Book Review || Chamomile Mourning

Chamomile Mourning
A Tea Shop Mystery #6
Laura Childs

Published: March 2006

Berkley Prime Crime, mass market pbk, 306p.
ISBN: 978-0-425-20618-8

Charleston, South Carolina, is alive with music, dancing, and the arts as the Spoleto festival gets underway  But Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning feels far from festive when the inaugural Poet's Tea is forced into one of the Heritage Society's austere halls by rain.  And when it rains, it pours - as proven when a respected auction house owner plummets from the balcony, landing dead on Theodosia's specially-prepared cake.  Worse yet, it looks like someone helped him over the edge.  With a full kettle of suspects, Theodosia pursues an investigation into the murky swamps of the Low Country, where she uncovers a thriving criminal enterprise of art forgery, fraud - and murder...

 

 

What I liked?  Well, this is the book where Parker is introduced.  I liked him more than Jory as a character, but he's still not stellar.

The relationship between Theo and Drayton is also very sweet and paternal.  Earl Grey is always a favourite.  Such a sweet and loyal friend to Theo, and so adorable in his role as a service dog in the nursing home and hospital.

Those recipes people!  I don't think I have to say anything else on that score.  I only wish that I had a tea shop like this near me.

But on the flip side...

I say this for every book.  Theo needs to learn how to say 'NO!' to people.  She is such a people-pleaser that I find this aspect of her personality very frustrating.  Also, Delaine is such a selfish and pushy person that I wish she'd develop laryngitis, or take a world cruise, at some stage so we could have some Delaine-free time.

Theo's insatiable curiosity - and the need to stick her nose into a police investigation - is very predictable plot device and really I think there needs to be a shake-up of what's happening in the story arc in general.

Unfortunately I've had to read these books out of order.  My library only has a few, and I pick them up where I can so I've been all over the place in terms of continuity.  However, Theo has remained a constant character with no extremes of behaviour so reading books out of order is not such a huge deal.  The only glitch is the spoilers as to whom she is currently dating if you happen to pick up a book further on in the series.

So, despite all the gripes that I have about this series in the way the characters never seem to develop and lose some of their more annoying traits, I do enjoy diving into the world of the Indigo Tea Shop.  Will definitely be filling in the gaps in my bookshelves, and eagerly await getting my hands on the latest book.

Not the best book in the series, but a good way to spend an hour or two.

Overall I rate this book

Oh, and if you can recommend a good cosy mystery series then please let me know in the comments  down below.  I'm in desperate need of a new series to sink my teeth into ;-D

Until next time,

 

Book Review || Tricky Twenty-Two

Tricky Twenty-Two

Stephanie Plum #22

Janet Evanovich

Published: 16 Nov, 2015

Headline, Trade, 280p.

ISBN: 978-1-4722-0165-2

Something big is brewing in Trenton, New Jersey, and it could blow at any minute.

Stephanie Plum might not be the world's greatest bounty hunter, but she knows when she's being played.  Ken Globovic (aka Gobbles), the unofficial student leader of the notorious Zeta fraternity, has been arrested for beating up the dean of students at Kiltman College.  Gobbles has missed his court date and has gone into hiding.  People have seen him on campus, but no one will talk.  Things just aren't adding up, and Stephanie can't shake the feeling that something funny is going on at the college.

As much as people love Gobbles, they hate Doug LInken.  When Linken is gunned down in his backyard, the list of possible murder suspects is long.  The only people who care about finding Linken's killer are Trenton cop Joe Morelli, who has been assigned the case, security expert Ranger, who was hired to protect Kinked, and Stephanie, who has her eye on a cash prize and hopefully has some tricks up her sleeve...

NOTE: this will contain SPOILERS as I can't avoid them if I want to give you a full run down of what I thought of this book.

So much happened in this book that I almost don't know where to start.   After having numerous problems with the declining quality over the last couple of years, I was half dreading this book.  Thankfully Evanovich has really upped her game and addressed some of the issues that were becoming a real problem with the series.

