A Peach of Murder by Livia Washburn

I enjoyed this book, I'm probably not going to read the rest of this series any time soon however. I just didn't relate to the main character, Phyllis. Phyllis is a retired history school teacher living in a small (ish) town in Texas. I just don't have anything to do with any of those things. That being said, the story was well written, the plot was interesting, and the characters enjoyable, it's just not for me. If I stumble on more books in this series, Fresh Baked Mysteries then I will read them.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Recommendations: The rest of this series! Book two is Murder by the Slice

251 pages and about 2 hours.

8 Steps to a Pain Free Back by Esther Gokhale

This was an interesting book, it was actually recommended to me by my doctor . There were some good tips and exercises in it. The author stated that she wanted to make her techniques available to everyone. And for the most part she succeeded, the exercises are clearly described and there are lots of photos. But, I think you need the feedback of a professional to really achieve good results. I have no way of knowing if I am performing any of the techniques correctly, although the author does include trouble shooting tips and signals that you are doing things incorrectly. It's still very helpful, it helped with some of my back pain! But what it really did for me was make me wish I could take her class. I would recommend this book to others with back pain for sure!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

No recommendations this time.

I don't know how long this took me to read, probably not long but I didn't read it straight through and re read a lot of sections!

Photo Finished by Laura Childs

Well, this series is so much better than the Tea Shop one! The writing is just a little bit more crisp and there is some urgency. I have to say that the main character, Carmela, annoys me just a little. I want her to get over her (hopefully soon to be ex-husband!) but other than that she is a great character. This book is the 2nd in the scrapbook series, the first one was Keepsake Crimes*. There is just a little bit more zest to this book, although the pace is still a little languid. I wonder if it's because it's set in the South? And while I do like this one, I am pretty indifferent to the whole scrap booking angle, but I do like all the food that she includes! lol

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Recommendations: The rest of the scrapbook mysteries. This author has another series too, the Cackleberry mysteries... I have the first book but I haven't read it yet!

260 pages about 3 hours.

Ghastly Glass by Joyce and Jim Lavene

I liked this book, although the culprit was a little obvious. But I really enjoyed the characters, especially Jessie and Chase and the setting of a renaissance village is great! The other characters are hilarious with their blend of reality and make believe. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, Deadly Daggers!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Recommendations: The first book in the Renaissance Faire Mysteries is Wicked Weaves*. I also really enjoyed another Lavene book, Timely Visions*. They have another series as well the Peggy Lee Garden series... I have the first book, Pretty Poison, but I haven't read it yet!

312 pages took me about 3 hours.

Murder Past Due by Miranda James

I liked this book. It's a new series and I'm just sad that there is only one other book so far. I wasn't expecting the main character to be a man. Charlie is also older, in his 50's I think it adds a little depth to his character. And I'm looking forward to exploring his character in the future books. And I loved the cat, Diesel. He's a Maine Coon and has a lot of personality. The author includes him in the story but doesn't overly humanize or sentimentalize the cat, I liked that. All in all a good read.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Recommendations: The next book in the series is, Classified as Murder, but it doesn't come out till May *sigh*. I also want to check out Curiosity Thrilled the Cat, I'm waiting for my hold at the library!

294 pages and read it in 2 hour flat :)

Better Read Than Dead by Victoria Laurie

Now reading this after Gunpowder Green* was as different as night and day. This book has sparkle and wit. It's funny and the main character, Abby, is great. She is also very human, she has flaws, she gets jealous and scared and all around has depth to her. The writing has a great up tempo to it. I enjoyed this one immensely. Abby is a psychic and the whole matter is included to matter of factly that it doesn't feel unnatural at all. This is the second book in the Abby Cooper: Psychic Eye series and I can't wait to get the third (which my library doesn't have, grrr).

Rating: 5 out 5 stars, I really enjoyed this one.

Recommendations: Witch Way to Murder* by Shirley Damsgaard is the first book in the Abby and Ophelia mysteries, and The Trouble With Magic* by Madelyn Alt is the first book in the Bewitching mystery series. I also would recommend Mum's the Word* by Kate Collins, it's not a paranormal mystery but the writing style is very much the same. Mum's the Word is the first in the Flower Shop mysteries.

296 pages, about 2 hours.

Gunpowder Green by Laura Childs

I really want to like this book and this series. The characters should be engaging and interesting the mystery is well done. The scenarios intriguing.... But I just can't. Gunpowder Green is the second book in the Tea Shop Mysteries. And I should love them, but the writing is flat and uninteresting. I was actually able to put the book away just pages before the big reveal of who the murderer was! And I am someone who is almost *physically* incapable of putting a book down without finishing a chapter! I like the premise, I like the characters, I just can't get into the writing. There is no spark, no life to it. I do like Laura Child's other series, The Scrapbook Mysteries.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars, it was OK.
Recommendations: Try the Scrapbook Mysteries, I read the first book (Keepsake Crimes) already and liked it a lot better!
244 pages and took me about 3 hours.

