Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Audiobook Review: Six Geese a-Slaying by Donna Andrews

Six Geese a-Slaying
Author: Donna Andrews
Narrator: Bernadette Dunne
Series: Meg Langslow (Book 10)
Publication: Dreamscape Media LLC (December 5, 2017)
Length: 7 hours and 22 minutes

Description: In Six Geese A-Slaying, Donna Andrews fans delivers another zany Meg Langslow mystery---this one filled with outrageous Christmas spirit…and mayhem.

Meg and Michael's house is serving as the marshaling point for the annual Caerphilly Christmas parade. The theme is "The Twelve Days of Christmas," and it features twelve drummers from the school marching band, eleven bagpipers, ten leaping lords costumed in medieval finery from the college drama department, etc. There are also assorted Christmas-themed floats, a live nativity scene on a flatbed truck, the Three Wise Men on Caerphilly zoo camels, and Santa Claus in a bright red horse-drawn sleigh (eight reindeer were beyond the zoo's scope).

Meg has been volunteered to organize the parade, which is to proceed from her house to the local campus, where Santa will take up residence to hear the Christmas wishes of the town's children. Of course, getting all the camels, pipers, leapers, and drummers in order is proving every bit as difficult as Meg feared it would be. Then her nephew Eric, wide-eyed and ashen-faced, whispers, "Meg, something's wrong with Santa."

The local curmudgeon, whose beard and belly made him a natural for the role, has been murdered. Now Meg and Chief Burke, who is playing one of the wise men, are faced with the two-fold mission of solving the murder and saving Christmas!

My Thoughts: It's Christmas time in Caerphilly and Meg has been put in charge of the annual Christmas parade. The theme is "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and most of the days are easy to assemble, but the "six geese a-laying" is a problem because all 36 members of SPOR are in goose costumes and determined to be in the parade. 

And then there is Santa Claus... He's been played by a local curmudgeon for years because he's one of the few that will fit in the little Santa suit. And now, to add to the confusion, someone has killed him by stabbing him in the heart. 

Not only does Meg need to find a substitute Santa with only minutes before the parade begins, but she has to find a substitute camel-riding wiseman because the Chief of Police has to bow out to work the murder, and it would be good to solve the murder too. 

Investigations shows that Santa was also a blackmailer and eagle-killer which really enlarges the suspect pool. And most of the suspects are taking part in the parade from the SPOR members upset about the eagles to other various blackmail victims.

As usual, things are chaotic and absurd, and it is up to Meg to control the chaos and save the day but not before she's captured by the villain. 

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.
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ARC Review: Fish Out of Water by Katie Ruggle

Fish Out of Water
Author: Katie Ruggle
Publication: Sourcebooks Casablanca (February 13, 2024)

Description: Why date a mountain man? Because he knows how to pitch a tent.

When Dahlia Weathersby's sister disappears on what should have been a simple day hike, Dahlia immediately heads deep into the Colorado Rockies to find her. Knowing she'll never survive the mountains alone, she convinces the local hermit―adorably grouchy survival expert Winston Dane―to be her guide. All it takes is a good helping of Dahlia's charm…and just the teeniest bit of blackmail…before she's got all six-foot-something of him wrapped around her finger. But even with her very own mountain man in tow, things aren't going to be easy. There are:
  • Long hikes through gorgeous wilderness? Check.
  • Bears? Check.
  • A single shared sleeping bag? Check.
  • Enough sparks to set the Rockies ablaze? Check, check, check.
With everything the wilderness has to throw at them, it'll take more than charm and some city girl ingenuity to make this trek anything but a disaster waiting to happen…and an adventure she'll never forget.

My Thoughts: This was an excellent romantic comedy. City girl and makeover artist Dahlia Weathersby comes to the depth of the Colorado Rockies when she gets an SOS text from her half-sister and best friend Rose. She is definitely a fish out of water, but a very fashionable one.

She dragoons local recluse Winston Dane into going with her to help her rescue her sister. Luckily, besides being the hot local hermit, he is a survival expert. While initially grumpy and taciturn, he is quick to agree to take Dahlia on her quest to locate her sister. As the two hike into the Rockies, they begin to fall in love through blizzards, bear sightings, and all the way to a meth lab where Rose is being kept prisoner. 

I enjoyed Dahlia's effervescent personality and optimistic attitude which she is using to cover up just how worried she is about the only person in her family that she loves. It is nicely contrasted with Winston's more quiet and dour personality which seems to be a cover for his shyness. 

Fans of humorous romances will enjoy getting to meet these two intriguing characters. 