The main change comes with character development.  Two major changes occur in Tricky Twenty-Two.  Firstly, in a twist I couldn't have anticipated, Morelli dumps Stephanie!  Yes, the hot Italian cop dropped this bomb out of the blue - and thought that the time to tell her they should see other people was while they were in bed... right after they'd had sex! So, for the rest of the book Stephanie and Morelli are broken up - for mysterious reasons that he's not telling anyone!  I was so shocked to read this that I literally stared at that paragraph for a good 2 minutes.  24 hours later, and I was still having trouble getting my mind around this!

Secondly, is the rethink of Stephanie's continued klutziness in recapturing FTA's.  In the first couple of books, Stephanie was a newbie bounty hunter, so of course we were expecting her to be totally inept.  However, when it was still happening in Eleven on Top it was becoming monotonous to have your main character as the comic relief.  She was still getting thrown into tables of food - or garbage bins! - and the only person more inept than Stephanie was Lula.  She's been at this for years now and so I would expect that she should have gained some skills!  It's not good to have your female lead to always be rescued by the hot ex-Special Forces guy.  So when I read that not only was Stephanie able to rescue herself, and another character, as well as take down the lawn mowing FTA in short order, I took heart that perhaps some of Stephanie's shortcomings regarding this issue will finally be rectified.

As well as the above major plot points, here are a few other changes that I took note of:

• Mrs Plum tackles the killer - and beats the crap out of him! - and finally admits that she gets why Stephanie doesn't quit.  Yes, it's only taken 22 books (and 20 years) for Stephanie to get some validation.
• Stephanie actually baked a cake... and it was edible!  She didn't really find it a fulfilling experience, but she did it!
• Self defence and firearm training is now on Stephanie's to-do list (or so she says).
• Morelli and Stephanie are finally more open to getting married at some stage in the future.
• Surprising health issues raised for Morelli.  This is the issue that sends his relationship with Stephanie into splitsville.
• Ella tells Stephanie that she is the only woman to come to Ranger's place!
• We finally get a reason for Lula being such a terrible shot.  She has glasses that she won't wear as it's not a good fashion choice.
•  Sexual tension between Stephanie and Ranger is a little bland.  A hint of things to come, or just the calm before the storm?

I took all of these as a sign that I should not give up on this series.  After all, I have been reading this series for nearly 12 years, and I have invested far too much time, energy - not to mention money! - to give up on Stephanie, Ranger and Morelli now.  Evanovich has made a few seemingly minor, but much needed, tweeks that pretty much guarantee I will be looking forward to Book 23 all that much more.

Stephanie Plum is a great series if you want something that's fast, straight forward, uncomplicated, funny and light to read.  While I love the earlier books more, Tricky Twenty-Two lets me believe that there is still some get up and go in this series.

Until next time,

All Souls Review - Part 2: Shadow of Night

Shadow of Night 
All Souls Trilogy, Book 2
Deborah Harkness

Published: 2012

Headline, Trade,
ISBN:

In a world of witches, daemons and vampires the fragile balance of peace is unravelling. Diana and Matthew's forbidden love has broken the laws dividing creatures. To discover the manuscript which holds their hope for the future, they must now travel back to the past. When Diana Bishop, descended from a line of powerful witches, discovered a significant alchemical manuscript in the Bodleian Library, she sparked a struggle in which she became bound to long-lived vampire Matthew Clairmont. 

Now the coexistence of witches, daemons, vampires and humans is dangerously threatened. Seeking safety, Diana and Matthew travel back in time to London, 1590. But they soon realise that the past may not provide a haven. Reclaiming his former identity as poet and spy for Queen Elizabeth, the vampire falls back in with a group of radicals known as the School of Night. Many are unruly daemons, the creative minds of the age, including playwright Christopher Marlowe and mathematician Thomas Harriot. Together Matthew and Diana scour Tudor London for the elusive manuscript Ashmole 782, and search for the witch who will teach Diana how to control her remarkable powers...

Huge hail storm

Yesterday we had a doozy of a hail storm hit.  It started as just a really wild storm, and then the clouds went a funky brown/sepia colour and the hail started to fall!  It got so bad at one point when the winds shifted that I was getting wet on my balcony - and that's only happened about 5 times in the 4 years I've lived here! 

Once the hail really started to come down, I got my butt inside and started to film out the window beside my front door.  The hail was just smashing down, and it was so heavy that I my ears hurt from the continuous bashing of the hail on the tin roof.  It was over in about 15 minutes, but during that time I was worried whether or not I would have a roof at the end.

