February 6 Was an Excellent Day of Books

Hello All,

February 6 was Day of the Book for me. I had one book come in the mail that I had purchased, THIS FALLEN PREY. I had two more books come to me in the mail at work that were advance reader copies, THE VIEW FROM FLYOVER COUNTRY and A SHARP SOLITUDE. Then, I had six books I had requested as holds arrive at my library!!! I was and am happily surrounded by books!!!

February 6 was also the day of my monthly Early Word Galley Chat, where librarians, publishers and occasionally authors and book sellers, talk about books coming out in the next six months or so. Not so surprisingly, I made a list, and found out about some more books whose publication dates are on the horizon!

Here is my list: 

Recently purchased:

TEMPEST by Beverly Jenkins

THIS FALLEN PREY (Casey Duncan #3) by Kelley Armstrong

Recently received advance reader copies:

THE VIEW FROM FLYOVER COUNTRY: DISPATCHES FROM THE FORGOTTEN AMERICA by Sarah Kendzior

A SHARP SOLITUDE by Christine Carbo 

HOW HARD CAN IT BE? (Kate Reddy #2) by Allison Pearson

NUMBER ONE CHINESE RESTAURANT by Lillian Li 

Library books checked out on February 6:

WHISPERS OF WARNING by Jessica Estevao

THE PLOT IS MURDER by V. M.Burns

MURDER PAST DUE by Miranda James

MANDERLEY FOREVER: A BIOGRAPHY OF DAPHNE DU MAURIER by Tatiana de Rosnay

HOLLYWOOD HOMICIDE by Kellye Garrett

LIES THAT COMFORT AND BETRAY by Rosemary Simpson

Recent Discoveries of books to be published: 

BURNING MEREDITH: A Mystery Set in Montana By Elizabeth Gunn

TIME’S CONVERT by Deborah Harkness

Despite all of the goodness above, I still have to go to work and do other things that are not reading! Sigh. It's so nice for the books to wait until I get home.

Happy Reading All!!!

Patti

Favorite Books of 2016

Patti’s Picks for 2016

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison fantasy

The Ill-kept Oath by C.C. Aune fantasy

Wedding Girl by Stacey Ballis fiction/romance

The Cold Between (Central Corps, #1) by Elizabeth Bonesteel science fiction

Moon Called (Mercy Thompson #1) by Patricia Briggs

fantasy

The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library #1)

by Genevieve Cogman fantasy

Where It Hurts (Gus Murphy #1) by Reed Farrel Coleman

mystery

The Hanged Man (Her Majesty's Psychic Service #1)

by P.N. Elrod fantasy

A Bed of Scorpions (Sam Clair #2) by Judith Flanders 

mystery

A Fete Worse Than Death (Jack Haldean#1) by Dolores Gordon-Smith mystery

The Language of Secrets (Rachel Getty & Esa Khattak #2) by Ausma Zehanat Khan mystery

Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal fantasy, historical

Arabella of Mars (Adventures of Arabella Ashby #1)

by David D. Levine fantasy, Regency

The City Baker's Guide to Country Living

by Louise Miller fiction

Christmas Joy by Nancy Naigle fiction/romance

The Body in the Birches (Faith Fairchild #22)

by Katherine Hall Page mystery

The Body in the Wardrobe (Faith Fairchild #23)

by Katherine Hall Page mystery

Design for Dying (Lillian Frost & Edith Head #1)

by Renee Patrick mystery

A Great Reckoning (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #12) by Louise Penny mystery

Nine Women, One Dress by Jane L. Rosen fiction

All Things Murder (Veronica Walsh Mystery #1)

by Jeanne Quigley mystery

A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2)

by V.E. Schwab fantasy

The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson fiction

Good Night, Mr. Wodehouse by Faith Sullivan fiction

A Useful Woman (Rosalind Thorne Mysteries #1)

by Darcie Wilde mystery

Journey to Munich (Maisie Dobbs #12)

by Jacqueline Winspear mystery

Nonfiction

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly 

Here's to new books in the new year!!!

