Showing posts with label cozy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cozy. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Borrowed Crime

 Borrowed Crime is the 3rd book in the Bookmobile Cat series by Laurie Cass.  The antics of Eddie the cat certainly are front and center along with his relationship with Minnie.   The story highlights what a positive impact animals can have on our lives.  Additionally, the services of the bookmobile show what a welcome and necessary outlet they provide in more rural areas.   I  have fond memories of bookmobiles as a child and I love that this book shows the fun it instills in the younger generation.

As for the mystery it is well constructed and I wasn't 100% sure on who the guilty party was which is unusual for me.  I normally figure out the criminal before a cozy is finished.   I appreciate that Minnie is a "normal" person just trying to do her job and enjoy her daily life.  The drama that surrounds her relationship with her boss, Stephen, adds a great layer to the stories.  I recommend this series for those looking for an engaging cozy.


Borrowed CrimeBorrowed Crime by Laurie Cass
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

enjoyable book especially for cat lovers. i like the fact the Minnie feels like an authentic person. Her relationship with her Aunt Frances, her cat, Eddie, and her coworkers create an all around character who feels like someone you would want to be friends with. This series is best read in order as their are recurring characters that progress through the stories

View all my reviews


Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

  1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book # 76
  2. What an Animal Book #44
  3. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #90
  4. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #69
  5. Cozy Mysteries   #10 next cozy in a series from one of CMRC's 2021 book chat selections
  6. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #60
  7. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #85
  8. Craving for Cozies  Book #78
  9. Medical Examiner Challenge 1 Toe Tags
  10. Beachcomber Challenge  
    • Crime Scene- parking lot
    • Weapon- rifle
    • Detectives- Minnie
    • Victims- Roger Slade
  11. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #40  Shot #3
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Sunday, February 27, 2022

Mango, Mambo and Murder

I am so glad I found Mango, Mambo and Murder  at the library.  I picked it up off the new releases shelf at random solely based on the bright cover and the title catching my eye.  Mango, Mambo and Murder is the first book in a series by Raquel V. Reyes.    

This was a very interesting read that was a great mix of the Cuban culture and an intriguing mystery.  Reyes captures the sights and culture of Miami so well in this book and it was especially fun for me to read after having just visited Miami for the first time last fall.  Besides having a fascinating mystery that has several layers to it, the family dynamics presented are well written and believable.  Be prepared to have your mouth water when reading about some of the dishes prepared in this cozy.  I hope the series continues as I really enjoyed it.



Mango, Mambo, and MurderMango, Mambo, and Murder by Raquel V. Reyes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

great mystery with lovely descriptions of Miami

This is a well-written mystery with beautiful descriptions of Miami and the Latin culture there. The descriptions of the awesome dishes will have your mouth watering. I love how the author weaves Spanish into the story seamlessly. I look forward to reading more of the series

View all my reviews


Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  


  1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #1
  2. Literary Escapes  #LiteraryEscapes  FL
  3. AtoZ   #2022AtoZReadingChallenge  #AlphabetSoupChallenge M
  4. Alphabet Soup Author Edition #AlphabetSoupAuthorChallenge  R
  5. 2022TBR  #2022ReadingChallenge  # 7 own voices
  6. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #2
  7. Beat the Backlist #BTB2022  #21 new to you author
  8. Color Coded #9 a book that implies color
  9. Cozy Mysteries   #7  recommended by an online guide, book blogger, book club
  10. Cruisin thru Cozies Culinary #1
  11. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #2
  12. Craving for Cozies  Book #2
  13. Around the Year in 52 Books # 41. A book with a theme of food or drink
  14. 52 Book Club  #the52bookclub  #33 A bilingual character
  15. BooklistQueen  #booklistqueenreadingchallenge2022  #21. Recommended on Instagram
  16. Bookworm  #6 Read a book because of the cover
  17. Nancy Drew #39 The Clue of the Dancing Puppet (1962) - read a book with a small child in the story
  18. Nerd Daily  #NERDREADING2022 #30 #ownvoices author
  19. Nerdy Bookworm  #NerdyBookwormChallengeXO  #21 A book where the cover caught your eye 
  20. OWLS 22  #46 Muggle Studies: An own voices book
  21. Pick your Poison #11 a book about food from another culture
  22. PopSugar #popsugarreadingchallenge #5. A sapphic book
  23. RAD challenge #aradreadingchallenge #4 A Book about Food
  24. Monthly Motif #MonthlyMotifGXO  yes New to you- author
  25. Medical Examiner Challenge 3 Toe Tags
  26. Beachcomber Challenge  
    • Crime Scene- country club
    • Weapon- poison
    • Detectives- Miriam Quinones-Smith
  27. 52 books in 52 weeks  #19 Judge a Book
  28. Unruly Reader Bingo  #8 subculture


