"All the best stories in the world are but one story in reality -- the story of escape. It is the only thing which interests us all and at all times, how to escape."
Amy Ephron has put together a collection of essays about her memories for us to enjoy including friendships, romances, marriages and even her love for her Filofax. The story that really caught my attention was the afternoon she spent with Squeaky Fromme.
This is a well written quick read of some of the ups and downs in this author's life. Entertaining, some funny, some a little scary, but all really good. It is not a deep "get to know Amy Ephron" type book, just little snippets of certain events. Wonderful for a little escape.
About This Author from Wikipedia
Ephron is the author of six novels – her latest, the best seller One Sunday Morning: A Novel, is out in paperback. Her national bestseller, A Cup of Tea: A Novel of 1917 , spent 37 weeks on the LA Times bestsellers list and has been bought by film producer Jerry Bruckheimer. A Cup of Tea: won Ephron the 2005 Southern California Booksellers Association award for fiction, received the Booklist Best Fiction of the Year 2005 award and was a Barnes and Noble Book Club selection.
I need to Recognize Sharon of Sharon's Garden of Book Reviewsfor drawing this book to my attention. I saw it on her list for the Monday Meme, It's Monday, What Are You Reading? It looked like something I would like to read and it also had a title that qualified for the What's In A Name Challenge. So with this book I complete that challenge and my being a book recommended by Sharon, it also gives me another entry for my3 R'S Challenge as well, which is one I am really behind on. Thank you Sharon!!!
The Food Channel comes to Scottsdale, Arizona, by way of the Scottsdale Food Festival. Mel Cooper and Angie DeLaura are determined to win top prize for the Fairy Tale Cupcakes Bakery or may die trying. They have to "beat" their arch rival Olivia Puckett first just to get entered into the competition and beating her with their delicious desserts will just be icing on their cupcakes.
Even with Mel's mentor, Vic Mazzotta, Food Channel celebrity chef, sitting in one of the judge's chairs, Mel knows she will need to use all her culinary skills to create the best dish using the daily mystery ingredients if they are going to take home the grand prize.
Shocked when Vic doesn't show up to judge the girls know something is amiss. They are just planning to search for him when a dead body is found in a freezer truck on the festival grounds. Someone had put Vic on ice, permanently. Now they not only have to ice their competition with their fabulous cupcakes they also need to find a cold blood killer.
My Thoughts
This is a scrumptious series and the latest installment is absolutely delicious!!
Two strong women, some hunky men and frosting how can you go wrong, lol!!!!
Truthfully the characters are lovable and becoming more defined in each story. I love Oz, the newest face at Fairy Tale Cupcakes. The plot is timely and clever. The mystery ingredients competition reminded me of the mystery box challenges of Master Chef on Fox. There were assorted "red herrings" to divert us and lead us astray. Plus cupcakes, lots and lots of cupcakes!!! (recipes included)
WARNING: You will be craving cupcakes while reading this so be sure to have some handy!!
Jenn even gives us a taste of the next temptation, Red Velvet Revenge, and I can't wait to get my sticky hands on it. For now just be sure to get your copy of Death by the Dozentoday and enjoy!!!
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Berkley Prime Crime. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Detective Jane Perry is on the case. InPromissory Payback she is investigating the gruesome death of a woman with not many friends and a whole lot of enemies. "Karma is a bitch" is very true in this case.
ANONYMOUS: One of Jane's first AA meetings leads her to an encounter with a woman in need of her detection skills...and a secret she never expected to uncover.
YOU CAN'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER: Forced by her boss to speak at a high school career day, Jane meets a troubled boy and finds that his story is only the beginning of a much more revealing tale.
YOU'RE ONLY AS SICK AS YOUR SECRETS: An early-morning homicide call introduces Jane to a mystery as layered as it is unsuspected.
THINGS AREN'T ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM: Jane finds herself sharing a 2:00 am conversation at a downtown bar with an old acquaintance. Will the bloody night that proceeded this moment complicate Jane's intentions?
