Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

#3 Catching Fire
Copyright: 2010
Publisher: Scholastic
Genre: young adult
Pages: 398
Challenges: off the shelf, Strong Heroine, Young Adult
Author's Website
My rating: 2/5


I'm actually not going to do a description of this book.  If you have not read the book yet then you don't need a spoiler in case you plan to.  I thought this book started out great but I ended up not being too fond of it at the end.   I'm actually a bit disappointed with the ending which means I'm not happy with how the trilogy ended.   I have to say that I'm still very glad I read this trilogy. I loved book one, it's my favorite of the trilogy.  Book two was very good.  This one..a disappointment.   Would I still recommend this trilogy to someone who hasn't started it yet? Yes..I do think it's worth it.  Just don't keep your hopes up for the final book.

Driven to Ink by Karen E. Olson

#3 Tattoo Shop Mystery
Copyright: 2010
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 299
Challenges: off the Shelf, Cruisin' through the cozies
Author's Website
My rating: 3.5/5


Simple Description: 
Brett's day was off to a great start, until she found a dead body in her car's trunk.  Something like that will put a damper on anybody's day.  The worst part of it is that she had lent her car to Sylvia Colman for her drive-thru wedding.  Did Sylvia and her new husband have something to do with this?  Why is a tattoo cord around the dead man's neck?  And why is a cord missing from her tattoo shop?

While Brett doesn't really want to get into trouble with the cops she also can't help asking questions and looking for answers.  She knows Sylvia couldn't have killed the man but it does look like she's involved somehow.   In searching for answers Brett spends a lot of time with Jeff, Sylvia's son and rival tattoo artist. Is it possible Jeff isn't as bad as Brett thinks he is?

My Thoughts: 
This is book #3 in the series and I'm really looking forward to book #4 (which has already found a place in my library).   This series quickly became one of my favorites, starting as early as book 1.  I enjoy Brett's character.  She realizes she shouldn't be digging for info and investigating things on her own but at the same time she knows she wants to know what's going on.  I do like that she involves her brother, a cop, and let's him know what she finds.  He's never happy with her, but he doesn't ignore what she has found.

I like there there was more interaction between her and Jeff and that we learned more about Jeff.  I think he's a great secondary character.

I personally love tattoo's, so the fact that tattoo's are a part of this story is something else that keeps my interest.  I think those who don't have tattoo's and don't necessary like them could enjoy this series.  But I think those who are intrigued will find the tattoo part an extra, fun, perk to the stories.

A Glimpse of Evil by Victoria Laurie

#8 Physic Eye
Copyright: 2010
Publisher: Obsidian
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 326
Challenges: off the Shelf, Series challenge
Author's Website
My rating: 4/5

Simple Description: 
Abby and Dutch have moved to San Antonio, Tx.  They will both be working for the FBI, Dutch as the agent that he is and Abby has a civilian profiler.  The first day in the office Abby whips through a lot of cold cases using her psychic abilities and Dutch is able to solve several.  The other agents are still not sold on Abby's ability.  She has a run-in with a specific agent and when she is asked who should investigate a case that involves finding a car in a drainage ditch, he's the one she suggests.  Little did she know she would be tagging along.  this innocent trip ends up being so much more though and Abby's life ends up in danger.

While going through the cold cases Abby feels there is a link between a couple of missing kid cases.  Due to the incident that put her life in danger Abby is on leave from the FBI for now but before she leaves she grabs the kid's files.  She ends up talking to her PI friend Candace and is then convinced to help Candice look into these.

Along with Abby's life being in danger more than once and the mystery and physic aspect of the story, there are also side stories that involve Candice's person life and Abby's personal life.  That's a good thing though.


My Thoughts: 
As any series reader is aware, there are  some series that seem to fizzle by the time you get to book 8 and some that are still going strong.  I'm so happy that this is a series that is still going strong.  I love this series.   Not only do I love the psychic aspect of it, I love the characters.  Dutch and Abby are both such strong characters and they butt head sometimes.  Yet, they love each other and end up being there for each other. Candace and Brice, two important secondary characters, are both great too. It doesn't hurt that I love the mystery aspect of the book too.