This is the closest I'm ever going to get to snow in QLD, but this was also a hell of a lot scarier ;-D

Until next time,

T5W || Books I DNF'd

Hi!  Long time, no see ;-D

This week I'm just going to jump straight into the topic - books I DNF'd.  It's weird when a book you love finds it's way onto the DNF list of someone else, however I really did not find the following books appealing in any way - so much so that after a few chapters I just couldn't force myself to read any more.

A quick disclaimer.  The following titles are in no particular order.  These are my own personal opinions.  You may love these and that's great, however for whatever reason, they just weren't my cup of tea.

I know a lot of people will gasp in horror at finding Fangirl and Sharp Objects on my list, but I really disliked both of these.  Fangirl I just found to be too YA for me.  Sharp Objects is the first Gillian Flynn book that I read, and because of that I'm not keen on picking up Gone Girl (even though I own it!).  Guilded, Phoenix Rising and Unholy Ghosts I found to the main characters to be extremely unlikable and I really didn't care what happened.  

So, that was my lightning quick T5W for this week.  Let me know in the comments if you agree with any of my choices.

As always, T5W was created by the lovely Lainey over at GINGERREADSLAINEY and I'll include a link to the Goodreads group {HERE} if you would also like to participate. 

Until next time, 

 

Christmas starting early this year

 

Hello my lovelies!

 

This is just going to be a rambling entry as I just can't seem to get myself into a bookish mood.  Still waiting for new things to arrive in the post, but I will show you three of my favourite non-bookish thngs I found this week.  

 

I'm getting into the Christmas Spirit early this year so I wanted to show you all my latest finds.  Firstly, I saw this online and immediately called my mum to see if she could find it in her area (I don't have a K-Mart here!) and yes, she bought it for me ;-D  I love it, and it is sitting on a box beside my computer desk until I decide exactly where I want it.  Then on Saturday I saw this cute Christmas ornaments, a little felt bird, and had to have it, then I remembered I'd seen some sweet hanging mason jars for candles a few days before, so I bought one to go along with the red theme I've got going this year.  I wanted things to decorate my bookshelves with, but they have instead found their way into my bedroom.  I've got the bird hanging from my lacy curtain, and the candle holder is currently on the box next to the ampersand light.

 

On the bookish side of things after the success of last weekend's TBR only reading binge, I just haven't really been feeling like picking up any other books from my massive TBR pile.  Instead I've been spending waaaay too much time on YouTube, and rereading some of my favourite books.  It's become a bit of a problem.

I was planning on doing something about that today, but it's overcast, and quite chilly for November!, so I'm sitting back on the bed, watching YouTube.  There  are plenty of things that really need to get done, but the weather has saved me from laundry duty, however I should have gone to the store this morning for a few groceries, but have decided to put that off until tomorrow so I can bask in the glory that is spending a lazy morning in bed so I can make the most of my favourite weather ;-D

Hoping that the postman delivers a book or two today - I ordered another handful of books, yeah! - and am still debating whether or not I should read the Song of Ice and Fire books before watching the TV series.  Yes, I still haven't read/watched it... and I own the books and seasons 1-4 on Blu-ray! {hmmm, a little off topic there}  So, I've got a myriad of bookish things to get done, read, or watch, but just can't seem to summon the enthusiasm to start any of it.  

Do you feel this way at times?  Let me know down below if you do, and what worked to get you out of your reading funk.

Until next time,

 

 

 

 

End of October Wrap-Up

I ended up reading quite a few books off my TBR pile over the last 3 days of this month.  Started off when I woke up early on Thursday morning, and picked up Magnus Chase - which was sitting on the desk near my bed - and by 5:30am I was well and truly engrossed in the world that Rick Riordan had created.

It only took me just over 3½ hours to complete!  So while I got up and finally got my breakfast, I decided to read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.  While not as fabulous as Magnus Chase, I did enjoy this first book in Ransom Rigg's trilogy.

Not getting hardcover!