Happy Reading!!!

Patti

A DEADLY THAW by Sarah Ward

Hello All,

I am a stop on Sarah Ward's blog tour for her new book, A DEADLY THAW. Welcome to Patti's Pens and Picks, and also to Tucson. Yes, it's always sunny, and yes, it's almost always warm.

The warm climate I live in was perfect for reading both of Sarah Ward's Detective Inspector Francis Sadler books, IN BITTER CHILL and her new book, A DEADLY THAW. Both books take place in the north of England, where winters seem to be quite cold.

In A DEADLY THAW, DI Sadler, and the other members of his team, DC Connie Childs and DS Damian Palmer, are called to a case where a man who was presumed dead 12 years ago, and his wife convicted of murder, find another body who is actually the dead man. So who was the first body, and why did Lena Grey serve 11 years for it?

There are also some instances of sexual assault and rape that are somehow connected to the two male murder victims, which makes things even more convoluted. All of this cumulates into one very complicated case.

An interesting thing in Sarah Ward's books is the different points of view. In A DEADLY THAW, we have the suspect's sister, Kat, DC Childs, and DI Sadler, and occasionally Superintendent Dai Llewellyn. It is clear when Ms Ward changes viewpoints, and I found that all the viewpoints were quite helpful.

There is a terrific twist at the end.

I highly recommend both books by Sarah Ward, IN BITTER CHILL and the new book, A DEADLY THAW, now out from Minotaur Books.

Happy Reading!
Patti

Three Terrific Books

Hello All!

Here are some books I’ve finished lately, but haven’t told anyone about, until now:

Crushed by Deborah Coonts

I really enjoyed this new book and direction by Deborah Coonts. Not a mystery, but a story about starting over/fresh with a new project and the possibility of love. Sophia Stone, a widow of five years, has been caring for inherited grapevines from her grandfather, and she is on the brink of a new wine. Nico Treviani is a winemaker for a large winery that wants to sell lots of wine inexpensively, and seems not to care much about its taste. Nico also has recent tragedy in his life; the death of his brother is the loss of a best friend, and a gain of custody of his twin 13 year old nieces. Thanks to Sophia’s daughter, who works for Nico, Sophia’s wine meets Nico, who finds the missing link to make it great. Looming over the project is the possibility of Sophia losing her vines, and Nico losing his job. Can these two people, and their families figure out how to make great wine together?

I loved this book, and as it’s the beginning of a series set in California’s wine country, I’m looking forward to the next book!

This was sent to me by the author and her publicist for a review.

In Bitter Chill by Sarah Ward

Ooo, a new police procedural set in England? I’m there! I received In Bitter Chill last year as an advance copy, and as Sarah Ward’s next book is due out at the end of September, I found this and started reading. It takes place in Derbyshire, and we are introduced to Detective Inspector Francis Sadler, Detective Constables Connie Childs and Damian Palmer and Superintendent Llewellwyn. They are investigating a suicide that is linked to a 30 year old murder and kidnapping. They move about their town questioning those that are still available to talk about both, and then another person, connected to the past and present is killed. Can all the dots be connected?

I really enjoyed this book, and the title is very apropos; you could feel the chilly damp weather every time someone stepped out the door. I liked getting to know the characters and the town of Bampton; there is a strong sense of place in this book. I’m looking forward to the next book, Deadly Thaw.

The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living

I loved this book! It’s about a pastry chef who accidently sets a fire in the club she works for in Boston, and escapes from it all by moving near to her best friend in a small town of Guthrie, Vermont. Olivia Rawlings ends up working for an inn called the Sugar Maple Inn, concocting wonderful desserts as she adjusts to small town life. Olivia’s transition starts a bit roughly, but as she meets people, and tries some different activities, it becomes apparent that Guthrie is quite possibly where she’s meant to be.