Definitely a series I recommend to others.  This is one of my favorite series and I'm looking forward to book #9 coming out in July.

Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris

#4 Harper Connelly
Copyright: 2010
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: mystery
Pages: 274
Challenges: Paranormal/Fantasy Romance Challenge, Buy 1 book and read it
Author's Website
My rating: 2/5


Simple Description:
Harper Connelly and her boyfriend/partner Tolliver make a living talking to the dead, thanks to a lightening strike Harper suffered when she was a teenager. This left her with the ability to "hear" the dead and be able to find buried bodies and tell how they died.

Harper and Tolliver work a case for a rich family where Harper gives them more info than they expected.  They then take some time off to visit their younger siblings (Harper and Tolliver are step-siblings).  This visit makes a turn for the worse when they find out Tolliver's father is out of jail.  Then it makes another turn for the worse when Tolliver is shot and then the police man guarding Harper is shot.

Mix into this the fact that Harper and Tolliver are still searching for their missing sister and they are getting closer.

My Thoughts:
Hmm..what to say about this one.  I had actually thought I would stop with the series after book #3.  I just didn't feel the relationship change between Harper and Tolliver. Sure..they aren't blood related but it was still weird.   I decided to give the series another chance and read this one.  While the relationship between the two didn't bother me..I didn't like the book any more than I did the last one.

One of the issues I had is that it seems the author is forcing the relationship between the two.  Sure..it's weird for them still and weird for their family but it's constantly brought up and constantly talked about. That's not needed.  Then the author adds in some sex..nothing graphic, just enough so you know they did something. However it doesn't flow. It totally feels forced and out of place.    After each time I was left going..ok..that seemed really odd and out of place for the story.

As for the rest of the story, I don't know. I just didn't feel it. I wasn't totally in to it.  I did finish it, I did want to know what happened, but I didn't like it enough to plan on continuing with the series (if the author writes more).  I think the series could have promise, but for me the writing needs to really improve before I give it another chance.

I've read several positive reviews of this one though, so don't just take my review.

Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran

Copyright: 2011
Publisher: Crown
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 440
Challenges: 2011 Pub Challenge
Author's Website
My rating: 3/5

Simple Description:
Madame Tussaud is the story of the French Revolution as told from Marie Grosholtz. Marie is Madame Tussaud later in life.  The French Revolution happened before she was married and her last name was changed to Tussaud.   Marie lived with a man she called Uncle, along with her Mom.   He owned a wax museum and since Marie grew up living there she learned the trade.  She was a gifted artist and she did the sketches, plaster molds, etc.  She also then painted and put the wax heads together.

At first they had exhibits showing the royal family.  However as the revolution started and continued the displays were constantly changing in order to show the people who were popular at that time.  Marie's goal was to show the people what they wanted in order to bring in more business.

The salons held at her Uncle's house once a week were often places for some of the heads of the revolution to get together and speak.  Marie knew many of them and tried to balance this along with her new friendship to the King's sister.

At several times Marie had the chance to flee but she didn't want to leave her Mom and brother's.  She gave up true love in order to stay.   There also came a point when she wasn't willing to do what the revolutionists wanted and she paid for it.

My Thoughts:
I thought this was a very interesting approach to the French Revolution. I think we have all heard of Madame Tussuad  regardless of if we have visited one of the museums or not. I never really knew much about the person behind the store.  I also don't know much about the French Revolution.  Combining the two made for an interesting read.

As with all historical fiction novels we have to remember that not everything is accurate.  I did read the afterwards where Michelle gives a history of what happened to some of the key players and also she described some of the changes she made.  I found this part just as interesting.   Even though I know it's fiction based on real events, I feel like I did learn something and I walked away knowing a bit more about the French Revolution and Madame Tussuad herself.