There Will Be Dragon by John Ringo

No despite the title this is not a fantasy novel! It's a sci-fi novel and an end of the world type at that (my favorite). In the very distant future people have virtually no wants or needs. Until the "Net" that provides everything for humans goes down (This is waaaay over simplifying things). Now the people best equipped to survive are the ones who studied or re enacted Roman, Renaissance, and modern (for us the reader) times. It is the first in a series and I'm a little worried that the story is going to get drug out too much... or else span multiple generations, neither of which I'd like.
Rating: I enjoyed this book. I'll give it 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommendations: I've only read a few things by Ringo, and that was in conjunction with another author David Weber (who I love). And that series was March Upcountry*, March to the Sea*, March to the Stars* and We Few*. I'll also finish this series, the next book is Against the Tide.
This one was about 600 pages and probably took me about 8 hours to read (in my defense I was sick)

The Diva Runs Out of Thyme by Krista Davis

I really enjoyed this book. I finished it last week and then promptly got sick. So my review is a little late. I enjoyed the characters although I felt almost like there were too many to really get a feel for everyone. I'm really looking forward to the next books in the series so I can get to know everyone better. The main character Sophie, was sophisticated enough to be interesting but normal enough to seem like someone you might know. And her "nemesis" Natasha was a Martha Stewart clone, I truly enjoyed their rivalry.
So, rating: 4 out 5 stars, not a book I would keep for all time, but highly enjoyable.
Recommendations; the rest of the series (so far!) The Diva Takes the Cake, The Diva Paints the Town and, The Diva Cooks a Goose. They are definitely on my list of things to read and luckily my library carries all three! I've got a couple of books in the queue that are of a similar looking nature, main character is a chef/caterer/decorator etc so I'll let you know how they compare.

300 pages took me about 3 hours to finish. (Understand that I'm not timing every minute, I'm only approximating.)

The Cat, the Quilt and the Corpse by Lean Sweeney

Alright, so I didn't care for this one so much, I found the main character, Jillian, to be a little wishy-washy although by the end she was doing a lot better. I also didn't care for how they portrayed the cats and their relationships to their people. Don't get me wrong, I love my cats but I just didn't like this authors take on them. I will probably read the rest of the books in this series; The Cat, the Professor and the Poison and The Cat, the Lady and the Liar. I think I will get to like Jillian more as time goes by. The author has another series too, the Yellow Rose mysteries that I will probably check out sometime.
Rating: This one gets 3 out of 5 stars, it was OK.
This is a new series for me, and I only picked it up cause it had cats lol so no recommends this time.

(This one was 278 pages and took me about 2 hours)

If Walls Could Talk by Juliet Blackwell

Just finished, If Walls Could Talk. This is the first book in a new series. I enjoyed it, I liked and empathized with the main character, Mel. Mel is a general construction contractor, she's recently divorced and discovers she has "the sight" and can see/sense (some) ghosts. The ghost of a murdered associate starts haunting her and she is compelled to help him. In between solving murders Mel has to run her construction business and family concerns as well. I especially liked the descriptions of the construction aspects, and Mel's search for period treasures for restoring historical homes. There is a hint of romantic complications too for those of us who like that sort of thing too.
Rating:Over all I'll give this book, 4 out of 5stars, I liked it but didn't *love* it.
Recommendations: Juliet Blackwell has written two other books, Second Hand Spirits and Cast Off Coven*. If you liked this, try Blackwell's other book, Second Hand Spirits,which is the first in that series. If you have a more paranormal bent, try The Trouble with Magic* by Madelyn Alt.

* indicates that I have read a book

A Little About Me

So as you might see from any earlier posts, I discovered that a free form blog was not for me. I had a hard time completing thoughts. Sooooo, I'm switching gears. My husband pointed out that since I read a lot, and since I spend a lot of time looking for *more* things to read that maybe I should write book reviews. I thought this was a great idea. And it's perfect for me, I have a specific topic each time to write about. So! Hopefully these reviews will be helpful to other people. And hopefully I will have fun writing them.
Anyway, about me real fast. I love to read, I read all the time, I also read very quickly. I average about 20-25 books per month. I always have books on me, I have books in the car, at work (an emergency backup book, in case I forget the one I am currently reading) I just like having books around. I also spend hours each week looking for more things to read, I *love* Amazon's If you like this, then try this feature. So I'm going to try and include a feature like that in each review. We'll just see how it goes :)