alexcat | Entries tagged with book review

Still Life (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #1)

Still Life by Louise Penny

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I would give this book more than 5 stars if there were more. I an new to Inspector Gamache but I loved him. I loved the inspector, the mystery, the odd little town and the residents. The mystery was first rate... not too much info at a time but enough to drive me to read and read and read... and read it all in one day. There is more to it than that - there are life lessons, deep ones, poetry, art... I already ordered the second one and can't wit until it arrives.

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Crossposts: https://alexcat.livejournal.com/1433687.html

Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody #1)

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Peabody and Emerson! Miss Amelia Peabody si certainly a woman before her time. She is an 'old maid' and inherits quite fortune from her father as well as a very curious mind and no patience for the arbitrary rules placed on women in the Victorian era. she takes her money and sets off down the Nile on an adventure and she gets more than she bargained for when she and her companion, Evelyn, meet the Emerson brothers. What follows is filled with suspense, archaeology and mummies! And a bit of love as well.

All together a delight to read.

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Crossposts: http://alexcat.livejournal.com/1432505.html

Miss Julia Takes Over by Ann B. Ross

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love Miss Julia and this one is as much fun as the first one. Hazel Marie is missing and Miss Julia can't get any satisfaction from her local law enforcement so she hires a PI to help and Little Lloyd hunt for his mother. The fact that Uncle Vern is trying to get custody of Little Lloyd doesn't help either.

Many adventures and misadventures ensue.

Another not to be missed story with Miss Julia

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Crossposts: http://alexcat.livejournal.com/1425817.html

Berried Secrets by Peg Cochran

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this one for my cozy club at Facebook.

It was cute but it seemed a bit contrived at times. I did love all the info on cranberries and bogs and her baking made me want to try the recipes. I did not like her stepmother. she was a very un likable character. The murderer was also more pathetic than menacing.

Having said that, many foirst books in a series are not as good as the later ones so I'd be willing to read another one.

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Crossposts: http://alexcat.livejournal.com/1425594.html

Cloche and Dagger (Hat Shop Mystery, #1)

Cloche and Dagger by Jenn McKinlay

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was our July cozy at Cozy Mystery Once a Month Book Club(facebook) and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would, especially the special little twist at the end. Scarlett Parker moves to England to help her cousin run a hat shop they inherited from their grandmother, and murder and mayhem ensues. Viv, her cousin, is missing, she doesn't know how to make hats and a posh Lady is murdered wearing only a hat that Viv designed!

The characters are likable, and the story has a nice pace. I will actually read more of this series.

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Crossposts: http://alexcat.livejournal.com/1417550.html

Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind (Miss Julia, #1)

Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B. Ross

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was a complete delight! Miss Julia is a throwback to another time - my mother's generation, who finds herself confronting a very modern world. Her husband dies and nothing is the same as she learns many things and secrets that she'd never have believed. I loved every single page and every "thay Lord!" in this book. It takes place in North Carolina and the writer is a North Carolinian so the voice and the point of view are spot on. It has a bit of mystery, too.

I already ordered a copy of the next one in the series.

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Crossposts: http://alexcat.livejournal.com/1414276.html

Who is really named Dean James.

Murder Past Due by Miranda James

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I had read this before and really liked it but this time, I found Charlie tediously boring and I got VERY tired of Diesel being mentioned in every paragraph.

The mystery was pretty good, though. He did stretch that out to the very end and it certainly wasn't who Charlie and I thought it was. I do remember the stories getting better as we meet more characters in Athena, Mississippi. Azalea was adorable - I want some of her roast!

I will actually read more of these, despite falling out of love with this first one.

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Crossposts: http://alexcat.livejournal.com/1414066.html

Feliz Navidead (Santa Fe Cafe Mystery #3)

Feliz Navidead by Ann Myers

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rita is at it again and this time, Celia could be in danger. One of the actors in the Christmas pageant is murdered and Rita vows to make sure that Celia is safe. This one has Indian artifacts, Rita's mom and lots of tasty food to make you wish you could be in Santa Fe at Christmas, too.

The mystery is fun and the food sounds great and the added bonus is Flori and her wacky pals as they lend a hand...

a really fun read.

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Crossposts: http://alexcat.livejournal.com/1412810.html

Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the second book in the Themis Files and it's even creepier than the first. Alien robots begin appearing all over the globe and the world soon sees that they are not friendly. We jo9iun our nameless man and the rest in another adventure that will take us in some very unexpected directions. We find out evenutally that all we've been told could be a lie...

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Crossposts: http://alexcat.livejournal.com/1412096.html

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book grabbed me from the first sentence and kept me turning pages for days. We were visiting Germany and I read it at every chance I got until I finished. The style is quite unique and the story is very compelling. I couldn't stop but even then, it leaves you wondering.

It is the story of a very strange scientific discovery that confounds those who found it and even at the end, we are not really sure what has happened. There is another book in the series...

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Crossposts: http://alexcat.livejournal.com/1412016.html

Look What the Wind Blew In (Dig Site Mysteries, #1)

Look What the Wind Blew In by Ann Charles

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first in a series that's a spinoff of the Deadwood Series. I really liked Violet's brother, Quint. This book is set in the jungles of Mexcio and combines ancient curses and modern archeology and romance as Quint goes to a dig in Mexico to find out what happened to his old professor and falls head over heels for the archeologist is digging at the site now, Angelica Garcia. Danger mystery and a few giggles ensue as we meet some unforgettable characters in the steamy jungle.

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April 2017

This one did not do it for me. There was too much clothing talk. The description of every single stitch that every single person in the entire book wore every single time they appeared got old by page 5. That's a bit too much filler.

The mystery was okay but there wasn't enough of it. The characters were okay but again, too much about their attire and not enough about them.

Crossposts: http://alexcat.livejournal.com/1406271.html

FCX: Volume 1 by Shawn Konichek

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was written by my friend's son. For a young writer, it is an excellent beginning. I think the book appeals to those who love to play role playing games and those action packed video games. The world building is quite advanced, especially for a young writer. The anthropomorphic animals as the races of beings in the books are wonderful as well as the tech though I have to admit getting bogged down a little. I did love the doors on their new ship though.

I do hope he writes sequels with more adventures from these young heroes.

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