Possible prompts

I will decide as the year goes along which prompts I use it for on several challenges since it meets multiple criteria within the challenge.

  1. OWLS 22  # 7 Hoggy Warty Hogwarts: A book that involves music

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Friday, January 14, 2022

Cozy mysteries 2022

 Cozy Mysteries Instagram Challenge


This is a challenge focused on cozy mysteries that is based at an Instagram account cozychallenges.  It is also hosted on facebook 

COMPLETED  9/26/22

Topics:

Books 29/29


  1. Independent or self published author  
  2. From an author's backlist
  3. Sleuth who is over 60
  4. A Golden Age mystery
  5. Made into a movie or tv show
  6. with a setting or plot related to Britain or the British Monarchy
  7. recommended by an online guide, book blogger, book club 
  8. you've owned for a year or more but haven't read
  9. set in a city or country that has hosted the Olympics
  10. next cozy in a series from one of CMRC's 2021 book chat selections
  11. involving travel
  12. first cozy in a series you haven't read
  13. with an animal in the title
  14. about or relating to the medical field
  15. cozy author who is new to you  
  16. bright colors on the cover
  17. at least a 4 star rating on Goodreads
  18. by an AAPI author
  19. with a male protagonist or sleuth
  20. with murder or death in the title
Bonus prompts
  1. 3 cozies by the same author   
    1. Handmade Holiday Homicide by Joanna Campbell Slan
    2. Shotgun, Wedding, Bells by Joanna Campbell Slan
    3.  The Further Adventures of Kiki Lowenstein: Collection #1 by Joanna Campbell Slan
  2. published 30 years ago  
  3. 5 cozies each with a cover or spine representing one of the colors of the Olympic rings

    1. Green Matchmaking Can Be Murder ( Amish Matchmaker #1) by Amanda Flower
    2. Black  One Poison Pie (Kitchen Witch #1)  by Lynn Cahoon
    3. Blue  Murder at the Taffy Shop (Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery, #2) by Maddie Day
    4. Red Prologue to Murder (Beyond the Page Bookstore #2)  by Lauren Elliott
    5. Yellow The Jasmine Moon Murder (A Tea Shop Mystery, #5) by Laura Childs

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Saturday, April 24, 2021

A Tourist's Guide to Murder

 This is the latest installment in the Mystery Bookshop series (#6) by V.M. Burns.  I always enjoy how she has given such a diverse set of personalities to the seniors in her series.  Sam, is the granddaughter of Nana Jo and the two are on a vacation with Nana Jo's friends- Irma, Dorothy and Ruby Mae.  The dynamics among these women is comical and realistic.  It is easy to visualize the ease with which they interact especially when you consider their ages and the frankness with which many older people speak.

The ladies are on a Mystery tour in England when they encounter several real life mysteries of their own.   The book is loaded with geographical and biographical references to many other mystery writers and their series.  These feature is intertwined well into the plot of this story.   

The mystery itself is well written and full of twists and turns.  My favorite part of this series is the inclusion of the 2nd cozy mystery story within the book.  Sam is writing a cozy set in England in the 1930s.  This secondary story adds a unique feature to this series that I really enjoy.  Sometimes that sub mystery is what sticks with me more than the main story.   

I look forward to any future installments in this series.