Favorite Quote:
"Is...it running away?" she asked, unable to believe she wasn't about to be eaten like a very fashionable protein bar. She blinked again, but she hadn't been mistaken. The round, furry bear butt was getting farther and farther awy until it turned into the trees and disappeared completely.

Only then did Winston laugh. "You both saw each other, turned tail, and ran. You even had the same wide-eyed expression."
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
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Monday, February 5, 2024

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (February 6, 2024)

 It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.


It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Want to See What I Added to My Stack? links to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene at Reading Reality.

Other Than Reading...

This was a nice quiet week. The temperatures were above average, and the roads are snow free. Since my brother needed a chauffeur when he brought his car in for some work on his muffler, I appreciated the clear roads. 

I did manage to get a few books off my review stack around my listening to a bunch of books about Herald Mags, mysteries and Companions. I also wrote my monthly State of the Stack post and tallied up my January statistics.

The big excitement of the week was having a guy in to clean all of the carpets which hasn't been done since we moved in. Even though we are generally tidy, six years is a long time to go between carpet cleanings. I was surprised at how well the living room carpet turned out. The bedroom carpets aren't as sturdy and should go on the list of things to replace sooner rather than later. I think they are likely original to when the house was built more than 30 years ago. 

Next week is free of appointments and should provide a lot of nice reading time. 

January Report

I read 37 books in January including 21 audiobooks and 11 review books. My page total was 12,991 and hours listened were 241. 

I added 62 books to my collection last month including 9 review copies from NetGalley. Twenty-eight of the new books were audiobooks which included the use of one credit, getting 11 from Chirp, 10 from a recent Audible Sale, and adding on 6 via Whispersync. Eleven of my new additions are rereads mostly via audiobook. 

Total still on the TBR pile from January additions is 53. My total TBR from all time is 2534. 

Read Last Week
  • Bastion by Mercedes Lackey (Audiobook; Mine) -- Finale of the Collegium Chronicles. Epic fantasy. My review will be posted on March 14.
  • The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong (Review; February 20) -- Second book in the Haven's Rock thriller series. My review will be posted on February 14.
  • Murder in Masquerade by Mary Winters (Review; February 20) -- So-so historical mystery. I enjoyed the plot but found the characters too modern in thought and action for 1860. My review will be posted on February 13.
  • Closer to Home by Mercedes Lackey (Audiobook; Mine) -- First in the Herald Spy trilogy. Epic Fantasy. My review will be posted on March 26.
  • The Last Word by Gerri Lewis (Review; February 20) -- Fledgling obituary writer needs to solve the murder of one of her clients. My review will be posted on February 15.
  • Closer to the Heart by Mercedes Lackey (Audiobook; Mine) -- Middle book in the Herald Spy trilogy. Epic Fantasy. My review will be posted on April 2.
  • A Smoking Bun by Ellie Alexander (Review; February 20) -- Eighteenth in a cozy series. Takes place in Oregon at a small town with a ski resort. Interesting characters. My review will be posted on February 17.
  • I Only Read Murder by Ian Ferguson & Will Ferguson (Review; February 27) -- Humorous mystery starring a ditzy, has-been actress who comes to a small town in the Pacific Northwest to reconnect with her husband and solve the murder of the lead actress in a community play. My review will be posted on February 20.
  • Closer to the Chest by Mercedes Lackey (Audiobook; Mine) -- Third in the Herald Spy trilogy. Epic fantasy. My review will be posted on April 9.
Currently
Next Week
Reviews Posted
Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Review:
Bought:
Audiobooks
What was your week like?
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Saturday, February 3, 2024

Book Review: Highway to Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Highway to Hell
Author: Rosemary Clement-Moore
Series: Maggie Quinn (Book 3)
Publication: Delacorte Press (March 5, 2009)

Description: Maggie Quinn was expecting to find plenty of trouble with Lisa over Spring Break. Destination: South Padre Island! Give a girl a bikini, a beachfront hotel, and an absent boyfriend, and it’s as good as a road map to the dark side. And Maggie and Lisa plan to enjoy every bit of it--just like nice, normal college freshmen. Fire, brimstone, and demonic sorority girls: these ladies are officially off the clock.

But Maggie doesn’t have to go looking for trouble. Trouble has started looking for her. One dead cow and a punctured gas tank later, she and Lisa are stuck in Dulcina, Texas—a town so small that it has an owner. And--you guessed it--lately life in this small town hasn’t been all that peaceful. An eerie predator is stalking the ranchland. Cattle are dying mysteriously, with strange bite marks on their hides. And judging by the rising body count, whatever's doing the killing is getting bolder by the day.

