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Showing posts from October, 2015

Review: Recipes for Love and Murder (Tannie Maria Mystery #1) by Sally Andrew

Recipes for Love and Murder (Tannie Maria Mystery #1) by Sally Andrew Blurb from Goodreads : A bright new talent makes her fiction debut with this first novel in a delicious crime series set in rural South Africa—a flavorful blend of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and Goldy Schulz, full of humor, romance, and recipes, and featuring a charming cast of characters Tannie Maria ("tannie" meaning auntie, the respectful Afrikaans address for a woman older than you) is a middle-aged widow who likes to cook—and eat. She shares her culinary love through her work as a recipe columnist for the local paper, until the Gazette decides its readers are hungrier for advice on matters of the heart than for lunch and dinner ideas. Tannie Maria doesn't like the change but soon discovers she has a knack—and a passion—for helping people. Of course, a recipe is always part of the remedy she offers. Assisting other people with thei

Review: These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

These Shallow Graves  by Jennifer Donnelly Blurb from Goodreads : Set in gilded age New York, These Shallow Graves follows the story of Josephine Montfort, an American aristocrat. Jo lives a life of old-money ease. Not much is expected of her other than to look good and marry well. But when her father dies due to an accidental gunshot, the gilding on Jo’s world starts to tarnish. With the help of a handsome and brash reporter, and a young medical student who moonlights in the city morgue, Jo uncovers the truth behind her father’s death and learns that if you’re going to bury the past, you’d better bury it deep. My Review:   Unfortunately what could have been a really interesting concept and book did not work for me.  This was so predictable -- sheltered rich girl longs to explore the gritty streets of New York and falls in love with a boy from the wrong side of the tracks that is hell-bent on destroying her rich family.  I coul

Waiting on Wednesday: The Last Boy and Girl in the World by Siobhan Vivian

 "Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine , that spotlights upcoming releases that you are eagerly anticipating. Today, I am waiting on:   The Last Boy and Girl in the World  by Siobhan Vivian From Goodreads : From the critically acclaimed author of The List comes a stunning new novel about a girl who must say goodbye to everything she knows after a storm wreaks havoc on her hometown. Aberdeen is drowning.  Keeley Hewitt always has a joke to crack. Except there is nothing funny about her life right now. Her hometown of Aberdeen has always been known for flooding, but after one last terrible storm, the entire town has been told they must evacuate by the end of the summer--for good. How will she say goodbye to everything and everyone she has ever known? Most of the Aberdeen residents happily take the generous payout and look forward to starting over someplace new. But Keeley's dad isn't swayed by the overtures

Review: First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen by Charlie Lovett

First Impressions by Charlie Lovett Blurb from Goodreads : A thrilling literary mystery costarring Jane Austen from the New York Times–bestselling author of The Bookman’s Tale Charlie Lovett first delighted readers with his New York Times–bestselling debut, The Bookman’s Tale. Now Lovett is back with another brilliantly imagined mystery, this time featuring one of English literature’s most popular and beloved authors: Jane Austen. Book lover and Austen enthusiast Sophie Collingwood has recently taken a job at an antiquarian bookshop in London when two different customers request a copy of the same obscure book: the second edition of A Little Book of Allegories by Richard Mansfield. Their queries draw Sophie into a mystery that will cast doubt on the true authorship of Pride and Prejudice—and ultimately threaten Sophie’s life. In a dual narrative that alternates between Sophie’s quest to uncover the truth—while choosing between two suitor

Review: Bright Stars by Sophie Duffy

Bright Stars by Sophie Duffy Blurb from Goodreads : Four students are involved in a tragedy that rips their friendship apart. What happens when they are reunited 25 years later?  Cameron Spark’s life is falling apart. He is separated from his wife, and awaiting a disciplinary following an incident in the underground vaults of Edinburgh where he works as a Ghost Tour guide. On the day he moves back home to live with his widowed dad, he receives a letter from Canada. It is from Christie.  Twenty-five years earlier, Cameron attends Lancaster University and despite his crippling shyness, makes three unlikely friends: Christie, the rich Canadian, Tommo, the wannabe rock star and Bex, the feminist activist who has his heart. In a whirlwind of alcohol, music, and late night protests, Cameron feels as though he’s finally living; until a horrific accident shatters their friendship and alters their futures forever. Christie’s letter offers th