The End? + Cozy Challenge

I hate to even suggest the possibility.  But I have gone, once again, over a month without blogging.  I didn't feel like posting on the books I was reading so I ended up not posting at all.  I had this big giveaway planned, and I'm thinking I might still have it.  As a last hurrah before closing this down.  But I don't really want to lose everything I've found here, either.  It makes me sick really, to contemplate such a thing.  As you can see, I'm rather torn over the matter... I don't know what I'll end up deciding, but at least you have a heads up.

In the meantime, I've been participating in this cozy challenge (the first week was a little long since not everyone was ready) for eight weeks.  Since July 2nd or 3rd I have read...

Curiosity Thrilled the Cat ; Sophie Kelly ; Magical Cats Mystery, Bk 1 ; Minnesota ; Librarian

A Tisket, a Tasket, a Fancy Stolen Casket ; Fran Rizer ; Callie Parrish Mystery, Bk 1 ; South Carolina ; Cosmetician (Mortuary Cosmetologist)

Hey Diddle Diddle, the Corpse and the Fiddle ; Fran Rizer ; Callie Parrish Mystery, Bk 2 ; South Carolina ; Cosmetician (Mortuary Cosmetologist)

Casket Case ; Fran Rizer ; Callie Parrish Mystery, Bk 3 ; South Carolina ; Cosmetician (Mortuary Cosmetologist)

I Scream, You Scream ; Wendy Lyn Watson ; Mystery à la Mode, Bk 1 ; Texas ; Proprietor of an Ice Cream Parlor

Scoop to Kill ; Wendy Lyn Watson ; Mystery à la Mode, Bk 2 ; Texas ; Proprietor of an Ice Cream Parlor

--------------------------End of Week 1------------------------------------------------------------------

A Parfait Murder ; Wendy Lyn Watson ; Mystery à la Mode, Bk 3 ; Texas ; Proprietor of an Ice Cream Parlor

Roast Mortem ; Cleo Coyle ; Coffeehouse Mystery, Bk 9 ; New York ; Manager/Partner of/in Coffeehouse

The Anteater of Death

Title: The Anteater of Death

Author: Betty Webb

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Copyright Date: 2008

Print Date: December 2008

ISBN: 9781590585603

Pages: 261

Series: 1st in the Gunn Zoo Mystery series

Book Description (from dust jacket):

The Anteater was framed! But if Lucy, the pregnant Giant Anteater from Belize, didn't kill the man found dead in her enclosure, who did? California zookeeper Teddy Bentley must find the real murderer before her furry friend is shipped off to another zoo in disgrace.

Then another human bites the dust, the monkeys riot, and wolves go nuts. Things get worse when the snooty folks at Gunn Landing Harbor attempt to evict Teddy from the Merilee, her beloved houseboat.

That's just the beginning. Her father, on the lam from the Feds for embezzling millions, gets targeted by a local gangster; and Caro, Teddy's socialite and former beauty queen mother who loathes Teddy's dangerous job, starts introducing her to eligible bachelors. But Teddy has already given her heart to Sheriff Joe Rejas, a migrant worker's son. Caro is not pleased.

Zoo life, animal lore, and the leaky ups and downs of Central Coast California houseboat living create a thrilling backdrop for murder.

Comments:

I saw the second book in this series, The Koala of Death, among the "Always Something New" section at the library where I work. Since I prefer reading a series in order, I searched out this one first. It took me awhile to finish reading it, but I enjoyed it. I liked Teddy, the zoo setting, and the intro from the anteater Lucy's perspective. And I learned more about, and gained an appreciation for, an animal I hadn't ever thought much about before. I look forward to reading the next Gunn Zoo Mystery.

Ghouls, Ghouls, Ghouls

Title: Ghouls, Ghouls, Ghouls

Author: Victoria Laurie

Publisher: Obsidian Mystery

Copyright Date: 2011

Print Date: January 2011

ISBN: 9780451231970

Pages: 336

Series: 5th in the Ghost Hunter Mystery series

Book Description (from back cover):

GHOST HUNTERS TURNED TREASURE HUNTERS

When M.J. and the crew of her cable TV show, Ghoul Getters, venture to the haunted ruins of Dunlow Castle in Ireland, they hope that the road will rise up to meet them, that the wind will always be at their backs, that the sun will shine warm upon their faces...and that the resident phantom won't push them off a cliff.

That is what has befallen others drawn to the castle by the legend of hidden treasure. Dunlow Castle has more spooks than turrets — including the long-dead lord in all his ghostly greediness — but they pale in comparison to the phantom. If M.J. and her fellow ghost busters treasure their lives, they need to get the drop on the menacing phantom – before they plunge headfirst into one cliff-hanger of an ending....