Yep, it's official.  I won't be getting the hardcover of Six of Crows.  After I updated you all on the news that Book Depository were sending the hardcover edition my way (so excited!), the next morning I got an email to say that there had been a mix up with the publishers/information - and the book I ordered was not supposed to be listed as a hardcover.  

Bummer.

So, I will be getting a refund instead.  I'm a tad miffed that I won't be getting the book in hardcover, but the trade is just as nice so I'll stick with that.

On the plus side, the staff at Book Depository were very quick to answer emails, and even emailed me back to update me on the mix up (and offered refund).  Thank you, Book Depository ;-D

Until next time,

Oh no, not again!

I can't believe that this has happened again!  Two weeks ago I ordered a hardcover copy of Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.  Today the postman knocked on my door and handed me a Book Depository parcel and I was excited to finally have the book in my hands... that was until I ripped the box open.

There no hardcover!  I ended up with a trade paperback.  What is going on?  Has anyone else had this happen?  If so, let me know about it down below as I'm not a happy camper at the moment.

UPDATE!

Emailed Book Depository yesterday and received an email to let me know that they have re-ordered

the hardcover and will be sending that to me!  So happy that I will get the hardcover ;-D

Until next time,

Should I give in to temptation?

Saw this gorgeous Frosty the Snowman teapot at a discount store that has popped up at my local shopping centre.  I find he is so cute, and I would love to have a Christmas teapot, however he is $45.

Let me know in the comments whether or not I should buy Frosty and give him a home?

Until next time,

 

All Souls Review - Part 1: A Discovery of Witches

A Discovery of Witches 
All Souls Trilogy, Book 1
Deborah Harkness

Published: 2011

Headline, Format B paperback, 688 p.
ISBN: 978-0-7553-7404-5


It begins with absence and desire.
             It begins with blood and fear.
                          It begins with a discovery of witches.


A world of witches, daemons and vampires.

A manuscript which holds the secrets of their past and the key to their future.

Diana and Matthew - the forbidden love at the heart of it. 

 

Coming Soon - Review of All Souls Trilogy

image made by me

In the spirit of Halloween I pulled out my copy of A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness and found myself, once again, lost in the world of witches and vampires, daemons and magic.  I marathoned the trilogy over three days, and today I am feeling a little bereft as I leave that world.  So to help me with my book hangover, I decided to do a review of the trilogy for anyone who has thought about picking it up.

I'll try to avoid any major spoilers - or at least warn you.

Oh, and an important bit of advice to anyone reading considering picking up this trilogy is the reading order.  This is definitely a trilogy where you must start at the beginning.  There will be no skipping ahead, ladies and gentlemen, as you will miss out on vital information that may leave your reading experience a little cattywampus.

So look out for each review as it goes up.  I can't wait to share my feelings and thoughts with you on a trilogy that I just adore.

Until next time,

OMG! It's coming...

This morning I finished re-reading The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness, and feeling a little lost I wandered around the internet and happened to go to her website to check up on the progress of the BBC adapation.  {pssst, nothing happening}

However, while I was there I found myself looking at her News & Events page - will she ever come to Australia for a book signing? - and found out that a fourth book has been bought!  WTF?!  OMG!  {almost hyperventilating!}  So excited.  I was, and promise to be for quite a while, over the moon and as I adore the trilogy I wanted to get that book in my hands asap.  But there is one little catch - it doesn't come out until 2017. 

So while that is a major bummer, I will content myself with the knowledge that a fourth book is making it's way to me.  

As you can tell from the my pic, the title of the book is The Serpent's Mirror, and according to Goodreads it...

... will be set in the All Souls’ world and centered on Matthew Clairmont’s career as a vampiric double agent in the Tudor era, the novel explores historical riddles surrounding the ascent of Elizabeth I to the throne. A contemporary narrative involves the witch-historian Diana Bishop and the cast of the Harkness’s bestselling All Souls’ Trilogy (A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, and The Book of Life). THE SERPENT'S MIRROR is projected as the opening volume of a series of novels drawing from material in the centuries-old de Clermont archives, and a 2017 publication is planned.

Sounds amazing as I love Shadow of Night, the historical figures as well as the historical setting, and fingers crossed that the planned for series is as wonderful as All Souls.