I did enjoy this novel, I felt the story was interesting and it moved along pretty well.   I've been a fan of Michelle Moran's since her first book and she doesn't disappoint.  I have to admit that I think I liked her other novels better however that could be the subject line. Her other novels have been placed in ancient Egypt and that's a period that fascinates me.  So those stories have my interest before one of the French Revolution any day of the week.   All in all - I enjoyed this novel and definitely recommend it.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

#2 Hunger Games
Copyright: 2009
Publisher: Scholastic
Genre: Young Adult
Pages: 391
Challenges: Off the shelf, Strong Heroine, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Author's Website
My rating: 4/5


I'm not going to do a normal review for this book because a lot of you have already read the book or if you plan to you do want to be spoiled.  In fact, I'm not going to give any details about the book at all!  No spoilers to be found here.

I noticed a co-worker reading The Hunger Games earlier this month and commented on it.  So of course we started talking about it and the movie.  Of course I then couldn't resist the urge to finally read the 2nd in the series.   I actually started this one on Friday afternoon and finished it Sunday afternoon.  Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down.  In fact, I finished my bookshelves and was all set to unpack all my books and organize them and instead I read this book.

I thought it was a good follow-up to the first one.  I still love Katniss. My husband said he felt this was the best and worst in the series.  The best because he thought the writing was good but the worst because he thought the author just pulled from the first book instead of coming up with a different story..I guess he felt she was cheating a bit.  I didn't feel that way at all. I don't know if I thought this one was the best, but I loved it. I was engrossed from page one.

Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

#1 Fire and Ice
Copyright: 1996
Publisher: Bantam
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 807
Challenges: New Author, 1st in a Series, Buy 1 Book and Read it
Author's Website
My rating: 4/5


This is a fantasy book, the first in a series. It's a huge fantasy book. It's over 800 pages of itty bitty script.  This fantasy book took me 3 weeks to read.  Yes, 3 weeks.  You know what though? It was worth it.

I actually meant to read this book last year. When that didn't happen I told myself I would read it by March.  March rolled around and I still didn't have a copy of it.  I finally found a copy, every time I was at the bookstore and looked for it they were out.  I was just in time too since the HBO series based on this book started a couple weeks ago. I actually watched the first episode before I finished the book because I couldn't wait for it.

It would be hard to do a really good description of this book, I often find this is true for fantasy books.  There are so many characters and there's so much going on.  This book is interesting in that you get the story from several different points of view.   You end up getting different parts of the story but it works well in that you can piece together what is going on.  Basically you have one king and several lords.  Some of those lords, well, maybe just one, want to kill the king. Insert Eddard Stark of Winterfell.  He becomes the kings Hand and gets in the way.  His family gets in the way.  Then his family tries to get some justice by capturing somebody in a powerful family and all hell, er, war breaks loose.   In the meantime you get the story of a girl who would have been a princess if your father hadn't been killed and the current king named ruler.  She is married off to a group of people who seem barbaric compared to how she is used to living.  Then she becomes pregnant.   This causes concern for the current king because the heir could go after the throne.   See..lots of things going on that all seem connected in some way.

This book started out slow for me, but I think that's pretty typical when it comes to fantasy books. It's always a little slow learning the characters and the location, getting used to the names and their world.  Once I got further into the book and got comfortable with everyone I started to love it.  I was engrossed in the story and wanted to read more of it and wanted to know what was going on.

I have to admit that by week 3 I was tired of reading the book. I just wanted to be done. I do not do well with chunksters, I might love the story but if it takes this long I just want to move on.   So I say this..but want you to know that while I was wanting to be finished, I was still enjoying the book and still wanted to read it.  It's a bit of a catch-22.

I think fantasy lovers will enjoy this book.  It's possible that non-fantasy lovers would too.  If you aren't sure, try watching the series.  So far the series follows the book pretty darn well.  Even though I just finished the book, so it's fresh in my mind, I find that I'm enjoying the series a lot and I look forward to watching more.  Sure, there are some differences, but not a lot.  They are hitting all the important things so far and it's following the book pretty closely.

Ghost Shadow by Heather Graham

#1 Bone Island trilogy
Copyright: 2010
Publisher: Mira
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 368
Challenges: Off the Shelf, Paranormal/Fantasy Romance, 1st in a series, Audio Book
Author's Website 
My rating: 3/5

Simple Description:
This book takes place in Key West.  Katie is in her 20's and her family has lived in Key West for as long as anybody can remember.   She is about to finalize the purchase of a museum that closed 10 years ago when a murder victim was found there, when one of the owners comes back in town and puts a stop to it. David was the ex-fiancée of the girl who was found murdered and he wants the museum to stay closed.   While he is in town he begins to dig into his ex-finance's murder, it's been 10 years and he hopes to finally find the guy who did it.

