Excited

I'm excited! My mystery blog is getting lots of page views today, thanks to my interview with Lorraine Bartlett. I'm getting new followers as well. I hope it keeps up! I'm also excited that Licorice is doing better. He's stopped leaking and, although he still has diarrhea, it's starting to try to form. He's only been on meds and special food for 2 days, so I'm hoping he'll keep improving quickly!

Photo Phriday - National Buy a Book Day

Today is National Buy a Book Day. So I did. It was too hard to choose just one however, so I bought two; In a Witch's Wardrobe by Juliet Blackwell (the latest in the Witchcraft Series-one of my favorites-it's #4 in the series) and first in a new series, Last Wool and Testament by Molly MacRea, a Haunted Yarn Shop Mystery! Go out and support some authors, buy a book (or more) and tell me what you chose!

Disappointing Read

I'm so disappointed in the book I'm reading. It's the first in a new cozy series. It features a garden society, and I love gardening, plus I fell in love with the cover. It's a place I'd love to visit. Unfortunately, I don't like the characters. They're childish and, sad to say, behave stupidly. For a gardening mystery there's not much gardening involved. The writing is OK, transitions are a bit abrupt at times, but it's not horrible. I don't want to ever badmouth a book (which is why I'm not giving the title or author here) and it's not a horrible book-some people may quite enjoy it. Perhaps I had too high expectations and the author just couldn't meet them. I sure as heck wish I would have gotten it from the library instead of buying it, but I've learned that first book sales early are crucial to an author continuing the series...and the premise was so promising. I will finish the book-I just can't leave a book, even one I'm not enjoying, unfinished-but I hope it ends soon. There are lots of other books waiting for me.

Pies and Prejudice

There are so many great mysteries out there with even more new series being published! Pies and Prejudice by Ellery Adams is the first in A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery series and it looks to be just up my alley. A cozy mystery set in Georgia, the book has pies, magic, and murder. Just in time for Independence Day, Pies and Prejudice will be released July 3rd-what a perfect way to celebrate-buy yourself this book. You can even pre-order it...doing that makes publishers sit up and notice so that great series are able to continue. I know I'm looking forward to reading it!

So Many Books...

I have a t-shirt that reads, "So Many Books, So Little time". That sentiment is so true, especially of late. I follow so many mystery series-and I'm behind in several of them. By following several blogs I'm being introduced to even more authors and their series. It also seems as if publishers are bringing a lot more mystery series to the front than ever before. That's great! But...how will I ever find time to read them all?

Mystery Lovers' Kitchen

I love reading mysteries. There are several series I follow and new ones I want to read keep popping up. A continuing trend, at least in a lot of the cozy mysteries I read, is the addition of recipes to the book. In some instances the heroine is involved in the food industry in some manner (perhaps she owns a tea shop, a cheese shop, a restaurant, an ice cream shop...) so it makes sense that recipes are included. But even those who aren't in food service eat...and they share wonderful recipes too! I recently discovered a wonderful website where a great group of mystery authors blog and share...what else...recipes! It's a wonderful site: Mystery Lovers' Kitchen. The writing is deft, and often times funny, and the recipes are divine. Please, check it out-you'll be glad you did!

Chat?

Have you ever participated in a chat on the internet? Not you and another person or 2-but a main event chat with over 100 people? I did one years ago and participated in 1 tonight! You miss a lot-by the time you read and respond people are onto something else. It's fun though. Tonight I participated in Spring Fling 2011-a chat sponsored by Writerspace.com with several authors and giveaways given throughout the talk. I didn't stay the whole time (had to watch Chopped All Stars) but I learned a lot and had fun. It can be confusing-but if you take it all with a grain of salt (and a wine filled glass) you're sure to have a good time.