My Thoughts
I really enjoyed these stories. Don't let the small number of pages fool you. These are well written short mysteries that still pack a punch with sharp dialogue, a gritty leading lady and plots that play out a break neck speed. They are the perfect quick reads to get your mystery fix. There are even more Jane Dewey novels/novelettes to enjoy and the author will be starting a new series next year with a whole new star. Keep your eye on this author!!
Check out her Web Page for more information on this author and her stories.
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I am offering my gently read copies for giveaway!!
First, Nell and Oliver are planning a huge surprise for Eleanor. They are going to replant the beautiful rose garden in her backyard and bring it back to the way it was before Grace, the previous owner died. But the surprise turns out to be on them as while digging up the garden they discover the skeleton of a human body. The mystery is started as Nell and her Chief of Police boyfriend, Jesse, start to gather clues to determine who the deceased was and how he came to be buried in rose garden.
Archer's Rest is also planing a a big anniversary celebration for the town. There will be a parade, a carnival, a quilt show, and fireworks to mark the 350th year since John Archer had founded the town that bears his name.
Add to that, someone is vandalizing everything from the school to the cemetery, and the rumors are flying around town about ghosts and witches.
As the clues and many secrets are revealed the job of sewing them all together may be too much for Jesse even with Nell's help. Thankfully they have many friends willing to assist them in solving this mystery.
My Thoughts
Visits to Archer's Rest are like a trip to visit friends. Friends that understand perfectly my overwhelming fabric stash and my vast collection of quilting books and magazines.
My favorite passage from this book, "We are all joined by needle and thread, by the usefulness and beauty of a quilt, and by the friendships that form because of it."
I love the way Clare writes, she describes the scene, makes her characters shine, threads together a complex plot with so many suspects, and keeps it all tight and real. This time there were so many pieces I didn't know how they were all going to come together but she sews everything up with missing a stitch.
This is the perfect story to cozy up with as the weather turns cooler. Sit back and enjoy as Archer's Rest works together to not only pull off a fine festival but uncovers the real "devil" behind this mystery puzzle.
Your Escape With A Good Book Travel Agent
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Plume, A Division of Penguin Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Sherlock Holmes, the world's best-known and most-loved fictional detective, is more popular today than ever. This collection presents many of the most familiar cases Holmes and his assistant, Dr. Watson, ever solve, including "Silver Blaze," "The Greek Interpreter," and "The Musgrave Ritual." As Holmes's fame grows, it brings him notoriety that piques the ire of London's criminal underworld, who begin to scheme against him. It is in "The Final Problem" that Dr. Watson relates the grisly, fatal, and shocking tale of how Holmes finally meets his match, encountering the diabolical Professor Moriarty in a terrible struggle at Reichenbach Falls.
I have to start out by telling you that when I was asked to review this book, it took me only seconds to respond. My husband and I are huge Sherlock Holmes fans.
Exhibit #1 Our Cats
Back in the days when there were just 4 television selections, ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS, chances were pretty good that late nights on Fridays or Saturdays there would be a Sherlock Holmes movie on at least one of the channels. My favorite Holmes was Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce was my favorite Dr. Watson. But today with the Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes movie starring Robert Downey, Jr. and its sequel coming out in December there is a whole new audience for the Arthur Conan Doyle character. If you are a fan of the television show House you would also notice many similarities between Sherlock Holmes and Gregory House. In fact many episodes contain actual Holmes references. For example in the season two finale, House is shot by a crazed gunman credited as "Moriarty," the name of Holmes's nemesis. Today I just found this article that says CBS is working on a modern day Sherlock Holmes story. BBC already has out their own contemporary series. There are even cartoons based on the characters and books written about Holmes for all grade levels.
I guess what I am trying to say are these stories are timeless and can be read again and again at any time in your life.
Be sure to go see the new movie in December. I am not sure I like explosions and shooting but that's what is in all suspense movies these days.
I am more a fan of the Holmes in this book who uses his deductive skills, perceptions and sharp observations to solve the cases. This is a fantastic book for the older fans like me and a great way to introduce new fans on how Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson started out. The first story was published in 1887 and the character of Sherlock Holmes is still relevant today. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has truly created characters that are timeless and who I "deduce" will be with us in one form or another forever and ever.
