Gingerbread Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen #13.5)
by Joanne Fluke, Leslie Meier (Goodreads Author), Laura Levine (Goodreads Author)

Oct 25, 2013  

4 of 5 stars

This book has 3 short stories involving gingerbread cookie murders. They are written by 3 different authors.

The first story, from Joanne Fluke, is about Hannah Swenson and her ever-going-on argument with neighbor Ernie Kusak and his Christmas music. But when she goes over there to talk to him about it, she finds him dead. So now Hannah, with the rest of Lake Eden, try to find out who could have killed Ernie. There are Christmas details that will get you into the holiday spirit. The whole story was fast paced and very humorous. There are some of the recipes from the story that are listed in the book.

The second story, from Laura Levine, is about Jaine Austen and her kitty, Prozac. Instead of spending the holidays in Los Angeles, she has decided to have Christmas with her parents in Florida. Hank (her Dad), has purchased a spinning gold tree from infomercials and her Mom won't stop feeding human food to Prozac. When the gingerbread man in a 2-bit play ends up dead, Jaine- along with her Dad who thinks he's a private-eye, try to find out who killed the gingerbread man without ending up dead themselves. Funny, quirky, and another fast read.

The last story, by Leslie Meier, is about Lucy Stone. When a child she adores ends up missing just before Christmas, she tries to find out who could have kidnapped him. It was such a heartwarming story that ended on a positive note. Even though Christmas is commercialized this story showed the true meaning of the holidays.

Out of the 3 stories, I liked the first and second the best because of the humor and quirkiness.

74 Seaside Avenue (Cedar Cove, #7)
by Debbie Macomber

Oct 17, 20 13 

4 of 5 stars

Dear Reader, I'm living a life I couldn't even have" dreamed" of a few years ago. I'm married to Bobby Polgar now (you know, the famous chess champion who just happens to be the man I love ). And we've got this beautiful house with a view of Puget Sound.

Lately something's been worrying Bobby, though. When I asked, he said he was 'protecting his queen' and I got the oddest feeling he wasn't talking about chess but about "me." He wouldn't say anything else.

Do you remember Get Nailed, the beauty salon in Cedar Cove? I still work there. I'll tell you about my friend Rachel, who's got two men interested in her (count 'em, "two"). And I'll let you in on what I've heard about Linnette McAfee, who left town when her love life fell apart. ("That" kind of trouble I know all about.) Come in soon for a manicure and a chat, okay?

Teri ( Miller) Polgar

MY REVIEW
This book continues the Cedar Cove saga, which I really enjoy. Each book concentrates on one set of characters while keeping the other residents of Cedar Cove in the story. The main story line in this book center on Teri and her new husband Bobby, but Olivia, Grace, and all the others are included as well as the introduction of some new characters and new story lines to remember and keep straight in your head as you read. That is the only thing that bothers me about The Cedar Cove books; too many characters and too many story lines. What I do like is that Debbie Macomber briefly recaps the characters and situations (from previous books) in each book in case the reader doesn't read the books one after another. This book ends with some cliffhangers which makes the reader want to go on to #8 in the series.

Starry Night: A Christmas Novel
by Debbie Macomber

Oct 14, 2013  · 

4 of 5 stars

Carrie Slayton, a big-city society-page columnist, longs to write more serious news stories. So her editor hands her a challenge: She can cover any topic she wants, but only if she first scores the paper an interview with Finn Dalton, the notoriously reclusive author.

Living in the remote Alaskan wilderness, Finn has written a mega bestselling memoir about surviving in the wild. But he stubbornly declines to speak to anyone in the press, and no one even knows exactly where he lives.

Digging deep into Finn’s past, Carrie develops a theory on his whereabouts. It is the holidays, but her career is at stake, so she forsakes her family celebrations and flies out to snowy Alaska. When she finally finds Finn, she discovers a man both more charismatic and more stubborn than she even expected. And soon she is torn between pursuing the story of a lifetime and following her heart.

My Review
What I liked about this book was that it was a simple sweet romance book that focused on one plot. I found it to be a quick read which was different from what I have been reading lately.