Then another girl goes missing.  Then a suspect goes missing.  Katie and David form a relationship but there is one thing she is keeping from him, she can see ghosts. In fact, she can see the ghost of the three murder victims.  Unfortunately they aren't able to tell her who killed them but she's hoping to get some clues from them so they can find the killer.

My Thoughts:
I'm a huge Heather Graham fan. I don't always read her books when they are first published but I always get excited.  I love how she weaves mystery and paranormal and romance.  I really liked Katie and David, individual and as a couple. They each have their faults but they are both likable characters.

The mystery aspect of the story kept me guessing.I had figured out who it was, but not by clues. Rather I tried to guess who wouldn't be an obvious choice and my guess worked.

Overall, an enjoyable read and another good story by the author.  I have the other two books in the series already so I hope to get to them within the next couple of months.


Audio Review:
The audio version of this book is read by Angela Dawe.  Overall I think she does a good job, I just have one complaint.  When the characters are talking to each other or thinking, she lowers her voice.  Which means I have trouble hearing it. I'm either stuck constantly messing with the volume or struggling to hear some parts.  Suppose this might not be an issue if listening to it at home when other noise is at a minimum but driving in the car on the highway it was an issue.     So..while I think Dawe did a great job, I'm not sure I'll listen to the rest of the trilogy.

The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen

#2 Rizzoli and Isles
Copyright: 2003
Publisher: Ballantine
Genre: Mystery
Pages: audio
Challenges: Off the Shelf, Strong Heroine, Mystery and Suspense, Audio Book
Author's Website
My rating: 3.5/5

Simple Description: 
Jane Rizzoli is a homicide detective with the Boston PD.  The past summer she caught The Surgeon and barely escaped with her life.   Now it appears there is another serial killer on the loose.  There seem to be too many similarities between these crime scene's and the ones the Surgeon left.  However Rizzoli is the only one who see's it.  That is, until the Surgeon escapes from jail.

Rizzoli knows the Surgeon will be coming after her. She is, after all, the only who escaped him and they are finding more and more clues that show he's infatuated with her.

My Thoughts: 
I had read the first in the series awhile ago and even though I liked it I kept putting this series off. You all know how that is.  Then the tv show came out last year and I watched it, and I liked it. I wondered if that would ruin it for me.  I decided to finally read the next in the series and I'm really glad I did.  While I knew the story because it was covered in the tv show, I still enjoyed it.  Some things were different and since it's been awhile since the tv show it wasn't fresh in my mind.

I like Rizzoli, I think she's a great character.  She has to be strong, or at least appear strong, in front of her co-workers.  So you see the side of her where she doesn't want to take anybody's crap and she has something to prove.  Yet, you also see the other side of her, her weak side. The side where you know she is scared.

I'll definitely be continuing with this series.   I'm not sure how fast I'll get to them..but I'll get to them.

Audio Review:
I did listen to the audio version of this book.  Dennis Boutsikaris is the narrator for the audio version of The Apprentice and I thought she did a really good job.  I think there's a very good chance I'll listen to more of this series via audio book.

Bone Thief by Thomas O'Callaghan

#1 Lt. Driscoll
Copyright:2006
Publisher: Pinnacle
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 377
Challenges: 1st in a series, New author, Mystery and Suspense, Buy 1 book and read it
Author's Website
My rating: 3/5

Simple Description:
When a woman's body is found without a head, feet, hands, or even any bones, the police know there is a madman on the loose.  Lt. Driscoll is in charge of the investigation and he has a sick feeling this is the first of many.  When the second body is found, he knows they are dealing with a serial killer.

What kind of sick individual removes all the bones from a body and then leaves the on display?  How is this guy picking his women.  At first there doesn't appear to be any link between the woman.  That is, until Moira involves herself on the case.  Moira is a teenager who is a wiz with computers and she takes it upon herself to do some digging and provide Driscoll with the info.Driscoll knows this isn't right but isn't too sure he has a say in the matter, Moira seems to do what she wants.

