

If you are interested in this challenge be sure to go here and sign up

Total Audiobooks Enjoyed: 10/5

1. Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall  
• Blog Post and Goodreads Review 3/11/22
2. A Safe House (Stone Barrington #61) by Stuart Woods
• Blog Post and Goodreads Review 4/8/22
3. Assault and Pepper (A Spice Shop Mystery, #1) by Leslie Budewitz
• Blog Post and Goodreads Review 4/29/22
4. Space Case by Stuart Gibbs
• Blog Post and Goodreads Review  5/18/22
5. Songteller by Dolly Parton
• Blog Post and Goodreads Review 6/6/22
Meow if it's Murder by T.C. LoTempio
• Blog Post and Goodreads Review 6/11/22
Encyclopedia Brown Boy Detective by Donald J Sobol
• Blog Post and Goodreads Review 7/28/22
Goodbye Cruller World (Deputy Donut #21)by Ginger Bolton
• Blog Post and Goodreads Review 10/18/22
Butter Off Dead (Food Lover's Village #3) by Leslie Budewitz
• Blog Post and Goodreads Review 11/10/22
6. Reflex by Dick Francis
• Blog Post and Goodreads Review