Some parts were a little unrealistic for me such as falling in love in such a very short period of time,but then again it is a fiction book. I liked how we found out what Finn's life was like before he became a recluse. I liked how Carrie changed all that in a positive way and that the book ended on a happy note. I also could not believe how strong and independent Carrie was to follow through with her mission to find Finn and not to be frightened away when she discovered how he was living and his appearance too. It wouldn't be me doing what she did. I can see there being a sequence written for this book.

A Tap on the Window
by Linwood Barclay

Oct 04, 2013  

5 of 5 stars

Read in October, 2013

I absolutely loved this book!! Linwood Barclay is such a great suspense writer. His books are domestic thrillers with this one being no exception. The main character is Cal Weaver, private investigator. Strange deaths, disappearances of characters, secrets between residents are all part of the crimes going on in Griffon, NY where the book takes place. The book is written in the first person so you feel as if you are solving the crimes with Cal as he goes through his investigations. The reader can only make guesses and learn if they are right as the book progresses. There is another subplot, written in italics, in third person and the reader doesn't learn who the characters involved are in that plot until much later on in the book. The two plots eventually merge into one and it starts to make sense. It just adds to the suspense of the story. Everytime I thought I knew what was going to happen there was a twist. I love reading books with twists. They make it more intriguing. Even though it was a 500 page book it was a quick read. I can't wait until Barclay comes out with his next thriller. He can't write them fast enough for me.

Blindsighted (Grant County, #1)
by Karin Slaughter (Goodreads Author)

Sep 25, 20 13  

5 of 5 stars

bookshelves: new-to-me-authors

This was my first Karin Slaughter book. It was recommended to me since I like to read thrillers involving detectives and crimes. I was not disappointed by this one at all. The book opens up with a murder and of course that is just enough to make the reader want to keep going with the book. There were so many characters which was difficult to keep track of but my list came in handy as I was reading. I like these type of stories because they are page turners and I like to take all the events in the book and try to solve the crimes. Some the crimes in this book were gory and sick but I still liked the book. I also liked the book because there were twists in the plot and that is always captivating to me. I will definitely be reading more of Karin Slaughter's books.

A Seaside Christmas
by Sherryl Woods

Sep 17, 2013  

3 of 5 stars

Read from September 11 to 14, 2013

#1 New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods takes you back to Chesapeake Shores for another heartwarming holiday season

As the only child of a single mom, Jenny Collins wanted nothing more than to be part of a large, rambunctious family like the O'Briens. Ironically, though, when her mother married into that family, Jenny found herself feeling more like an outsider than ever.

Now, after years in Nashville as an established songwriter, Jenny's drawn back to Chesapeake Shores to collaborate on a Christmas production, and to make peace with the past. As if that's not challenging enough, Caleb Green, the singer who broke her heart, has followed her to town, determined to win her back.

With the help of a little O'Brien holiday magic, will Jenny and Caleb find a way to make sweet music forever.

MY REVIEW:

This was my first book to read from the Chesapeake Shore Series. I don't know if that is good or bad since it is the newest and I missed everything that lead up to this one. I read this book for a book tour and was lucky enough to read this as an ARC before its release in Oct.

The book has a theme of betrayal and forgiveness. I liked the book because it was an easy read about how the members of a family help and support one another whenever needed in coping with life's ups and downs.I like to read about close knit families. The setting is in a small town which I like to read about also. I liked the outcome of the story since it ended on a happy note.

However, I found the plot to be too simple and predictable with no twists which I like in books. I felt the book was not captivating enough for me. This does not mean I will not go back and read the other books in the series. I would like to learn more about the characters.

READ OTHER REVIEWS FOR THIS BOOK :

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 "A Seaside Christmas" by Sherryl Woods

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The Time Between
by Karen White

Sep 03, 2013  

3 of 5 stars

bookshelves: 2013-new-authors-for-me

Read in September, 2013

I thought this book was a good story with the theme of betrayal, forgiveness, getting past guilt and moving on with life. I was pleased with the outcome of the story. However, I found myself losing concentration because of the slow pacing of the plot. Why I kept going with it was because I wanted to find out the character's secrets.

This was the first Karen White book I have read. I am willing to read more of her books but if they all go at a slow pace like this one did, then she is not an author for me.