A Tourist's Guide to MurderA Tourist's Guide to Murder by V.M. Burns
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I always enjoy reading about the ladies from Shady Acres. Nana Jo is a hoot and her relationship with her granddaughter, is a good mix of bantering and respect. This particular installment was based on a mystery tour in England so it had lots of references to other mystery authors and series. The actual mystery was well written and had plenty of twists to keep the reader engaged. The cozy written within the book is always a fun aspect to this series and adds another level of enjoyment and mystery solving. I hope there are more books to come in this series

View all my reviews


Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  


  1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #47
  2. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2021 Mystery Bookshop #6 caught up on series
  3. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #57
  4. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #67
  5. Calendar of Crime  #CalendarOfCrime2021   
  6. Cozy Mysteries   #11 author of color
  7. Cruisin thru Cozies  free choice 27
  8. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #50
  9. Craving for Cozies  Book #43
  10. What's in a Name   #4 Possessive noun (ex. The Zookeeper’s Wife)
  11. Medical Examiner Challenge  4 Toe Tags
  12. Beachcomber Challenge  
    • Crime Scenes 
      • Row 4
        • Hotel room
      • Weapons
        • Row 4
          • Animal attack or bite
        • Row 5
          • Medicine or drugs
      • Detectives- Sam/Nana Jo
      • Victims- Horace Peabody/Prudence Haversham
    • Six Shooter Challenge  Target #14  Shot #6

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    Wednesday, February 3, 2021

    Forests, Fishing & Forgery

     This is the 3rd installment in the Camper and Criminals series by Tonya Kappes.  This installment finds Mae's campground full of families for the Labor Day holiday filled with quiet family fun.  Then a bachelor party rolls in and the groom goes missing.  During the search for him, the ranger, Corbin, suffers and unexpected demise which Mae discovers while on a hiking date with her romantic interest, Ty.  Needless to say this is a downer on the date.  While trying to determine what happened to Corbin and where the groom has gone, other suspects appear on the radar including a local troublemaker who walks away from community service time for a DUI.   Somehow, amongst all this chaos Mae and sheriff, Hank find a way to solve this crime.  

    The mystery sets up opportunities for the relationships with friends to grow and for the reader to get a glimpse into the small town Kentucky life, politics and all.  My only complaint about the story was the seemingly sudden appearance of a drought in the area that could affect tourism.  My only real query about it is the suddenness and  seeming surprise to the community.   It seemed to me that there would have been some warning the situation was arising.  I am not familiar with the area of the country so maybe it really does come on that suddenly.  There were also some abrupt decisions in Mae's personal life that seemed awkward and a bit inexplicable but adds to the continuing saga with 2 potential suitors.  

    These plot shortcomings did not detract from the overall enjoyment of the story and I look forward to reading more in the series.


    Forests, Fishing, & ForgeryForests, Fishing, & Forgery by Tonya Kappes
    My rating: 3 of 5 stars 

    Great cozy in the outdoors

    This is the 3rd book in the series and while a standalone there is some history among characters that make it a better read if you read others first. Mae is caught in the middle of strange occurrences again. This time Happy Trails is missing a camper and a ranger is acting out of character. There is some local nepotism and shenanigans going on in Normal and Mae isn’t certain if this is what’s at the center of the 2 sudden deaths of locals associated with the National Forest. The mystery twists and turns as does Mae’s personal life. 

    There’s a drought starting which seems to come along quite suddenly which felt a little forced to me But not being familiar with the terrain this could be feasible and not just a plot stretch. This and a few plot line inconsistencies are why i didn’t give it 4 stars. All in all a fun book in an entertaining series 

    View all my reviews


     √

    Challenge Prompts

    The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

    Possible prompts

    I will decide as the year goes along which prompts I use it for on several challenges since it meets multiple criteria within the challenge.