Genres

I love to read. I read all sorts of books too, fiction, nonfiction, labels on the back of products, anything really. I do have, however, favorite genres. I adore mysteries. I prefer cozies, but I enjoy all kinds from police procedural, to noir, and all things in between (as well as out the other sides). Don't get me started on all the sub and sub sub genres. My other favorite genre is the romance-particularly the paranormal romance. I love time travel romances and love me some heroes who are vampires, ghosts, immortals, shape shifters and more! What about you? What are your favorite genres?

Fictional Dinner Party-The Book Version

I recently posed this question, so I thought I should answer it myself. If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 fictional characters, from any author, who would you invite?

My first guest would be Edward. No, not that sparkly vampire. Edward from the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton. I'm not thrilled with his Ted persona, but I love me some Edward. Plus, he's good to have around if you need to kill anything. I'd also invite Jaden from the world of Sherrilyn Kenyon. He's a demon broker found in her Dark Hunter and Dream Hunter series. Since I have 2 hot bad boys, I think I'd like someone with an interest in food, so, from the series by Michael Bond, I'd like to meet Monsieur Pamplemousse (who may of course bring Pomme Frite). Next I need to round out the dinner with some females. My first choice will be Amelia Peabody from the series by Elizabeth Peters. She'd have no problem dealing with these guys in her own indomitable way. My final guest would be Nell Sweeney from the series by P.B. Ryan. That makes my dinner party. "What a minute!" you say, "You asked for 4 guests and invited 5. What's up with that?" Well, I figured I'd have an even number of men and woman-since I'll be at the dinner too-I asked an extra guy. So dinner for 6-here we are.

This was not an easy task. There are tons of other characters I'd like to meet and hang out with. What about you? Who would you invite to dinner?

Brian Jacques

Every once in a while I get an e-mail from Amazon.com telling me about things I may wish to buy. I saw the chance to preorder The Rogue Crew: A Tale of Redwall. But I was surprised when I saw it was to be the final book of the great adventure series. Why? Sadly I read a bit more only to discover that the author, I should say writer (he never liked the term "author") died last month! Brian Jacques was a man of many talents. He had many jobs including longshoreman, bus driver, police constable, and announcer. I'll never forget a piece of writing advice he once gave, "paint a picture with words". If you've never read one of his books-go read one now. I love his Redwall Series. They're rollicking good adventure yarns with woodland animals as the heroes and villains. The first is Redwall and there are over 20 books in the series. Thank you Brian Jacques for letting me into your world. May you rest in peace in the next one.

Book Signing

I enjoy going to book signings. I've been lucky to meet several authors through the years and it's still a joy to get an autographed copy of their books! Today I went to a book signing by Lorraine Bartlett for the first book in her new series, A Crafty Killing. I love her booktown series ( Murder is Binding is the first) which she writes under the name Lorna Barrett. She also writes the Jeff Resnick series under the name LL Bartlett-the first is Murder on the Mind. I've enjoyed them all and I'm sure I'll like this new series as well. If you're in the market for a good mystery-be sure to check her out-whatever name she uses!

Magazines

I love magazines. I'm not the only one either. My friend, Vinnie, wrote about his love for magazines. Another friend has admitted her addiction to magazines. I'm not THAT dedicated. I subscribed to a few magazines, but let those lapse. I wasn't that thrilled with them and decided to save the money. However, what at the grocery store I'd peruse the magazine aisle and look. I'd eventually be tempted and purchase one or two. While Vinnie may prefer more news and gossip style magazines, I tend to fall for the cooking and gardening ones...along with some crafting, animal, and the odd poker magazine. They have so many unique magazines out there. Culture isn't about the arts, but rather cheese! There are magazines devoted to beer, plush toys, teddy bears, and more! Today I couldn't help but buy the latest issue of Hobby Farm Home. Hey- I can learn how to make olive oil and my own cheddar cheese! As Vinnie said, though, magazines are expensive. I've decided that I just may subscribe to a few; the cost, after all, will be less than my periodic grabs at the grocery store! In fact, I just reinstated my subscription to The Herb Companion. I got a great deal in the mail. I also just discovered Edible Finger Lakes. I think I may subscribe to that one...maybe Edible Buffalo too. Another favorite is Mental Floss; lots of great, interesting information with a slightly irreverent twist. It really makes learning fun! There are more too, magazines that tempt. I'll try to be strong, but the lure is great. What are your favorite magazines?