Comments:

Issues with the author aside (see my post for Ghouls Gone Wild), I do keep coming back to this series... a sign that I enjoy it. I was immensely pleased that I, as the reader, wasn't lectured about believing in psychics, etc. except slightly on one page some 200+ pages in. I was not so pleased that M.J. often seemed to treat Gilly more like a pet than a human being.  Beyond that it was an interesting story.

Maid of Flower

Title: Maid of Flower

Author: Amanda Flower

Publisher: Five Star

Copyright Date: 2010

Print Date: June 2010

ISBN: 9781594148644

Pages: 280

Series: 1st in the India Hayes Mystery series

Book Description (from dust jacket):

India Hayes is a lot of things . . . starving artist who pays the rent as a college librarian, daughter of liberal activists, sister of an emotional mathematician, tenant of a landlady who has kissed the Blarney Stone one too many times, and a bridesmaid six times over. But she's about to step into the most challenging role of her life: amateur sleuth.

A childhood friend and now a knockout beauty, Olivia Blocken is back in town to wed her bodybuilder fiancé with India a reluctant attendant . . . not just because the bridesmaid's dress is a hideous mess, but because she's betraying her brother. Mark still carries a torch for the bride who once broke his heart and sent his life into a tailspin.

When Olivia turns up dead in the Martin College fountain and the evidence points to Mark, India must unmask the real culprit while juggling a furious and grieving Mother of the Bride, an annoyingly beautiful Maid of Honor, a set of hippie-generation parents, the police detective who once dated her sister and is showing a marked liking for her, and a provost itching to fire someone, anyone — maybe even a smart-mouthed librarian.

India's investigation leads her on a journey through childhood memories that she'd much rather have left in the schoolyard, but to avoid becoming the next victim, it is a path she must follow.

Comments:

This was an interesting first in series. I enjoy reading cozies (or just books in general, really) with librarians as the protagonists. On top of that India's a likeable character — though she does have a strange family that takes some getting used to, and her brother's a bit whiny.

I was a little confused about India's relationship with the bride. The bride didn't seem very likeable as an adult, but India seemed to be stuck on how she had been as a child. She even seemed to realize that things had changed, but it didn't stop her from, say, defending her childhood friend. But I suppose memories can be distracting from reality. India is human after all (well, she's actually ink on a page, but you know what I mean).

The ending wasn't as satisfying as I'd hoped. After the murder is solved, everything ends in a whirl. The story doesn't really follow up with some characters. Overall, though, I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more of the series. And maybe I'll get some of the missing wrap-up in the next story...

Buzz Off

Title: Buzz Off

Author: Hannah Reed (Deb Baker)

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Mystery

Copyright Date: 2010

Print Date: September 2010

ISBN: 9780425236420

Pages: 312 + recipes

Series: 1st in the Queen Bee Mystery series

Book Description (from the back cover):

When beekeeper Story Fischer is on the case, you can run — but you can't hive...


It's September — National Honey Month — in Moraine, Wisconsin, and things are looking up for Story Fischer. Her messy divorce is final, the honey from her beekeeping business has been harvested, and the Wild Clover, the market she owns, is thriving. Life seems pretty sweet... until Manny, her mentor in the honey business, is found stung to death in his apiary.


Story is still trying to explain to the panicked locals that her honeybees had nothing to do with Manny's death, when another body is found floating in the Oconomowoc River. This time the evidence points to Story's ex. Sure, he's a womanizer and a buzzkill — but a murderer? Desperate to save her bees and her business (and, okay, her ex), it's up to Story to find a way out of a very sticky situation.

Comments:

I enjoyed reading this. It did have some parts I wasn't so sure about. Like the bullet point thing.

Main character and amateur sleuth Story Fischer loves speaking in bullet points. So much so that, as narrator of the story, she informs the reader of numerous little facts and miscellanea formatted as bullet points. This took some adjusting, but I got it. The problem is sometimes the miscellanea just don't fit. For instance, at one point she gives a list of facts about people who drive Harleys. I could care less. If I was interested, I'd read a cozy mystery with a Harley-theme.

Beyond that (and the getting drunk on the first page which I admit made me squirmy), Story was an interesting and likeable character. As were numerous other characters scattered throughout the story. Which reminds me of another small issue (maybe a bit spoilerish?)...

