I seem to be stuck with an unfortunate combination: the love of a good mystery and a proneness to an overactive, nightmare-inducing imagination. I blame Nancy Drew for my love of a good mystery with all its twists, turns, sleuthing and excitement. Unfortunately, now mysteries are often of the murder type, which plays to that overactive imagination of mine and so they aren’t my typical fare. Back, ages ago, when we had a TV I could occasionally be sucked into a random crime drama. I’d divide my time between watching icky things between my fingers, enjoying the thrill of the investigation and being majorly confused as to what sort of shenanigans the characters were up to outside their day jobs. I loved it and hated it all at the same time.

I am still tempted by the occasional murder mystery but now exclusively in the written format. Fortunately, books are always better and this one was no exception.

For starters I never had to read any of it from behind my fingers. Because, let’s face it, unless you are the Cat in the Hat, reading with your eyes shut tight makes the whole experience very difficult. I may never look at a pitchfork without wincing again but other than that minor incident the gore was kept to a minimum. The book focused on the sleuthing, investigating and the general fascinating rottenness and strangeness of humans pushed to their limits. You know, all the best parts. It did become apparent early on that this wasn’t the detective’s debut novel but unlike the television crime dramas I’ve seen, I was able to pick up the lines of their personal lives without a problem.

Would I recommend it? Its got twists, its got turns, it’s got drama and horses and tea and it didn’t give me a single nightmare. My only disappointment is that I didn’t read The Skeletons of Birkbury first.

This honest review was given in return for a free copy of the book from its author.

One Way Fare by Barb & Hannah Taub

Dec29

Who needs Santa when you’ve got a sister-in-law to fill your stocking with books like this?

Would I recommend it? We are watching my year old nephew this week and I’ve been jumping up and down volunteering to put him down for naps and bedtime. He snuggles into my chest, I pop open the book, and by the time I’m ready to stop reading and put him down he is soundly asleep.

Check out my review of the Null City books by Barb Taub if you haven’t yet. The sale on her novellas lasts for a few more days yet, but don’t skip this one- it’s the best of the bunch!

Null City books by Barb Taub

Dec15

I’d hate to be accused of being one of those people who runs themselves ragged during the holiday season, spending so much time preparing to have fun that they never relax and actually have fun. Luckily for me and my fun-loving self, I happen to be extraordinarily good at avoiding all my responsibilities for an hour or so at a time. I’m virtually an expert at sitting down in front of the fire with the cats and the dogs to read a bit of a book and let the stress of the day pass me by.

But it is the holidays, and I do have a million things to do and all kinds of fun I’d like to have, so I am a little bit choosy about the kind of book I’ll pick up. Now is not the time to finally read Middlemarch. I’m not even going to consider reading the second Stormlight Archive book right now, and if you hear Philippa Gregory has a new book out, don’t tell me about it until after the new year. Payback is a Witch by Barb Taub However, if a novella (or three) revolving around characters with superpowers, witches, goddesses, fairies – even the Krampus, and the city they can live in as “normal” people were to happen to be on sale for the holiday season… well, that would be basically perfect for me. Just for the Spell of it by Barb Taub

Would I recommend it? These books may not be for everyone, but I can’t imagine a better mid-holiday break for myself! Now I’m just hoping Santa brings me an Amazon gift card so I can read One Way Fare too!

I can’t forget to mention that Barb Taub, being that kind of a lovely lady, will be donating all her royalties this holiday season from these books, as well as her first (One Way Fare), to the No Kill Animal Advocacy Center and DogsTrust.

I encourage you to head over to Barb Taub’s site and read about her books, sale and donation plans.

Find it all here: http://barbtaub.com/2014/12/12/ho-ho-ho-my-new-book-release-special-sale-pricing-and-a-benefit-for-homeless-pets/

Desprite Measures by Deborah Jay

Dec3

First thing first.

There is a vampire in this book and he can’t tolerate the sunlight.

I like to get these kind of facts in the open right away so that if you are like my husband you will at least consent to hear about the rest book. Some people, are so touchy about these things. I mean seriously, what’s wrong with a little sparkle now and then?

But I digress.

Vampires, elementals, witches, fey… There are loads of creatures in this book living alongside humans in the Scottish Highlands – which is the best part of the book. Not just that they exist, but that they do so with a fairly well thought out strategy of how the creatures live aside humans and why they act the way they do. Fantastic for people like my vampire persnickety husband who can then just enjoy the story without shaking their heads too much over the technicalities. Even better, the author fits that information into the writing smoothly enough that the book doesn’t bog itself down with the details. Well some of the details. Apparently elementals need DNA to support a human guise and sometimes a girls gotta do whom a girls gotta do in order to get some… DNA…

Would I recommend it? This book is good! It’s quick and fun, with a well written, solid plot. If I weren’t warming my toes by the fire and battened down for cold weather I’d call this a perfect beach read!

