Home of the Braised

Title: Home of the Braised

Author: Julie Hyzy (New Website)(Old Website)(Facebook Author Page)(Twitter)

Publisher: Berkley Prime crime Mystery

Series: White House Chef Mystery, Bk 7

ISBN: 9780425262382

Length: 286 pages + "Recipes"

Obtained: Library copy

Why this book?:

It was long overdue.  I know I like books by this author and in this series.  Plus it seemed patriotic-like before the 4th which is when I started it.

Comments:

Ollie is engaged! All she wants is to get married quickly and continue to run her (er, the White House) kitchen well and smoothly.  But the wedding ceremony is delayed, and there are staff issues in the kitchen, staff changes in the White House, and potential for political disaster ate every corner, not to mention murder and intrigue.  And of course Ollie is a part of it all.  It seems she really can't help it.

As usual, I enjoyed this and look forward (anxiously) to reading the next book in the series, All the President's Menus.  I'm also behind three books in Julie Hyzy's Grace series.  Will I ever catch up?

Deadly Interest

Title: Deadly Interest

Author: Julie Hyzy (New Website)(Old Website)(Facebook Author Page)(Twitter)

Publisher: Kindle Edition

Series: Alex St. James, Bk 2

ASIN: B004ASOSRE

Length: 390 pages ; 573 KB

Obtained: Purchased from Amazon

Why this book?:

It's the second in the series.  I enjoy the author.  And I bought the eBook, so I needed to read it.

Comments:

I like Alex St. James as a character.  And I enjoyed this book. 

This time the mystery revolves (potentially) around money and banks.  And I had a couple of insights about some characters that Alex could have used.  Alas, I cannot speak to a fictional character.

Anyway, I bought the Deadly Shorts (a couple short stories) Kindle book, and I intend to read Dead Ringer.  But I really hope there are more of these...

Cozy Cull [11] - Fonduing Fathers by Julie Hyzy + Autographed Bookmark

According to Merriam-Webster:

Definition of CULL

1 : to select from a group : choose  

2 : to reduce or control the size of (as a herd) by removal (as by hunting) of especially weaker animals; also : to hunt or kill (animals) as a means of population control

The plan is:

1. Each week I read one of the MANY cozy mysteries I have among my personal books.  
2. I write a post about it. 
3. Then I offer it in a giveaway in order to cull my "herd" of cozies... as "a means of population control."

 Please spread the word, even if you've already read this week's book. 

This week I have book 6 in the White House Chef Mystery series, Fonduing Fathers by Julie Hyzy(published January 2013).

You can find my thoughts on Fonduing Fathers here.  I'm a fan of Julie Hyzy's book and have posted on several other books, from this series and otherwise... Artistic License (standalone) ; State of the Onion AND Hail to the Chef AND Eggsecutive Orders AND Buffalo West Wing AND Affairs of Steak (White House Mystery Series, Bks 1-5) ; Grace Under Pressure AND Grace Interrupted (Manor House Mystery, Bks 1-2) ; Deadly Blessings (Alex St. James Mystery, Bk 1).

From Goodreads:

White House executive chef Olivia Paras has enough on her plate. But after gaining new information about her father’s death, the First Family isn’t the only family Olivia is concerned about…

Olivia has always believed that her father was an honorable man—until a trip to visit her mother reveals that he was dishonorably discharged from the army. Olivia is even more shocked to learn that he was brutally murdered because someone at his company suspected him of selling corporate secrets. Refusing to believe that her father was a scoundrel, Olivia won’t rest until she proves his innocence.

Enlisting the help of her boyfriend, Gav, Olivia must reach out to her father’s colleagues to discover the truth behind his murder. What she’s about to discover may not only put her at risk, but threaten national security as well…

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's all in the terms and conditions, but in case you missed those...

Giveaway ends Thursday, September 5th (11:59 pm CT). I'll give the winner 48 hours from the time of notification to respond before I move on to someone else. The winner will be announced here once I've received a reply to my email.

It's not required, but feel free to comment!

And the winner is... Darlene!

Deadly Blessings

Title: Deadly Blessings (Link to Amazon)

Author: Julie Hyzy (alternate - old - link)

Publisher: ? (Print is Five Star)

Series: Alex St. James Mystery, Bk 1

Size: 347 pages; 525 KB

Obtained: Personal Kindle ebook copy - Free on Amazon

Why this book?:

1. It was free.
2. It's by Julie Hyzy.
3. It's a first in series.
4. I now have a Kindle to read it on.
5. I was planning on going to Julie Hyzy's book launch and thought now was especially the perfect time to read this.