So happy ;-D

Until next time,

Time flies

via Shutterstock

I can't believe it's almost Halloween already!  This year is just flying by.  It seems the older I get, the faster the years seem to speed by.  I wish it would slow down... I wonder, who do I call about that?

Anyway, onto other things.  I've been a very bad bookworm the last few weeks.  I have more than a few books that have arrived in the mail - with a few still left to arrive!  And I get to pick up an armful of books over the next few weeks that I have had on layby at a local store (mostly mine, but a couple for Christmas presents).  Soon it won't be a case of buying a new bookcase or two, but moving into a bigger place so I can fit all the needed bookcases.

In other news, I have a few Christmas ideas gelling at the moment.  I want to get back into sewing and quilting (stupid carpal tunnel has prevented me from sewing nearly all year!), but I've found 2 smaller, and quite simple, projects that I will try before attempting something more complicated - and possibly painful.

Speaking of painful, I got in my annual redecorating funk and moved nearly all the furniture and bookcases around 3 weeks ago.  I like the new layout as I can experience morning sunlight in the lounge area once again, and I'm not in a dark corner hiding behind a bookcase when I sit on the sofa.  But I paid for this one-woman-effort with major nerve problems in my wrists.  Thankfully after a day or two the pain subsided - and it was worth it.  I love the open plan look.

Apart from that, not much else has been going on.  I'm waiting to see the surgeon at the hospital to see what they have to say about operating on my wrists (something I'm really not looking forward too), and in the mean time I'm going to try and catch up on some Halloween reading.

Speaking of, I finished the All Souls Trilogy this morning.  Absolutely adore it.  I have re-read the trilogy at least four, perhaps five?, times.  The only problem is that there are so many unanswered questions that I'm hoping Deborah Harkness is planning another book to resolve all the loose threads.  I don't care if it's 10 years in the character's futures... I just need to know! 

{Hmmm... note to self: perhaps a review is in order?}

Anyway, I'd better scoot and get on with my long list of chores.

Until next time,

 

PS - Oh, I forgot to mention that I won my first ever giveaway (online)!  Allen & Unwin were having a spring clean and I won a book on Instagram.  Was so excited.  I had nominated to get the book, Prick, but somehow ended up with Undermajor Domo Minor?  Caused a few minutes of confusion, but the synopsis sounded very intriguing.  Hope to get to it in November.

T5W || All the pretty little fonts

This week on T5W, we are exploring our favourite title fonts.  Why do we buy the books we do?  Is it because of the cover images only, or does the title design (i.e., the font) also sucker you into an unexpected purchase?  Let's see.

I spent a couple of days pondering the covers of some of my favourite books, and my TBR shelves, trying to figure out what made these books so attractive to me.  I decided that in the end, yes, the font of the title - and it's design, relative to the cover art - does play a big part in why I'm attracted to the book, because as much as I wish I could say otherwise, I will go out of my way to find the exact edition that I find most attractive (within reason ;-D).

#5 - Love the use of colour, and the playful design that matches the cover art illustrations.  The mixture of fonts also makes it quite pleasing to looks at.

#4 - ah, Locke Lamora.  Part of the reason I bought this UK edition was the fonts (well, that and the cover art).  It gives me the impression of a mysterious story and I'm hoping to get to this soon.

#3 - I couldn't resist this edition of Lady Audley's Secret when I first saw it online.  I eventually tracked down a copy on AbeBooks as I loved the swirly lettering that was covering the page.  And, yes, the title (embellishments included) is all one continuous line - I checked!

#2 - it was a toss up between this edition of The Shining, and one of the Knickerbocker Classics, and I chose The Shining because I found the dual fonts to be a little more engaging than only using  a simple, clean font.  For some reason this works for me.

#1 - what can I say?  This is such an amazingly beautiful font for a title.  I enjoy calligraphy, and Illuminated Manuscript, so I am in bookworm heaven looking at this.  I don't have a copy at the moment as I'm waiting for the postman to deliver it, but I had to include it as my top title font.

Thank you for checking out my T5W list.  Which of these books do you think has the best title font?  I'd love to hear from you so leave a comment below.  

As always, T5W was created by the lovely Lainey over at GINGERREADSLAINEY and I'll include a link to the Goodreads group {HERE} if you would also like to participate. 

Until next time,