Driscoll is trying to solve this horrendous case while also dealing with some of his own personal issues.  His daughter was killed several years ago in a car accident that left his wife in a coma.  He is starting to have feelings for his partner, something his partner ready accepts, but fees like that would be cheating on his wife.
Along with solving the case of the bone thief, Driscoll also has to come to terms with the personal issues.


My Thoughts:
I didn't love this book, but I enjoyed it. I thought it was a pretty good story all around.  I liked Driscoll even though he had his own faults.  He is human after-all.  I liked Moira too, what a spunky character.  

In this book we know who the bone thief is and we get parts of the story from his point of view.  Part of his story takes most of the book to come out.  We know he had a bad childhood, until he was adopted anyway. But it isn't until the very end that we get a full picture and we learn what really happened.

There is a second book in the series and I'm definitely going to check it out.  I think this one was a good start to the series and I did like it, definitely worth my time reading.  

Paradise Valley by Robyn Carr

#7 Virgin River
Copyright: 2009
Publisher: Mira
Genre: Fiction/Romance
Pages: 416
Challenges: Off the shelf,
Author's Website
My rating: 3/5


We are, of course, back in the town of Virgin River.  A town I have grown to love and wish that it was real, because it seems real to me and I love the inhabitants and would love to visit..if not actually move..there.

I'll give a brief description about what goes on in this book but nothing much since you really do have to read this series in order.  Instead of focusing on just one main couple, this book focuses on two couples and a possible third.  It also focuses on another individual.  One of the couples is Walt and Muriel. The two are apart for a bit and both realize what the relationship means to each other and what they need to do to make it work.   The other couple is Cameron and Abby.  Since Abby is pregnant with twins, it's not easy to hide her pregnancy any more.  Cameron wants to be a father to the children and a husband to Abby, but Abby pushes him away..at first.      This book also has us following Rick, a young Marine.  I don't want to say more than that in regards to Rick.

As usual, there is more going on in Virgin River than just these couples and Rick, but those individuals are the most prominent and the ones this book revolves around.

While this is one of my favorite series, this was my least favorite book so far.  I'm not sure exactly why it didn't grab me the way the others have or why I didn't like it as much, I just didn't.  That's not to say it wasn't good, it was, just not as good as I wanted it to be.

I still think this is a series worth checking out, it's one of my top series from 2010 and I imagine it will be in 2011 too.

First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene frost

#1 Night Huntress World
Copyright: 2010
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 371
Challenges: Off the Shelf, Urban Fantasy Challenge, What's in a Name? (number), Paranormal/Fantasy, 1st in a series
Author's Website
My rating: 4/5

Simple Description: 
This book focuses on Spade and Denise.  These are two characters who are in the Night Huntress novels by the author but they are secondary characters.  This book is the first in a new series, Night Huntress World, which is a spin-off of the other.  In this one, Spade and Denise become the main characters.

Denise has sworn off vampires and ghouls. She's done with them.  Unfortunately, they aren't done with her.  Members of Denise's family keep ending up dead and then she witnesses the death of her cousin. Later when a demon shows up at her door and brands her, Denise has to call the only vampire who's number she still has. Spade. She has to beg for his help.  Spade, on the other hand, knows that helping Denise will cause problems for him but he's always been attracted to her.

Somehow Spade and Denise must find one of Denis' long lost relatives who tricked the demon years ago, deliver this person to the demon so the demon will remove the bonds he placed on Denise, but at the same time keep it secret what they are doing.  You just know that's not going to work out as planned.

My Thoughts:
I thought this was a great book!  It was the perfect book for me, for the mood I was in when reading it.  I love the Night Huntress series and was both very interested in this one and worried about it. Would it live up to my expectation?  I'm happy to announce that it did.   It was a lot of fun to learn more about two of the secondary characters and then to have the other characters we know also play a part in the series.
If you like the Night Huntress series by Jeanine Frost, I think you'll thoroughly enjoy this one too.  In fact, if I'm not mistaken the 2nd book in the Night Huntress World series was published last month, I might just stop at a bookstore tonight and look for it.