Everyone in town has a theory, but not even Maggie’s psychic mojo can provide any answers. And the longer the girls are stranded, the more obvious it becomes that something is seriously wrong. Only no one—not even Maggie’s closest ally—wants to admit that they could have been forced on a detour down the highway to hell.

It looks like fighting evil isn't a job with vacation time.

My Thoughts: The third book in the Maggie Quinn series has Maggie and her best friend Lisa driving to Spring Break on South Padre Island. Neither are really the Spring Break type. Maggie wants to do an article for her school newspaper and Lisa just wants to do something normal. 

However, their plans fall apart when Maggie's jeep hits a dead cow in the road and the two of them find themselves stranded in Dulcina, Texas, with something supernatural going on. The locals are sure that El Chupacabra has made a return as evidenced by missing and dead animals ranging from a small dog through goats and calves and cows. Both Maggie and Lisa are intrigued, and both are hoping that this won't be their next encounter with evil. 

With Justin spending some time with his best friend Henry, Maggie feels a bit lost without his support and his research skills. A trip to a small local roadside museum with a faked-up skeleton of a supposed chupacabra doesn't shed much light on the mystery though a small relic from a long-lost Indian tribe may hold a clue.

Evidence of some sort of supernatural something becomes hard to dismiss as Maggie is having visions about something evil despite Lisa new friend Zeke's assurance that it is just some natural creature made more dangerous by the drought. Zeke's grandmother who appears in Maggie's visions is busy denying any sort of supernatural evil despite having bested it some fifty years earlier. When Justing and Henry join the girls, the whole Scooby gang is together again and just in time to battle a demon. 

This story has it all. There is great worldbuilding, intriguing supernatural characters, snarky conversations between best friends, and all sorts of action as they bettle the demon. Fans of YA paranormal fiction will enjoy this one. 

Favorite Quote:
"Where's Zeke?"

"He's talking to the doctor about Dave. Are you out of your mind?"

Trying not to grimace at the pins and needles of restored circulation, I uncurled from the couch. "You're going to have to give me a frame of reference for that question. It's been a long night, and in no way lacking in crazy."
I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

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Friday, February 2, 2024

Friday Memes: Highway to Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore

 Happy Friday!


Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 
Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda at Freda's Voice. This meme is currently on hiatus but many of us are still including a sentence from page 56 or from 56% of the ebook. Anne @ Head Full of Books is picking up the slack until Freda is ready to return. I think this link will get you to the correct place. 

Beginning:
Some people think that Texas has only one season, that it's summer all year long. In fact, the Lone Star State does have four seasons: Hot, Humid, Horrible, and Hellacious. But when I decided to road-trip with D&D Lisa to South Padre Island, I didn't think that last one would be so literal.
Friday 56:
"Drought didn't kill my best herding dog," said Carl from the Old Guys' table. "Or Teresa's goats.

Teresa unfolded her arms slowly, with a sense of drama. "All with their throats ripped out."
This week I am spotlighting Highway to Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore. This is the third book in a trilogy. The first two had been on my TBR pile for years before I recently read them. Here is the description from Amazon:
Maggie Quinn was expecting to find plenty of trouble with Lisa over Spring Break. Destination: South Padre Island! Give a girl a bikini, a beachfront hotel, and an absent boyfriend, and it’s as good as a road map to the dark side. And Maggie and Lisa plan to enjoy every bit of it--just like nice, normal college freshmen. Fire, brimstone, and demonic sorority girls: these ladies are officially off the clock.

But Maggie doesn’t have to go looking for trouble. Trouble has started looking for her. One dead cow and a punctured gas tank later, she and Lisa are stuck in Dulcina, Texas—a town so small that it has an owner. And--you guessed it--lately life in this small town hasn’t been all that peaceful. An eerie predator is stalking the ranchland. Cattle are dying mysteriously, with strange bite marks on their hides. And judging by the rising body count, whatever's doing the killing is getting bolder by the day.

Everyone in town has a theory, but not even Maggie’s psychic mojo can provide any answers. And the longer the girls are stranded, the more obvious it becomes that something is seriously wrong. Only no one—not even Maggie’s closest ally—wants to admit that they could have been forced on a detour down the highway to hell.

It looks like fighting evil isn'at a job with vacation time.
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Thursday, February 1, 2024

Audiobook Review: Tomb of the Golden Bird by Elizabeth Peters

Tomb of the Golden Bird
Author: Elizabeth Peters
Narrator: Barbara Rosenblat
Series: Amelia Peabody (Book 18)
Publication: HarperAudio (March 23, 2006)
Length: 13 hours and 43 minutes

Description: Convinced that the tomb of the little-known King Tutankhamen lies somewhere in the Valley of the Kings, eminent Egyptologist Radcliffe Emerson and his intrepid wife, Amelia Peabody, seem to have hit a wall. Having been banned forever from the East Valley, Emerson, against Amelia's advice, has tried desperately to persuade Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter to relinquish their digging rights. But Emerson's trickery has backfired, and his insistent interest in the site has made his rivals all the more determined to keep the Emerson clan away.