Comments:

I expected to enjoy this, because I enjoy Julie's writing in general.  Those expectations were tempered by the fact that this is an earlier work.  So I was happy to find I enjoyed this more than expected.  I like Alex.  I'm rooting for her in her career and relationships.  She does get herself in foolhardy positions, but she's a journalist, so that could be considered part of the job.  Maybe. 

Anyway, I enjoyed it enough that I broke my personal rules and purchased the Kindle version of the second book in the series, Deadly Interest.  (The fact that it isn't available through Overdrive and the local library was a factor in that decision).

Fonduing Fathers

Title: Fonduing Fathers

Author: Julie Hyzy

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Mystery

Series: White House Chef Mystery, Bk 6

ISBN: 9780425251812

Pages: 277 + Recipes

Obtained: Library copy

Why this book?:

This is the most recent book in the series.  It was appropriate for the time of year - White House / the 4th... Plus, the book launch for Julie Hyzy's most recent book (part of the Manor House Mystery series) is coming up, and I need to be caught up for that.

Comments:

I was happy with how Ollie's romantic life is going.  I'm not going to say anymore on that point.

I'm also pleased with how things are going for her professionally.  Her role in the White House seems to be more settled.  Josh (the President's son) is a great character.  And Sargeant is shaping up to be a character I appreciate as well. 

And was glad to see some of her family history questions would be answered.  It's about time.

I can only wonder what all this wrapping up means for the rest of this series, though.  Can't wait to read Home of the Braised due out in January 2014.

Printers Row Lit Fest 2013

I went to the Printers Row Lit Fest again this year!  I had some issues in the morning and was a good 2 - 2 1/2 hours later than I wanted to be, but I made it.

The first panel I went to was "Female Sleuths: Gillian Royes, Libby Fischer Hellmann and Sharon Fiffer" moderated by Jamie Freveletti.  I have to say I was a little disappointed.  They all seemed perfectly nice, and Sharon Fiffer has a great sense of humor, but it wasn't really about Female Sleuths much at all.  For one thing, Gillian Royes protagonist is a male.  And that would have been fine if they talked more about the sleuths and less about the rest.  But it felt more like tell us about your stories/books.  And some stuff about intolerance themes.  Some stuff about the writing process.

But I missed the "Mystery Writers of America: Writing and Selling a Mystery" with Michael A. Black, Julie Hyzy, Clare O'Donohue and moderated by Lori Rader Day for this.  If I had to go back I would have went to the other panel, even though I'm not a writer and don't intend to be one.

I did purchase the first book in Sharon Fiffer's Jane Wheel book, Killer Stuff.  And I got it autographed and a bookmark and a picture with Sharon (which I will post on Facebook once I've done some editing).  So that was good.

Then I did some wandering and at the Mystery Writers of America station I hear the bulk of a short by Julie Hyzy (read by the author).  I didn't hear the end, though because I had to hurry off for my next panel.

I listened to author of The Devil Wears Prada and Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns Lauren Weisberger in discussion with Chicago Tribune VP/Managing Editor Jane Hirt.  I haven't read these books (though I've seen the movie), but the talk was still interesting.

The last panel I went to was "The Lure of Noir: Bryan Gruley, Brian D’Amato, Alec Nevala-Lee and Libby Fischer Hellmann" moderated by Robert Goldsborough.  Now this panel was entirely about the topic of Noir.  It was a little unreal.  Noir was being approached from all angels - not only literary noir, but films (of course), art, music, and even perfume.  I don't know much about noir, but the authors had this philosophical discussion about what noir is, what you find in noir, etc.  Entertaining and interesting all in one.

This is poor quality and blurry, but it's the best I managed.
In order, from left to right: Alec Nevala-Lee, Brian D'Amato, Bryan Gruley, Libby Fischer Hellmann

After the noir panel I wandered some more and came up by the Mystery Writers of America booth again. Staring me in the face is A Murder at Rosamund's Gate.  I look up at the author, Susanna Calkins, and exclaim, "I just read your book!"  And then proceed to tell her I'm not going to buy it, because I read it already, but could I get her autograph?  She was kind enough to oblige...

I finish by clumsily telling her how I appreciated the detail without the info-dumping.  Smooth, no?