Your Escape With A Good Book Travel Agent
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Penguin Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Here is just a small sampling of books and DVDs available
Featuring Sherlock Holmes
Click on the picture to go to Amazon.com to order yours today.
Cover Illustration
by Alan Ayers
Cover Design
by Rita Frangie
India Black and the Widow of Windsor The Berkley Publishing Group Published by The Penguin Group A Madam of Espionage Mystery Second book in the series. Available October 4, 2011
India Black is back and on a new mission with her friend French in Scotland.
It doesn't take long for India to realize the Prime Minister was exactly right in his assessment of the situation. For the next few days India and French will be running themselves ragged to find the Queen's enemies and assure her safety.
My Thoughts
Like the first book in this series, India Black, I loved this story. I adore where the author took this character on this adventure. Balmoral is a fascinating setting and I don't know how true the author's descriptions are of the castle, but I felt like I was right there sneaking through the hallways with India.
The story also contains a wonderful mystery with plenty of twists but what really captured by heart in this story was the humor. India has a quick wit and keen intelligence and while not at all happy with her job in this adventure she continues to entertain us with her observations and quips. The Lady India serves sets up several instances that had me laughing out loud.
Carol K. Carr is an amazing storyteller. I love her writing style. In her case, her words are worth a thousand beautiful pictures. I have absolutely no problem "escaping" far into her books and don't want to leave after the last words are read. I want to follow India on her next adventure. Please Carol don't make me want too long for my next trip abroad.
To find out more about this wonderful author be sure to visit her Web Page.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Berkley Prime Crime. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
I am really excited about this one!!
Thanks to the wonderful people at Berkley Prime Crime
I have 2, Yes 2 copies of this fabulous book to giveaway!!! U.S. & Canadian Residents Only
You do not need to be a follower
of Dollycas's Thoughts to enter but
Followers will receive 5 Bonus Entries!!!
If you publicize this giveaway, you will receive
an additional 5 Bonus Entries for each link you provide.
Welcome to Cozy Wednesday. I was blown away when I received the guest post from today's guest. The author information is curiously missing from today's featured book so I knew it was probably an author I knew using a pseudonym. The question was who was it? You will find out below!
Button Holed (Button Box Mystery) is the first installment of a brand new series and I loved it!!! My full review will follow Kylie's Guest Post. Please help me give a warm welcome to Kylie Logan!
Welcome Kylie!!
Thank you so much for the invitation to blog on your site.
Not everyone is lucky enough to not only have more than one personality, but to be able to celebrate it. As Casey Daniels, I write the Pepper Martin mystery series about a cemetery worker who investigates for the ghosts in her cemetery. The seventh book in that series, "A Hard Day’s Fright" came out in April and book #8, "Wild, Wild Death," will hit shelves on January 3.
But I’ve got a new alter-ego, and she’s just recently made her first official appearance.
She’s Kylie Logan, author of the Button Box mystery series. Book #1, "Button Holed," hit store and virtual shelves early this month.
Cover Illustration
by Jennifer Taylor
Cover Design
by Annette Fiore Defex
It’s been an interesting road to publication for Kylie and it all started, quite simply, because I like buttons. As Josie Giancola, the heroine of the new series comments, buttons are little bits of history, and tiny works of art. They say something about a person’s style, and that person’s social class. Many antique buttons display incredible workmanship, dazzling jewels and even say something about a wearer’s love life; back in the nineteenth century, it was fashionable for a young lady to have a photograph of her beau put on her coat buttons!
Still, I never thought about actually writing a mystery series about buttons until a couple years ago when I visited Ann Arbor, Michigan. I’d just finished lunch at a charming coffee shop and I was alone on the front porch, sipping coffee and knitting, when a couple sat down at the table next to me. There are a couple operative words in that last sentence, namely, alone and next to. You see, they decided to pick that very moment to break up.
I listened to it for ten minutes or so and honestly, I expected them to apologize. After all, there was no doubt I could hear everything they were saying. They didn’t. Instead, they went on and on and I’d had enough. I gathered up my knitting and went next door to an antique shop.
What I didn’t know until I opened the door was that it was an antique shop that specialized in buttons.