15 Authors

So, who were my 15 authors in 15 minutes from yesterday's post?

1. William Shakespeare
2. Yukio Mishima
3. John Steinbeck
4. Lawrence Ferlinghetti
5. Madeline L'Engle
6. Douglas Adams
7. Elizabeth Peters AKA Barbara Michaels
8. Nikos Kazantzakis
9. A.A. Milne
10. Michael Bond
11. Brian Jacques
12. Edward Eager
13. Kathleen O'Neil Gear & Michael Gear
14. Tony Hillerman
15. Aimee and David Thurlo

My Own Disparity

When I lived in Texas I was a member of the Heart of Texas Chapter of Sisters in Crime. Sisters is a wonderful organization that promotes female mystery writers. The truth is that while females write many mysteries, the field is dominated by male authors who receive more press and recognition. There is a disparity and it's not pretty. I am a voracious reader and the majority of books I read are by female authors. However, I noticed a glaring disparity created by myself. Recently I was challenged to list 15 books of great importance to me. Shortly thereafter I was told to list 15 authors that have greatly influenced me in 15 minutes. I came up with my author list and while many authors are on both lists-there are differences. Here's my issue with myself-of the 15 books...only 4 were written by women. Of the 15 authors, again, only 4 were women and of those 4, 2 write with their husbands. Why aren't women featured more predominantly on my lists? Or at least closer to 50/50?

Do Nothing

What to do? I'll probably do nothing, and that's probably the best option. Some times, when you procrastinate, or just wait, the opportunity expires. While you haven't made a choice...in a way, you did. So, what's this all about? Ebooks. Lately I've become a bit interested in the Kindle and the iPad. I am, however, old fashioned and I like nothing better than holding an actual book in my hands. Yet, technology does intrigue me. I started doing some research, especially into the kindle-which is much less expensive than the iPad (of course, you can only read on it-unlike the iPad which is almost a computer with Internet.) But, I'd basically come to the conclusion that I would not buy a kindle, or ask for one as a Christmas gift...although I'd love to get one. One of the main reasons, aside from my old fashioned "let me hold a real book" feelings was the cost. As I mentioned before, I don't buy many books-basically because of the cost. And buying books for kindle doesn't save you much money. Basically the ebook costs $1 less than the real book! So I'd decided, pretty much, to stick with my library books, buying an occasional book at an author signing event. What happened, you may ask? I've been in contact with several authors who are actively promoting their ebooks. Some mysteries are hard to find-and some authors have recently gotten their rights back from publishing houses and can sell their backlisted books on their own. In fact, there's a huge sale going on right now: http://backlistebooks.com/ I've received 2 messages from 2 local authors whose books I really like: Lorna Barrett (Lorraine Bartlett, L.L. Bartlett) and P.B. Ryan (Patricia Ryan). I really want to support authors...and some of P.B. Ryan's books are only $2.49 on sale (most kindle books that I've looked at are $6.99) . According to Lorraine Bartlett, you don't need an e-reader to buy these books-you can download them right to your computer and read them there. I definitely have no desire to do that. Reading at my big desktop is no fun. But if you buy an ebook, do you have to pick a version-or do you just buy it and it'll work for all? You see my dilemma. That's why I think I'll do nothing. Sigh.

15 Books in 15 Minutes

15 Books in 15 Minutes

You have fifteen minutes to list the top fifteen books that have influenced you as a person.

I admit-I used more than 15 minutes. The first 10 came easily to mind, but then...these are books that have been with me for a LONG time, I was concentrating on the influencing part. I'm not sure if these influenced me as a person as much as me as a reader, and thinker.