 Audio Review:
I did listen to part of this book. I actually forgot I had requested it on audio and started reading the paper copy.  Then I went to the library to get a different audio book that was on hold for me and this one was there too. Bonus.  So I listened to it in the car and then read the book when not driving, of course.  I read the majority of this book in paper form though, I pretty much plowed through it.  So while I'm not counting it for my audio challenge or my stats, I did want to mention it  in my review.

What I did listen to..was excellent. Tavia Gilbert is the narrator and I feel she did a fantastic job. I wouldn't hesitate to listen to more books in this series.

Peony in Love by Lisa See

Copyright: 2007
Publisher: Books on Tape
Genre: fiction
Pages: audio 9 disks (13 hours 13 min)
Challenges: Off the shelf, Audio, I want more Challenge
Author's Website
My rating: 1/5 DNF

Simple Description:
This story is set in 17th century China and is told from the point of view of Peony..starting from when she is a young girl soon to be married and continuing once she is a ghost.   Peony is struck with love sickness after she secretly meets a boy she believes she loves but knows she can't marry him since she has an arranged marriage.   She spends her days refusing food and writing.  Soon, she wasts away and becomes a ghost. Once in the after life she meets her Grandma and learns the real story about what happened to her ancestors.  She also meets other women who have died from love sickness.  However she still wants the boy she fell in love with.

My Thoughts:
Ok. so my description isn't that great.  I'm sure it doesn't do the book justice.  The thing is, I really didn't like this story.   I listened to most of the audio version before giving up on it. I listed to 6 out of 9 disks.  I was forcing myself to finish it, expecting it to get better, but it wasn't.   I really didn't like the main character.  I realize the traditions of the time and culture are incredibly different from what they are in present day America, but that didn't help. I thought the main character was selfish and I couldn't connect with her at all.  This kept me from liking the book.

I really wanted to like this book, I loved Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by the same author.  I had high hopes I would enjoy this one too, but it was a big disappointment for me.

 Audio Review:
Janet Song is the narrator for the audio version of this book. I think she did ok.  I thought her voice or tone was annoying at times and didn't really flow for me, but I don't think that had anything to do with me not liking the book.  I'm sure if I had liked the story more, it wouldn't have bothered me at all.

Simple Genius by David Baldacci

#3 Sean and Maxwell series
Copyright: 2007
Publisher: Hatchette Book Group
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 530
Challenges: Off the shelf, Mystery and Suspense
Author's Website
My rating: 4/5

Simple Description:
This book starts off with Michelle Maxwell getting herself into trouble and Sean King bailing her out. Not that Michelle really feels like she needs help.  Helping Michelle takes all the money Sean has in the bank and since work hasn't been easy to come by lately he goes to Joan for help, the last person he wants to beg for a job.  Joan has a job for him.  There was a death at Babbage Town, one of the scientists was found dead on the other side of the river at Camp Perry, a CIA camp.  It looks to be suicide, but Sean is sent there to do some more digging and to see if it is suicide or if it was murder.

At first it's frustration for Sean because everyone is so secretive about what is going on at Babbage Town.  He doesn't think the man's death was a suicide but the FBI, who is also involved, believes it is.  Soon there is another death and Sean knows that one was murder.

Luckily Michelle is able to join Sean and the two of them are able to piece together what is happening and get themselves into a whole lot of trouble at the same time.

My Thoughts:
This is the 3rd story in the series and so far my favorite. Of course, each time I read one in this series I declare it a new favorite.  I just love the characters of Sean and Michelle.  They are both so strong, yet have their own issues. They work really well together, even though they get on each others nerves.

The story with this book was very interesting too. I liked how it started off, how Michelle was having some problems and the two were split up taking care of different things.   But of course I liked it when they got together to go after the same bad guys too.

If you like mysteries, I definitely feel you should check out this series.