    1. AtoZ   #2021AtoZReadingChallenge  #AlphabetSoupChallenge  "F"
    2. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2021  Camper and Criminals #3
    3. Color Coded # 4 green
    4. Beat the Backlist #BTB2021  #15 first line is less than 10 words
    5. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #12
    6. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #12
    7. Calendar of Crime  #CalendarOfCrime2021   
    8. Cruisin thru Cozies  animal #1
    9. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #8
    10. Craving for Cozies  Book #6
    11. PopSugar #popsugarreadingchallenge #22 set mostly or entirely outdoors
    12. Around the Year in 52 Books #40. A book with flowers or greenery on the cover
    13. 52 Book Club  #the52bookclub2021  #29 Featuring The Environment
    14. The Unofficial Magnus Archives Challenge  #TMARC21  #19. Meat: with an animal companion/character
    15. BooklistQueen   #41 A sequel
    16. What's in a Name   #5 Botanical word 
    17. Nerd Daily  #NERDREADING2021 # 39. FLORA OR FAUNA ON COVER 
    18. Bookworm  #1 obtained from Kindle Unlimited, Audible, Amazon First Reads, Paperback Swap, or the Library
    19. Magic in the Books 
      • Book 6 #5 featuring an animal 
    20. Spells and Spaceships Animal companion
    21. Pick your Poison #19-4 A book with a peaceful cover
    22. Medical Examiner Challenge 3 Toe Tags
    23. Beachcomber Challenge  
      • Crime Scenes 
        • Row 1
          • Pathway or forest
        • Row 2
          • Lake or ocean
        • Row 5
          • Home or business office
      • Weapons
        • Row 3
          • Free square- anaphylactic shock
        • Row 5
          • Hands or fists
          • Rifle or shotgun
      • Detectives- Mae/Hank
      • Victims- William/Alison/Corbin
    24. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #25  Shot #3
    25. 52 books in 52 weeks  #38 utopian
    26. Unruly Reader Bingo  #20 quarantine


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    Wednesday, September 30, 2020

    An Ale of Two Cities

     

    I really enjoyed reading this second installment in the Literary Pub Series by Sarah Fox.  This time we visit Shady Creek during the Winter Festival.  Fox does such a wonderful job of describing her characters and the scenery you cannot help but feel like you are right there with everyone in the small town.   The mystery has plenty of twists and turns and keeps you guess until the end.  Excited to read the third book in the series.



    An Ale of Two CitiesAn Ale of Two Cities by Sarah Fox
    My rating: 4 of 5 stars 

    I enjoyed this next installment in the Literary Pub series. This one shows off Shady Creek's charm at Christmas time. Fox continues to develop her characters and to show off the charm of a small town life. The downside to the small town living is also shown when a prior resident comes back to town and everyone isn't necessarily thrilled to see him. Fox again leads us through a festival and some red herring misdirects while solving the mystery. Keeps you guessing til the end.

    Looking forward to the next installment in the series


    View all my reviews



    Challenge Prompts

    The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

      1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book #105
      2. Cravings for a Cozy and Cloak and  Dagger #CloakDaggerChal : Book # 90
      3. Cruising through cozies -  2nd choice for holiday cozy
      4. Medical Examiner-  1 Toe Tag 
      5. Six Shooter- 2nd shot
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      Saturday, August 29, 2020

      Rescued by a Kiss

       This is a fun and quirky book by Colleen Mooney that is the first in a series called New Orleans Go Cup.  It is part mystery, part romance and funny all around.  There are plenty of dog loving moments and you cannot help but smile at Brandy's love for Schnauzers.  There are some pretty funny laugh out loud moments and even the drama/crime piece of the story is down played.  The heart of the story is the characters and their interactions.  They feel like real people with real life relationships and the ups and downs that go with them.   I really enjoyed them and cannot wait to read more in the series. 

      Rescued By A KissRescued By A Kiss by Colleen Mooney
      My rating: 3 of 5 stars 

      I enjoyed reading this first book in the series and plan to read more. There were parts of the story that were a little annoying. Mooney writes the book in a manner that is similar to having a high speed conversation. At times things are bit too staccato and make it difficult to follow the writing. But it is definitely a fast paced story with interesting characters.