1. OK, I don't know the title or author of this first book-but I still think about it. I checked it out from the school library of St. John the Baptist school where I attended from kindergarden through 4th grade. The book was a large picture book, mainly brown in color and had to do with a dragon. I really wish I knew the name!
2. The Secret World of Og by Pierre Berton
3. Half Magic by Edward Eager I adored all of his magic books, this one was the first.
4. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg Who wouldn't want to live in a museum?
5. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (the whole series about the Murry and O'Keefe families, this is the first.)
6. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
7. The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis
8. In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck ( I love all of Steinbeck-but this is one of my favorites-try To a God Unknown and Cannery Row if all you've read is the Grapes of Wrath-which is probably my least favorite.)
9. Madame de Sade by Yukio Mishima OK, it's a play-but it's the work that introduced me to this brilliant writer. His many novels are wonderful, but I really like this play as well as his Noh plays.
10. Earthbound by Rebecca Flanders My first paranormal romance.
11. The 3 Investigators Mystery series, created by Robert Arthur Jr. It started as Alfred Hitchcock Presents the 3 investigators and Arthur wrote the first of the books...the series continued even after Hitchcock's death. This series, along with The Hardy Boys, probably instilled my love of mysteries-especially those with comedy and a touch of the supernatural!
12. The Circle of Light series by Niel Hancock-Greyfox Grimwald is the first. Talking animals, fantasy adventure.
13. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams..and the rest of the "trilogy".
14. Polish American Folk Tales collected by Catherine Harris Ainsworth. Honoring my heritage as well as paranormal study!
15. Redwall By Brian Jacques. The whole Redwall series. I'll never forget Jacques' advice to writers-"paint a picture with words". I hope my writing can do that!

OK-what are your 15?

Books

I love books. I always have. I'm a voracious reader too; so much so that I'd go broke if I bought all the books I read. Thank Heaven's for the library system. I still used to buy a lot of books though. Due to space, and budget constraints, I now, generally, just read library books. I feel bad though, for the authors I love trying to make a living and periodically I do buy books. Generally, I will go to book signings and buy the book while also getting it signed by the author. I think it's pretty neat. I was out and about today, looking for a gift for my goddaughter and I decided to go into Barnes and Nobles. I found a neat book for her-a mystery with ghosts as well as local history! Then I thought I might pick up a new mystery by an author who befriended me on Facebook. They had one copy left...but as I was reading the back...and the intro...and, OK the first page, I wasn't sure that I'd really like it. There are so many books I truly love that I don't own and I wasn't sure if I'd like this one. Plus, it wasn't signed...so I decided I'd wait and hope a local library will carry it...or perhaps she'll include my area in a future book signing tour. I will admit that I did buy a new mystery. It takes place in a cheese shop-now, how could I refuse that?

Catch Up

I'm behind in several series, both TV and book. I need to catch up...Top Chef, Bones, Ugly Betty (I missed the whole final season), and too many mysteries to name!

Overdue!

Aakkk! I've begun to rely upon e-mail notification to determine when my library books are due. I often renew online-so the slip I get when I first check them out doesn't do me any good. I have a ton of books left from my visit to the great mystery library across town-in fact I had several ready to go back. I don't recall getting any e-mail alerts recently so I decided to look online to see when they were due-OMG-they are ALL PAST DUE! They were due last week!!!!! They did allow me to renew all but 1 online, but I still have late fees...for all of them. Ugh. At least I know that the library needs the money, but this is an unexpected expense. Sheesh!

Book Order

I read a lot of mystery series and am always on the lookout for new ones, or new to me ones. I'm particular in one respect, however. I read my series in order. Accomplishing this feat is sometimes difficult as I get my books from the library. Sometimes other patrons have the books I need and sometimes the library just doesn't have the book. It can be quite frustrating. One thing I've started to see, which I really like, the words "first in the new series" is sometimes printed right on the front cover. I wish they'd put the order number of each book on all covers.