I turn the corner and find Joelle Charbonneau and Nancy J Parra/Nancy J Coco.  First I tell Nancy that I have her book checked out, but I haven't read it yet.  Then I turn to Joelle.  I brought the first book in the Glee Club Mystery series, Murder for Choir, because I new she'd be there for a panel about her YA book, The Testing.  I had missed that panel because it was at the same time as the Lauren Weisberger one, and I thought I had missed my opportunity to see/speak to Joelle as well.  But here she was!  And she was kind enough to sign my book even though I wasn't buying any.

Now I'm in my little Cozy Mystery/Author Celebrity world.  It was wonderful.

I capped the day by catching the end of the El Payo Cuadro Flamenco with Flamenco Dancers from Ensemble Español and musician John Urban performance.  I've not heard of any of them, but it was still enjoyable and a nice end to the day.

Printer's Row LitFest 2012

This past Saturday brought the opportunity to go to the Printer's Row LitFest.  I found out about it through a newsletter by Julie Hyzy.  Of course, I had to go.  It's free, manageable as far as travel goes, and I had enough notice to schedule the day off.

I found out the day before that Julie was going to be part of a panel on a discussion titled "Sex & Violence: The do and don'ts of the Modern Cozy" along with Laura Bradford, Sharon Fiffer, Mary Vermillion, and moderator and author Clare O'Donohue.  Just the topic was exciting.  I didn't pay any mind to who the other authors were until I got there and heard them speak.  By the end I managed to get my copy of Grace Among Thieves autographed and bought and had autographed Hearse and Buggy (though I had a library copy via purchase suggestion sitting at home) by Laura Bradford aka Elizabeth Lynn Casey of the Southern Sewing Mystery series.

After the panel discussion I explored the remainder of the festival.  I was a lot more like a giant book sale than I expected.  Unfortunate because I could not afford to buy any more books (I already bought the one named above and the Hyzy book the night before) ... I'm supposed to be cutting back.  Nevertheless I enjoyed myself.  I caught a few minutes of the "Young Adult Fiction: Dark Days" with Veronica Roth, Aprilynne Pike, Elizabeth Norris, and Bethany Griffin moderated by Claire Zulkey.  If I'd planned better I would have caught the whole thing.  As it was it was already started, standing room only, and horribly hot by the time I peeked in at the back of the tent.

At 2 I saw Rachel Ray speak.  Don't ask why.  I don't cook.  And I don't watch any of the televisions shows she appears on.  But she's a big name and I thought various members of my family might appreciate hearing about the experience (seeing as they are completely baffled by my interest in the authors of books otherwise).  It was actually interesting and entertaining, albeit brief.  It would have been cool to get her autograph too, but you had to purchase The Book of Burger at $27 first.  I don't cook, remember?  And I don't have money.  I had to repeat that to myself more times than I can count.

After hearing Rachel talk I went on a 15 minute architecture "tour" of Printer's Row... interesting (really, I was repeating what I'd learned to everybody) but we didn't actually move much of anywhere because of the congestion.

Once I'd done all the exploring I was going to do at the LitFest I retreated to the Chicago Public Library: Harold Washington Library Center.  The Rachel Ray discussion had been my first time there, and I wanted to explore.  Besides, I had time to kill while I waited for my brother and his friends to get in town for the Blues Festival that evening.

Oh my.  That place is huge; I was so impressed.  I ended up at my own table in a nook on the 4th floor, looking out at another building and down on the busy street.  I also read of course.  The Big Kitty if you were wondering what.  I'd include a pic of me reading there (I took one of myself because I am weird, obviously), but it would require more editing than I believe I'm capable of to put my avatar over my real face.

ANYWAY, that was the book related portion of my day.  Hopefully, I'll manage to go again next year.

White House Chef and Manor House Mysteries + Book Launch Experience

State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy (personal copy obtained through Paperbackswap years ago) - I really enjoyed this.  My first thought once I read it was, "What took so long? No wonder it won awards."

Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy (personal copy obtained through Paperbackswap) - I enjoyed this one too.  I was glad to find that Ollie was still such a great character.

Eggsecutive Orders  by Julie Hyzy (purchased during Borders closing sale) - Gasp! She wasn't in the kitchen half the book!  It's nice getting some more detail on Bucky, I feel so/so about Ollie's mom, and Tom has become annoying.  If you can't tell by the title and cover this one takes place around Easter.  Overall, I enjoyed the story.

Buffalo West Wing by Julie Hyzy (purchased at B&N with gift card from Christmas) - Go Ollie! You stick to our guns.  Really enjoying this series and eager to meet Julie Hyzy.