I am in love with books where people start over, and find the perfect new place for themselves or a new career. Olivia is a very cool person, and I look forward to more books by Louise Miller.

I am reading Star Wars Aftermath: Life Debt by Chuck Wendig and Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly. I also recently read and loved Louise Penny’s A Great Reckoning, which was completely amazing.

Now that these books are written down, and I've told you about them, I can get back to more reading!

Happy Reading to all of you!

Patti

FridayReads for May 27, 2016

Happy #FridayReads!

I am so happy that the books I ordered from Aunt Agatha’s arrived yesterday!

A USEFUL WOMAN by Darcie Wilde (signed!) (first in a new Regency mystery series)

KILLER COCKTAIL by Tracy Kiely (I loved the first in this series, MURDER WITH A TWIST)

VANILLA BEANED by Jenn McKinlay (a very fun series set in Scottsdale, AZ)

I also picked up DETROIT HUSTLE: A MEMOIR OF LOVE, LIFE & HOME by Amy Haimerl from the library. You can take the girl out of Detroit, but you can’t take the Detroit out of the girl!

I finished DESIGN FOR DYING by Renee Patrick Thursday morning. Old Hollywood glamour with a murder thrown in, and assistance with sleuthing from Edith Head—I should have saved it for the weekend too!

So, as you can guess, I’ll be reading this weekend. What are you reading, and what are you up to this weekend?

Happy Reading!

Patti

The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson

Hello All!

I have been reading what seems like a lot of good books, and this is another one. The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson is wonderful.

This book takes place in the seaside village of Rye, beginning in the summer of 1914. It brings together (Aunt) Agatha Kent, her husband John, their nephews Hugh and Daniel, the new Latin instructor Beatrice Nash, the Mayor, his wife, the local gentry, Lady Emily and Colonel Wheaton and a young man, called Snout, who is part gypsy. Over the course of the book, the world seems peaceful and full of possibilities, then war breaks out. The village welcomes refugees from Belgium, some more welcome than others, and sends some of its sons to war in various ways. There are parades, fetes, and dances, all to raise money for the war effort.

This is a meaty book, told from several points of view. I enjoyed all of the characters, except the mayor's wife (I don't think anyone is supposed to like her). I didn't read this as fast as some of the others I've been reading, and it seemed a book to be savored this way. Out of concern for several characters, I did keep checking ahead, not finding out too much, but just enough to encourage me. I was pretty happy with the end of the book too.

I highly recommend this book!

Happy Reading,

Patti

The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson, Random House, March 22, 2016; ISBN 9780812993103

This book was sent to me for review by the publisher; no other compensation was offered or accepted for this review.

A Bed of Scorpions by Judith Flanders

Hello All,

Happy New Year! I finished my third book of the new year on January 13th, and all three have been terrific. I believe 2016 may hold many wonderful books!

The first book I'm blogging about is A Bed of Scorpions by Judith Flanders. Samantha Clair (Sam) is an editor in London, and one of her oldest friends, Aidan, has just found his business partner dead in their gallery. Sam does try to keep out of the situation, but not only is her boyfriend, Jake, a Scotland Yard detective who is working this case, but Sam's work keeps her in the mix of this investigation.

Sam has a bike accident, and several other things occur, including a second murder, to make Jake think that someone is after Sam also. He's slightly overprotective, but for awhile, Sam doesn't think she's in any danger.

What I love about this series is that Sam is a fully fleshed-out character. She's a professional, in her forties, has some issues with both her mother and her boyfriend, and she's smart. I really enjoy spending time with her.

I'm looking forward to the next book! I highly recommend both the first in this series, A Murder of Magpies, and A Bed of Scorpions.

Happy Reading!
Patti

A Bed of Scorpions by Judith Flanders, Minotaur Books, March 1, 2016; ISBN 9781250056467

This book was sent to me for review by the publisher; no other compensation was offered or accepted for this review.