Powerless to intervene but determined to stay close to the unattainable tomb, the family returns to Luxor and prepares to continue their dig in the less promising West Valley, and to watch from the sidelines as Carter and Carnarvon "discover" the greatest Egyptian treasure of all time: King Tut's tomb. But before their own excavation can get underway, Emerson and his son, Ramses, find themselves lured into a trap by a strange group of villains ominously demanding, "Where is he?"

Driven by distress, and, of course, Amelia's insatiable curiosity, the Emersons embark on a quest to uncover who "he" is and why "he" must be found, only to discover that the answer is uncomfortably close to home. Now Amelia must find a way to protect her family, and perhaps even her would-be nemesis, from the sinister forces that will stop at nothing to succeed in the nefarious plot that threatens the peace of the entire region.

My Thoughts: The finale of the Amelia Peabody series takes place in 1922 and centers around the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen. An argument with Howard Carter leaves the Emersons on the outside looking in but we do see some of the activities around the discovery.

The Emersons are busy with problems of their own when Sethos shows up fighting a bout of malaria and trailing villains who want to recover an encrypted note that he stole. When David arrives from England, he gets involved in the same issues that he was involved with as a younger man: encouraging Egyptian independence from the British, it looks like both David and Sethos are dealing with different aspects of the same plot. 

There are a series of threats but not murders in this episode ruining the Emerson's murder-a-season record. The threats seem rather half-hearted and include kidnapping and then releasing the Emerson's butler among other sorts of nuisance threats. 

One plot point concerns whether or not Sethos has really reformed and also deals with his relationship with his wife Margaret. Ramses isn't at all sure that Sethos's reformation is real since he could easily have arranged the threats without breaking his word to Amelia to leave the family alone. 

I will miss the Peabody/Emersons. I wish that I could watch the grandchildren grow up past the age of six. I greatly enjoyed this series which was filled with interesting archaeological details and characters who will live forever in my memory.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.
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State of the Stack #149 (February 1, 2024)

 This is my monthly post which details progress made on review books. I want to thank the authors and publishers who have contributed their books. 

Read This Month 

Dates indicate the date the review was/will be posted.
  1. The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (January 30)
  2. The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder by C. L. Miller (January 30)
  3. Hollywood Hustle by Jon Lindstrom (January 31)
  4. A Killer Romance by Maggie Blackburn (January 31)
  5. Fish Out of Water by Katie Ruggle (February 6)
  6. The Lantern's Dance by Laurie R. King (February 7)
  7. At the River by Kendra Elliot (February 8)
  8. Murder by Moonlight by Patrice McDonough (February 13)
  9. The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong (February 14)
  10. Murder in Masquerade by Mary Winters (February 13)
  11. The Last Word by Gerri Lewis (February 15)
DNF
  1.  
Read Previously, Posted This Month 

Dates indicate when the review was posted.
  1. The Night Island by Jayne Ann Krentz (January 2)
  2. Death at a Scottish Wedding by Lucy Connelly (January 2)
  3. The Sign of Four Spirits by Vicki Delany (January 3)
  4. The Body on the Doorstep by Marty Wingate (January 3)
  5. The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins (January 4)
  6. The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes (January 4)
  7. Northwoods by Amy Pease (January 6)
  8. Dream Town by Lee Goldberg (January 9)
  9. The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews (January 9)
  10. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett (January 10)
  11. Deadly to the Core by Joyce Tremel (January 11)
  12. Random in Death by J. D. Robb (January 16)
  13. A Body at the Seance by Marty Wingate (January 17)
  14. The Breakup Tour by Emily Wibberley (January 18)
  15. Of Hoaxes and Homicide by Anastasia Hastings (January 23)
New This Month 

Date indicates when the book will be released.
  1. Four-Alarm Homicide by Diane Kelly (April 23)
  2. Mind Games by Nora Roberts (May 21)
  3. Dead Tired by Kat Ailes (June 4)
  4. One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day (July 16)
  5. Trouble in Queenstown by Delia Pitts (July 16)
  6. The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish by Paula Brackston (July 23)
  7. The Last Line by Scott Lyerly (July 23)
  8. In the Event of Murder by Cynthia Kuhn (August 20)
All TBR Review Books

February
March
April
May
June
July 
August




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