Thousands and thousands of buttons.
I was in heaven, and the nice lady who owned the place was only too happy to tell me stories and answer my questions.
It was that encounter that gave me the idea for the Button Box mysteries. Josie owns an antique button shop, too, though hers is in a Chicago brownstone. It’s there that she meets a famous actress who’s come to Josie for the buttons she’ll put on her wedding gown when she marries a European prince. And it’s that actress who is murdered in the shop. When Josie’s cleaning up, she finds an unusual button–one she knows didn’t come from her collection.
As for those multiple personalities of mine . . . readers who enjoy the Pepper Martin mysteries can expect much the same light and airy reading experience and the same sort of humor and intricate plotting. However, there are no paranormal elements in Kylie’s books as there are in Casey’s.
Because Kylie is a new person, she has her own, new blog. You can find her at:
Thank you so much for being here today. You are always welcome to come back no matter what alias you are using. Kylie also shared with me that she also writes as Miranda Bliss, author of the Cooking Class Mysteries, another of my favorites. She has other nom de plumes as well but I won't give out all her secrets here today. J
Josie Giancola is known as a button expert for all kinds of buttons and has even worked in Hollywood. Today she is opening her new button shop, The Button Box, set up in a Chicago brownstone. She also has an appointment with a well known Hollywood starlet who wants to find the perfect buttons for her perfect wedding dress. Josie arrives extra early on her opening day to make sure everything is ready for her appointment only to find that her store has been broken into and ransacked. There are buttons everywhere. Buttons she had spent many days sorting and categorizing and displaying with flawless precision.
Things don't get any better when the next day the starlet is found dead right in the middle of The Button Box. The homicide detective seems to be looking for clues in all the wrong places and the murderer has now set his sights on Josie. She has no choice but to follow the clues she has and get this murderer all buttoned up before she finds herself "Button Holed"!
My Thoughts
This story could not have been more perfect. Wonderful characters, a delightful complex plot, and thoroughly engaging humor.
I fell for Josie on the very first page. I come from a family of seamstresses and they all had button bowls and boxes. As a child I spent hours sorting, stacking and separating my favorites. I have my own button box around here somewhere from my sewing days and I know there are some buttons in there from my ancestors as well. Button Holed (Button Box Mystery) and The Button Box brought back some wonderful memories. Thankfully none of my memories include a dead starlet.
There is also a very interesting thread throughout the story about some very special buttons that I really enjoyed.
I was truly entertained from the first page to the last! I am patiently waiting for Kill Button, the next book in The Button Box Mystery Series coming soon, but never soon enough!!
Your Escape With A Good Book Travel Agent
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Berkley Prime Crime. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
NOW ARE YOU READY FOR A GIVEAWAY!! Thanks to Berkley Prime Crime I have 2 copies to share!!
All wars have rules! 1. No killing innocent bystanders. 2. No killing anyone under the age of eighteen. 3. Have a child before you are eighteen, the child must be turned over to the other side. BREAK THE RULES YOU BECOME THE TARGET!
Children are indoctrinated at the age of 16 and begin their war training. On their eighteenth birthday they become the hunters and the hunted in the war of "us" vs. "them".
The war has gone on for generations, fought all over the world, with two distinct sides "good" and "evil". The terms vary based on which side you are on. Reasons for the war change depending on who you ask. Every killing is done in way to look random or like an accident right out in the field of innocents. Plus the "us" and the "them" are not even clearly identified by those fighting the war. There is one rule everyone knows, Paranoia will keep you alive.
My Thoughts
When I finished this book, I said "Wow" and then sat back to contemplate the story I had just read. The news is filled daily with crime, scandal, and war. Wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, gang wars, drug wars, political wars, but to think a war like the one described in this book never entered my mind. Many wars are entered into without exit strategies or based on unclear information but the fact that this war has divided two factions without even a clear inkling WHY? scares me more than any of the other wars.
This book takes us with Joe on his journey in this war. It is definitely an intense suspense thriller that at times will have you on the edge of your seat, but it is so much more than that. Children of Paranoia is a book that will make you stop and think.