Okay, so Story's cousin/employee seems to be getting close to Story's high school-ex. He's worried about Story firing her for her drinking/erratic behavior, etc. And she can't guess that he might be sponsoring her in a program? Idk, maybe it's because alcoholism runs in my family, but duh. As soon as he butted in, I figured that was why.

Anyway, in addition to interesting characters, the story also had interesting background. Set in Wisconsin (a childhood vacation spot) and loaded with bee trivia... Plus I don't always like the small town feel in books, but it worked for this one. Story's business made perfect sense in the small town. The beekeeping business made sense... it just worked.

I also liked the story. I did guess the murderer early, but that's okay with me. Story's investigating was interesting to follow, and gave a deeper introduction to the characters, town and area.

I'm looking forward to reading Mind Your Own Beeswax.

The Long Quiche Goodbye

Title: The Long Quiche Goodbye

Author: Avery Aames

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Mystery

Copyright Date: 2010

Print Date: July 2010

ISBN: 9780425235522

Pages: 309 + Recipes

Series: 1st in the Cheese Shop Mystery series

Book Description (from back cover):

Welcome to the grand opening of Fromagerie Bessette. Or as it's more commonly known by the residents of small town Providence, Ohio — The Cheese Shop. Proprietor Charlotte Bessette has prepared a delightful sampling of bold Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, delicious tortes of Stilton and mascarpone, a taste of sauvignon blanc, and for the pièce de résistance a little crime of passion...

Charlotte has barely begun melting like fondue in front of a handsome artisianal cheese supplier named Jordan when a blood-curdling shriek disrupts the festivities. Right outside the shop, Charlotte finds a body, the victim of stabbed to death with one of her prized olive-wood-handled knives. As the police leap to conclusions, it's up to Charlotte to find the real killer...

Comments:

So this was a slow starter for me (I began it in January, set it down for a while, and read the bulk in February). But once I really sat down with it, I found it to be an enjoyable first in what promises to be an entertaining series.

The characters were ... interesting. None of them were really like anybody I know, from Charlotte down. I couldn't help, when Charlotte went on about various flavors of cheese, wondering what she would recommend for someone as picky as myself. Each time this thought passed through my head, it was followed by something along the lines of, "But I would never ask!" Because, man alive, I'm pretty sure I would find a real-life Charlotte intimidating. The next in the series, Lost and Fondue, comes out this May.

Why Shoot a Butler?

Title: Why Shoot a Butler?

Author: Georgette Heyer

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

Copyright Date: 1933

Print Date: April 2009

ISBN: 9781402217951

Pages: 329

Book Description (from back cover):

 EVERY FAMILY HAS SECRETS, BUT THE FOUNTAINS' ARE TURNING DEADLY...

On a dark night, along a lonely country road, barrister Frank Amberley stops to help a young lady in distress and discovers a sports car with a corpse behind the wheel. The girl protests her innocence, and Amberley belives her — at least until he gets drawn into the mystery and the clues incriminating Shirley Brown begin to add up...

In an English country-house murder mystery with a twist, it's the butler who's the victim, every clue complicates the puzzle, and the bumbling police are well-meaning but completely baffled. Fortunately, in ferreting out a desperate killer, amateur sleuth Amberley is as brilliant as he is arrogant, but this time he's not sure he wants to know the truth...

Comments:

This is my first vintage mystery for the 2011 challenge and my second ever that I recall (the first being The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler — in audio with an awesome reading by Elliott Gould). Anyway, my impressions are scattered and many. =)

First, this was slow going for me at first. I think it was slightly due to being a British novel and mostly due to being vintage. It takes longer for me to read everything when I'm concentrating on what people are actually saying. Eventually, I got into it and things went much smoother. I think, however, that this would make a lovely audio read as well. If I didn't already own all the vintage mysteries I need for this challenge I might see about checking some out from the library in audio. Or maybe I will anyway.

But I'm getting off track. My feelings on a book often have a strong basis on the characters, and this one is no different. Mr. Frank Amberley is the amateur sleuth of the day, the guy you (the reader) are rooting for, the clever one who picks up on the smallest clues and is able to makes great bounding leaps to the correct conclusion of the mystery. He is also so arrogant and sure of himself that he not only makes the police out to be bumbling (as the blurb on the back of my copy says), but also me, the reader. Of course he has access to clues and information neither I nor the police do, and doles those clues out a bit at a time and with much condescension. It's amazing that I still liked him, but I did. I also liked his family and several others (including the poor bumbling police).

 And as for the story, beyond the slow start I found myself enthralled. In fact, at one point I was skimming ahead (unintentionally), only to realize on the next page or two that I had no clue what was going on and have to backtrack.

Overall, a motivating start to the challenge.