Be warned, if you search for this book search engines everywhere will try hard to convince you that you mean “desperate measures” don’t believe them!

This honest review was given in return for a free copy of the book from its author.

Absolute Power: Book 1: Origins by Grayson Queen

Nov24

It was the morning of what was to be an extraordinarily uneventful day. Unpacking, laundry, cooking, more laundry… but before I even started my day I discovered that Grayson Queen’s new book was released. Of course, I had to go check it out, pin it to my board of books to read, add it to my Amazon wishlist… and that’s when I discovered that not only was it out, but that the e-book is free until the 27th! There was no reason not to “buy” and download it just at that moment, so I did.

And then it hijacked my day.

I wasn’t going to read any of it today, I’m in the middle of another book, but I had to at least check out the cover… and the first pages… and before I knew it I was knee deep in the history of Super-Human wars before I had even had breakfast.

I folded laundry at super speeds, promising myself another chapter (or three) if I finished it all.

Lunch time found me struggling to keep characters and their crazy abilities straight while reading, feeding the girls and eating myself. (Had I followed the directions of my grade school teachers I would have looked through the whole book and found a character list in the back, but where is the challenge in that?)

Once the kids were in bed I settled into the couch to enjoy the rest of the book in peace which was good, because things were getting a little crazy with space and time and I needed to concentrate.

Long before I was ready, the book ended with a bang and I was left desperate to know what happens next.

And my boring day? I hardly noticed all that laundry, I was too busy lost in a world of telepaths, heroes and intrigue.

Would I recommend it? Yes in the course of my day it moved from my Pinterest “Books to read” board right on over to my “Book Recommendations” board. It’s a fast-paced-blow-shit-up and intelligent-make-you-think read all at the same time.

Here is the Amazon link:

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi

Nov19

Reading…

…reading..

…reading…

…reading last chapter…

“Wait, what?!”

…re-reading last chapter…

“WHAT?!?”

…re-skimming last chapter…

“No, seriously, what! WHAT? What!?!”

Would I recommend it? I was finding the book interesting up until the end but after an end like that I just can’t recommend it. However, if you happen to read it as part of a book club, I can tell you from recent experience that when everyone ends a book thinking, “Wait, WHAT?!?” there is loads of discussion to be had!

A Place in the World by Cinda Crabbe MacKinnon

Nov12

I sat down to write this review, ready to say that nothing huge and dramatic happens in this book.

I was about to tell you that this is a lovely little book, set in dramatic Colombia, amongst the beauty of rain forests on a coffee farm, where a woman leads her life the best she can, as she finds her own place in the world.

But then I remembered the volcano.

It’s hard to claim a volcano isn’t huge and dramatic – it’s a volcano.

So I did some more thinking. How had my faulty memory managed to marginalize the volcano, and quite a few other notably dramatic events?

Eventually, I came to the conclusion that it was the main character’s unique attitude. As an American who has lived for many years in Colombia, she handles things with an amazing blend of the two cultures. Stepping back and forth between them so well that the big drama fades into the background, leaving the focus of the book right where it should be, on the young woman in search of her place in the world.

It just so happens that her world is run by men, contains active volcanoes, guerrilla fighters, monkeys, a bit of political turmoil, coffee crops and an occasional iguana in the water tank – making it infinitely more interesting to read about than our own.

Would I recommend it? I would. Drama aside, the information on the culture, rain forests and coffee growing would have been enough to keep me interested.

This honest review was given in return for a free copy of the book from its author.

Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman

Oct29

As a mother of girls, I love this book.

But when I looked at it’s reviews online it seemed that for as many people who love this book there are just as many who don’t think children will like it, that it is nothing more than a book for mothers-to-be.

My children and I are here to respectfully disagree.

I asked Clara (5) to show me her favorite part.

Clara (flipping pages as she goes): “This, and this, and this, and this…”

Me: “Yes, but why do you like those parts?”

Clara: “Because they are so COOL!”

Then I asked Ivy (7). She said, “My favorite part is…” and proceeded to take the book and read it to me.

Jane (2) answered my question with an enthusiastic, “Gifts for a blueberry girl!!!”

And, if you need more convincing to check it out, here is the animated trailer for the book (I know? Who knew, right?) read by Neil Gaiman himself.