What really knocked me for a loop is that this is Trevor Shane's first novel. He has created the character of Joe with so many layers, it is almost like peeling an onion and there is still more. He also surrounds Joe with other wonderful characters that the reader becomes invested in with a few short sentences. Joe's mother is just one of those characters, her actions were both shocking and understandable.
This story is heart stopping one moment and tear jerking in another. Shane has created a masterpiece you will pick up and not put down until the final word and then you will say "Wow" and sit back contemplate this story and then want to tell your friends all about it. Just like I did!!
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Dutton, a division of The Penguin Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Louisa and the Missing Heiress: The First Louisa May Alcott Mystery takes place in Boston in 1854 long before Louisa gains the fame from her book Little Women. Back then she was writing a children's book and "blood and thunder" mysteries. Her father was a philosopher and would never approve of her literary pursuits. Her mother was a very frugal woman but very independent. The family followed some very risky pursuits for the time.
But the life she was leading in no way prepared her for the death of her friend, Dottie, a young newlywed, barely home from a year long trip abroad. She was clearly changed when she returned. Louisa was trying to find a way to spend time with her friend to determine what had caused this change, but she was too late. Dottie was found dead in the Boston Harbor. Accident... suicide... no it was murder. Suddenly Louisa feels as if she has been thrust into one of her mystery writings and she needs to find out who killed her friend and why. There are definitely many secrets and strange happenings. Louisa must sleuth out the truth before she falls victim herself.
My Thoughts
I really enjoyed this story. Stories behind the scenes of any famous person are always fun. It appears to be pretty historically accurate and reads much like something written my Louisa May Alcott herself. She was definitely one of my favorite authors while growing up.
Maclean takes us effortlessly back in time with a great mystery plot and true to the facts characters. It is books like this the remind us of authors who wrote wonderful classics and brings them back to life for yet another generation of readers.
The next book in this delightful series, Louisa and the Country Bachelor will be released October 4, 2011. I venture to say that after reading these stories you will probably feel like rereading some of Alcott's classics or reading them for the first time if you haven't before.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Obsidian. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
I chose this book this month to read Just For Fun because it has been shouting from my To-Be-Read stacks since it arrived and the new one is coming out next month. Louisa May Alcott was one of my favorite authors growing up when all my reading was "just for fun" so I had to continue the tradition!!
Crunch Time: A Novel of Suspense A Goldy Bear Culinary Mystery 16th in the series William Marrow An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Goldy Schultz, Colorado caterer, is in hot water again as she tries to help her friend, employee and fellow chef, Yolanda Garcia. It seems Yolanda is having a bit of bad luck after breaking up with her "boyfriend". The rental she is sharing with her great aunt Ferdinanda burns to the ground and arson is suspected. Then they move in with cop turned private detective Ernest McLeod. Shortly thereafter Ernest is killed and his house goes up in flames. Goldy, Yolanda, Ferinanda and nine puppies rescued from a puppy mill, barely escape with their lives.
Goldy takes them all in thinking that her house will surely be safe since her husband is a cop but they are not even safe there. The house is almost burglarized but Golldy's son foils that attempt. Then another body is found.
Goldy decides it is Crunch Time and jumps from the frying pan into the investigation of the fires and the murders. Can she stay one step ahead of the killer and keep herself from being their next victim?
My Thoughts
I have enjoyed this series since Catering to Nobody (Goldy, Book 1) but by the 16th installment it must get harder to write for characters. I really had a hard time finishing this book. The main plot and subplots were very good and I love these characters but the book seem so dragged out and really long. It is over 400 pages and 100 could have easily been cut. The last installment came out in April of 2009 which leads me to believe the author may have struggled a bit with this one and it shows.
An the positive side, Aunt Ferninada is hilarious, her little digs and her amazing wheelchair carried this story.
If you are a fan of this series you will want to read it to keep up with the characters you love but I recommend picking it up at the library unless you have the whole series collected on your keeper shelf. It will be interesting to see if this is the last we read about Goldy Schultz or if the author brings back a new installment more like the previous editions I loved.
Your Escape With A Good Book Travel Agent
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the Amazon Vine Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