The Passage by Justin Cronin

#1 in the planned trilogy
Copyright: 2010
Publisher: Ballantine
Genre: fiction
Pages: 784
Challenges: Off the shelf, New Author
Author's Website
My rating: 4/5 (possibly a 5/5)

I'm not going to tell you what the book is about because this is another one that I feel you either 1) have already read the book yourself or 2) haven't read it but know what it's about.  I was lucky and went into this one a bit blind.  I knew it was an "end of the world book" as my Husband calls it.  However that was it.  I had read several reviews of this one and the first couple I did read what it was about but it's been so long I didn't remember. I just had a general understand about it.  In fact, and I don't think this is giving anything away, I thought it was about zombies.  Boy was I wrong. lol!  That could also explain some of my confusing in the beginning.

Yes, I thought the first 150 or so pages was a bit confusing. In fact, I started out listening to the audio version of this one, see below for more info on that.  I ended up switching to the paper copy I already had at home after about 120 pages.  Soon after I was engrossed in the story and enjoying it a lot.

This is one of those books that while it had a lot going on, it also had a lot of slower parts to it. This worked out ok for the story though.  I think it was needed.  There were several things about the style of the book that I loved..such as the diary entries to explain what happened during a period of time, etc.   What a great idea! This way we got all the important parts of the story about what happened, without it dragging.

I have to admit that while I did enjoy the book and wanted to know how this part of the story was going to end,  I also found myself just wanting it to be over. I'm really not good with chunkster and at over 700 pages, this one was just too long for me.   I don't want you to get the wrong idea, though, and think it dragged at the end and I didn't like as much. That's not true. There was a lot of things going on, a lot of action. I was thoroughly enjoying it, it was just so big and I have been reading it for awhile that I just had the urge to move on to a different story.  Does that make sense?

I definitely think this book deserves the praise it's been given.  I can't wait for the next book to be published so I can figure out what has happened to the characters.

This is the first book Husband read last year..the first book he's read in several years.  In fact, since he's been reading again it's the only one that he's even really liked (although he does agree with me that it's a bit long and goes as far as to say it could have been 200 pages shorter).  Husband has been pressuring me to read it since he finished it, it wasn't even one I had even planned on reading before he started it.  I'm really glad he did push me to read it though.  Husband and I have talked about it several times and it was fun to discuss things with him. I mentioned a couple things about it that he hadn't even thought about.  Usually while walking the dog after work I would bring up the book and tell him what part I was at and we would discuss what has happened so far.  I loved being able to do that.  Oh, and we are both in agreement that Lish is our favorite character, but we both like Peter a lot too.

So, if you haven't picked up this book yet but have thought about it, I do urge you to give it a try. In my opinion, it's well worth the time it takes to read it.


Audio Review: 
I attempted to listen to this book but had to stop. I found myself wondering and not really paying attention to it and then getting confused.  Husband kept telling me it was one I had to read and not listen to.  But then in further discussions with him he said the first part was a bit confusing too (he read the whole book).  Now I wonder if I would have liked it on audio had I stuck with it.  I listened to the first 120 pages, read the rest.  It took me a bit  more of reading it before I was fully engrossed in the story and no longer confused.   I'm interested to see what others thought who listened to it...were you engrossed right away or was there a part in the story where you finally said..okay..now I get it.

Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke

#14 Hannah Swensen Series
Copyright: 2010
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Mystery
Pages: audio
Challenges: Off the Shelf, Audio Book, Crusin Through the Cozies
Author's Website
My rating: 4/5

Simple Description:
It's summer time and that means fundraiser time.  Hannah and Lisa are asked to bake cookies for a fundraiser the mayor's wife is hosting.  Of course, they are asked at the last minute but they still do it to help out.  The fundraiser has several different events and lasts for several days.  One event in particular is the talent show.  Hannah isn't planning to attend since one of her old professors is involved with it, but when Lisa's husband, Herb, needs her to be his assistant at the last minute, she agrees.  Unfortunately, while at the talent show Hannah finds the professor dead.  

Hannah and her sister Michelle are both likely suspects, even though the police don't really think they did it.
Still, Hannah spends some time investigating the murder because that's just who she is.  Plus, she wants to make sure Lake Eden doesn't find out that Hannah and Michelle were both involved with the professor (at different times of course).