Affairs of Steak by Julie Hyzy (purchased at book launch) - It was interesting to see Ollie work with someone she didn't care for.  She seems to have developed her tact.  And I have to say, I'm happy for how things seem to be moving in her personal life, even as her professional life still has some bumps.

Grace Under Pressure by Julie Hyzy (autographed gift from author with  2010 Halloween giveaway prize) - I actually started this before Buffalo West Wing and finished after he launch Saturday.  It took me longer to get into than the White House Chef series, but I still enjoyed it once I did get into it.  Grace seems to have a calmer pace than Ollie.

Grace Interrupted by Julie Hyzy (purchased at B&N with gift card from Christmas) - I liked Grace better once I was out of the Ollie craze.  The look into Civil War re-enacting was interesting.  I have to say I like Grace's assistant, Frances, even if she can be difficult.

Reading Mania and a Book Launch Party...

Over a week and a half I went on a bit of a Julie Hyzy reading spree.  I wanted to go to her book launch/chat this past Saturday, but I had only read her Artistic License before.  Fortunately, I already had most of the White House Chef and the first Manor book on hand.  So I got busy. The night before the signing I realized I didn't own Buffalo West Wing so I rushed out to B&N and bought that and Grace Interrupted.  I managed to have books 1 through 4 of the White House Chef mysteries  read and Grace Under Pressure started before the launch.  I've only been to one signing/author thing before for Sherrilyn Kenyon, so I didn't know what to expect.  It was this little bookstore crowded with people.  I brought my mother with me and she was nervous because she knew nothing about this author or her books.  It was interesting; I enjoyed hearing the talk, especially the bits about the white house.   Plus, without having to ask for myself, I managed to get a couple questions answered .  I had my newest book signed and got a picture with Julie Hyzy (which I will post to my Facebook account once I get it off my ma's cell).  It was just a fun whirl of a week (and a half).  I look forward to reading more of these series.

Here we go, now... Here, here, here we go...

Sorry about the title.  I have a stupid boy band song stuck in my head.  Anyway... on to what I've been reading...

Reckoning by Lili St. Crow (personal copy via J. Kaye - thanks!)

Going into this I knew that J. Kaye felt this was the best of the series, but questions aren't answered, and a reviewer on pbs said it was their least favorite, but too many loose ends.  Complete opposite opinions but on one thing everyone agreed.  Now for my take... It's neither my favorite nor my least favorite.  I enjoyed it just as I've enjoyed them all.  I can guess about some of the loose ends.  Because this is a YA series and you don't have all the answers when you're a YA. 
Since I'm so motivated by characters, though, lets discuss them... I wanted Dru to treat Ash better.  To view him as more than a puppy or toddler, but a friend.  I was dissapointed in how that aspect worked.  I just can't decide on Christophe.  I never loved him, and I don't think I ever will, but I came the closest to being okay with him in this book.  I stopped loving Graves after the first book, but the insight to him in this one helped me remember why I had.  Even if the changes in him make me think I never could love him again.  I don't know what to say about Dru herself.

Artistic License by Julie Hyzy (ebook free through Sony Reader Store)

I own several of Julie Hyzy's backlist, but this is the first I've actually read.  I enjoyed it.  I mostly liked Annie, minus some stupid moments w/ her ex. ... I didn't like her ex at all.  Overall, I liked the story.  It's categorized as a mystery, and I don't know how accurate I'd say that is, but still...










"Clever is as Clever Does" by Linsey Lanier (ebook short story free through Sony Reader Store - still currently free in multiple e-formats - I've linked to Smashwords)

The second of the Clever Detective shorts.  It was fun just like the first.  I really want to read the third "Cleverest of Them All" but unlike the first two, it's not free.  So it's only $0.99... I have not paid for a single e-book yet.  I might have to break down and make this my first.  Very frustrating.  But that tells you something about how fun they are, right?  Try the first one.  And try reading it out loud in a dramatic fashion.  Seriously.  Maybe you'll be as hooked as me.

Heaven is for Heroes by P J Sharon (ebook free through the Trick or Treat event this past Halloween)

Overall, I liked this story.  It's a young adult book, and it can be difficult to remember that when the characters are going off to war, being killed and/or injured, etc.  Then you think about how soldiers really do go overseas and fight that young and you get chills.  Anyway, it's a very emotionally driven story.











I've been trying to work on The Roman Hat Mystery (Ellery Queen) for the Vintage Mystery Challenge but it's slow going, even though I like it so far.