      I enjoyed the interactions of the characters. Brandy, the main protagonist, her friends, Suzanne and Julia, are all quite entertaining. The whole story of how she meets Jiff and the ensuing chaos and drama is quite crazy but fun to read. The story is part mystery, part romance and just pure fun. Oh yeah there's lots of cute Schnauzers so what's not to love about that. There are some outlandish scenes in some Bourbon St clubs that make for fun reading. I look forward to reading more in the series. 

      View all my reviews


      Challenge Prompts

      The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:
      1. Cravings for a Cozy and Cloak and  Dagger #CloakDaggerChal : Book  73
      2. Cruising through cozies -  Free choice 22
      3. Six Shooter- new target #30
      4. 52 Books in 52 weeks  #44 recommended by Amazon
      5. Monthly Keyword-  #MonthlyKeyWordChallenge-  Kiss



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      Friday, January 17, 2020

      Let's go garage selling

      At least let's do it in a book.  This is a fun cozy based around Sara Winston and her garage sale business.  She is an ex air force wife and currently lives near a base in Mass.  The plot definitely has some twists and turns.  The author does reference previous stories but not so much that you have to have read them in order.   The garage sale items and research are a fun side note to the story as well.

      The story line definitely contains military references which I could relate to as a military dependent.  I grew up on Navy bases around the US for the first 15 years of my life.  I didn't live in the same place for more than 4 years until I had graduated college.  I'm guessing this is where my love of travel originated.  It wasn't a life everyone would enjoy but we have some great memories of places we would never have lived otherwise-  like Hawaii. 

      All in all I enjoyed the book and plan to read more of the series





      Let’s Fake a Deal (Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mystery #7)Let’s Fake a Deal by Sherry Harris
      My rating: 4 of 5 stars

      This is the first book i have read in this series. I enjoyed the story with its numerous plot twists.
      Sara Winston is a well developed character. I felt like there was more to her than many of the cozy mystery characters. You got to see more of her thoughts and emotions than a typical cozy.
      I will definitely go back and read the rest of the series.


      View all my reviews

      Challenge Tracking:

      Be sure to check out my Challenge tracker tab at the top of the page to see how I am doing on my different challenges.

      1. Library Love-  Book 7
      2. Alphabet soup Author- #AlphabetSoupAuthorChallenge "H"
      3. AtoZ and Alphabet soup challenge #AlphabetSoupChallenge "L"
      4. Cravings for a Cozy and Cloak and  Dagger: Book 5 
      5. Cruising through cozies -  career #2
      6. Calendar of Crime-  May #9 Military figure has a major role
      7.  Cloak and  Dagger: Book 5 
      8. Literary Escapes-  MA
      9. Medical Examiner-  2 Toe Tag 
      10. Six Shooter-  1 shot for Sherry Harris
      11. Mystery Bingo:  
        • Weapons card :  Motor Vehicle and Fire
        • Clues:  Disguise; muddy clothing
      12. 52 Books in 52 weeks  #13 written by a woman
      13. Book List Queen #10 Clever Title
      14. NJM-  #20  Author new to you
      15. Wizarding World Tour   Beauxbatons-  Someone breaks the law 
      16. Color Coded:  #2  Red
      17. Popsugar- #popsugarreadingchallenge  #20 with a pun in the title
      18. Around the Year in 52 Books- #34 A book from a genre or sub genre that starts with a letter in your name---Cozy mystery
      19. 20 in 20:  #Read20in2020 #2 A book set in the country where you are residing
      20. Beat the Backlist #BeatTheBacklist2020 # 20 new to you author

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      Saturday, December 28, 2019

      #CalendarOfCrime2020




      The Calendar of Crime challenge is being hosted over on myreadersblock.    It is a fun challenge based on reading mysteries that follow prompts for the calendar.   You do not have to read the books in the month of the prompt, just read 12 books covering the prompts through the year.

      The challenge runs Jan 1 - Dec 31, 2020.   See the blog post for all the details and to sign up





      My Book Selections:

      Jan-
      • #3 Primary action in  this month  

        Feb-



        Mar-



        Apr-



        May-



        Jun-


        Jul-



        Aug-



        Sep-



        October-


        Nov-



        Dec-




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