Along with the murder investigation, Hannah's other sister, Andrea, is freaking out because her husband has been offered an incredible job offer and she thinks he might take it.  Even though this means moving the family out of state.

Normal and Mike are both still trying to win Hannah's hand.  Both are acting a little funny towards her too.

My Thoughts:
As my long time readers already know, this is one of my favorite series.  I just love the characters and I love being able to spend time with them.  This is a series I definitely recommend for cozy fans, but please start at the beginning.  I've read some negative reviews of this series on other blogs and most are new readers who start with the most recently published book.  This is one series that starting at the beginning is in your best interest.

One negative thing I've seen several times about the later books is that you read half the book before you actually get to a murder.  Normally with a cozy (or most any mystery) you have the murder right away.  Not always true with this one.  In this specific story I was on disk 4 (of 8) before the murder actually took place.  This didn't bother me at all, but I can see where it would bother somebody new to the series.  For me, I enjoy the characters and the setting so much that it's pure fun to just read about them and what's going on in their lives for half the book before we get to the murder. However, as a new comer I can see where this would be annoying and get some negative feedback.

As far as this book itself, I found in very enjoyable.  I enjoyed it as much as I have the others.  Some of the cookie recipes sound super good too.  I plan to try some within the next month or so and will post a weekend cooking post when I do.   My only complaint is that I really do wish Hannah would pick between Mike and Norman. She doesn't even need to get married, I just want her to pick one!  I think the story line with the three of them is getting old and needs to change.  Of course, my vote is for Norman, just in case Ms. Fluke wanted to know.

Audio Review:
I did actually listen to (most) of this book.  I admit that I was very close to finishing it one day but arrived home before I had a chance to, so I got out  my copy of the book and finished it in print form. It's the first time attempting this series on audio and I have to say I was impressed.  I wasn't sure how well I would like it since I feel I know the characters, would the narrator do a good enough job?  Suzanne Toren is the narrator and I think she does a great job.  I could easily follow what was going on and while she didn't drastically change her voice, she did enough that you knew when it was different characters.

My only issue with the audio is that the recipes are actually read out loud too.  While I realize they are part of the book, I found this unnecessary and a bit annoying because who is going to write down the recipe or try making it, while listening to it?   Luckily the recipes are at the end of the chapters and I was able to just skip to the next track.

In fact, I enjoyed this one enough on audio that I already received the next in the series from my library. It comes out next month, and I'm currently in 3rd place to get.  Of course, since I love trying out the recipes included in the book I'll also buy a copy to have on hand.

Doom With a View by Victoria Laurie

#7 Physic Eye series
Copyright: 2009
Publisher: Obsidian
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 314
Challenges: Paranormal fantasy Romance, series challange, Cruisin through the cozies
Own
Author's Website
My rating: 4/5

Simple Description:
Due to the economy people aren't spending as much on extra expenses and this means Abby's business is suffering.  When the FBI asks for her help with a case she accepts, as long as her PI friend Candice can also help.  While Agent Gaston believes in her and wants her help, the lead Agent in charge (and Dutch's boss) Agent Harrison does not believe in what Abby can do, even when she proves herself time after time.

The FBI is trying to find three kids who have disappeared, all of them are the kids of Senators from different states.  They are trying to find the kids before more disappear.

My Thoughts:
I believe I say this every time I review a book in this series and I'm going to say it again: I love this series and it's one of my favorites.   I really like Abby's character.  I think she's fun and has a good heart. I like a lot of the secondary characters as well, especially her boyfriend Dutch.

I thought the story for this book was good, Abby was faced with somebody who doesn't believe in what she does and I liked seeing her react to this.  Of course, she was also working with somebody that did and that helped too.

If I had anything negative to say regarding this specific story it's that the behavior of Candice and Agent Harrison was annoying, their reactions to each other was annoying.  They bickered a lot, with Candice trying to stand up for Abby and with Harrison being against using them.  It just carried on too much and could have stopped long before it did.

I still loved the story though, regardless of what did bother me.   I think by now we all know I like a bit of paranormal in my books and so of course I love that Abby is psychic, it really makes for a fun cozy.