Showing posts with label book series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book series. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Can't Wait Wednesday - Beyond the Pale by Clare O'Donohue



Linking up with Wishful Endings today :)

Every week, I skim through the "Coming Soon" list at Barnes and Noble for the following week.  
I love looking at the covers and selecting finalists for my upcoming favorites.
Yes, I'm a book nerd.

If I find a cover that interests me, then I open it up and read the blurb.
There are way too many books to read for me to waste one more second, so a book has to grab me...where I am...in that moment.
Most of the time, I can't even predict what that moment looks like.
It's up to the book really ;)

I force myself to stop at 1 choice.  Once I find it, I stop looking...until next week :)

Without further adieu, here's my Can't Wait choice among the "Coming Soon" selections on Barnes and Noble for the week of May 7, 2018:


Beyond the Pale by Clare O'Donohue



Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD
Publication Date: 05/08/2018
Series: A World of Spies Mystery Series, #1
Pages: 360

Here's the synopsis from Barnes and Noble: 
(I've highlighted in red the parts that yell at me loud and clear that I must read this book!)


“O’Donohue (the Someday Quilts series) supplies plenty of fun spy business, but the believability and chemistry of Hollis and Finn as a couple, as shown in their witty dialogue, is the main appeal.”—Publishers Weekly

"The relationship between Hollis and Finn is the hook in this smart debut. It's rare to find a contemporary mystery that makes the everyday challenge of honest communication between partners so compelling, but that's exactly the core of this entertaining mystery about a husband-wife team of crime solvers."—Booklist

"Armchair travelers will delight in the colorful descriptions of Ireland, while mystery buffs who enjoy charming sleuths will appreciate the quick-witted couple"—Library Journal

For college professors Hollis and Finn Larsson, a simple undercover errand becomes a deadly jaunt across Ireland in this edge-of-your-seat suspense novel from bestselling author Clare O’Donohue

It’s an easy, twenty-minute job. At least, that’s the pitch from Interpol to professors Hollis and Finn Larsson. Going undercover to procure a priceless rare book manuscript means an all-expenses paid trip abroad. A little danger thrown into the mix may even spice up their marriage.

Soon after landing in the Emerald Isle, they realize the job is anything but easy. Their contact is a no-show and they’re left with fifty thousand euros, a death threat, and some serious questions. Ducking and dodging their way across Ireland, Hollis and Finn must hunt down the priceless manuscript and a missing agent while trying to stay one step ahead of a dangerous and unknown enemy.

"O’Donohue knows her Irish literature and countryside, and weaves them beautifully into an action-filled story."—Sara Paretsky, author of the V.I. Warshawski series

"Clare O'Donohue may have invented a new category of crime fiction—the amateur spy novel—and I'm a big fan. At turns funny, real, and nail-bitingBeyond the Pale is a terrific read."— Lori Rader-Day, Anthony and Mary Higgins Clark Award-Winning author of The Black Hour, Little Pretty Things, and The Day I Died

"Excitement definitely comes into Hollis's life. But instead of something that could inject life into her marriage, she may just be facing someone who will end her and her husband's lives once and for all. This is Book 1 in the new World of Spies mystery series, and the author has created the perfect roller-coaster ride."—Suspense Magazine


About the Author



Clare O’Donohue is the author of the Kate Conway Mysteries and the Someday Quilts Mysteries. She was a producer for the HGTV show Simply Quilts, and has worked on shows for the History Channel, truTV, Food Network, A&E, Discovery, and TLC.



I'm excited about the possibilities of starting a brand new series right from the start.  Anybody else heard of this one?
Or read any of the other books by Clare O'Donohue?

Monday, March 5, 2018

The Darling Dahlias and the Unlucky Clover- HFVBT Book Review and Giveaway



The Darling Dahlias and the Unlucky Clover by Susan Wittig Albert



Publication Date: March 6, 2018
Presevero Press
Hardcover; ISBN-13: 978-0996904032
eBook; ISBN 978-0-9969040-5-6

Series: The Darling Dahlias, Book 7
Genre: Historical Mystery




Publisher's Summary 

NYT bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert returns to Depression-era Darling, Alabama…​where the ladies of the Dahliasthe local garden club, are happy to dig a little dirt!
In the seventh book of this popular series, it looks like the music has ended for Darling’s favorite barbershop uiquartet, the Lucky Four Clovers—just days before theDixie Regional Barbershop Competition. Another unlucky break: a serious foul-up in Darling’s telephone system—and not a penny for repairs. And while liquor is legal again, moonshine isn’t. Sheriff Buddy Norris needs a little luck when he goes into Briar Swamp to confront Cypress County’s most notorious bootlegger. What he finds upends his sense of justice.

Once again, Susan Wittig Albert has told a charming story filled with richly human characters who face the Great Depression with courage and grace. She reminds us that friends offer the best of themselves to each other, community is what holds us together, and luck is what you make it.
Bonus features: Liz Lacy’s Garden Gate column on “lucky” plants, plus the Dahlias’ collection of traditional Southern pie recipes and a dash of cookery history

Reading group questions, more recipes, and Depression-era info at www.DarlingDahlias.com.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound

Why?

I'm a sucker for anything written about the South...especially Mississippi and Alabama.  
Throw in a ladies' group, a mystery, some history, and a comforting series, and I'm all yours.
**marked in red above are the aspects of this story that made me say yes to reading it.

First Impressions

I was a little worried at first because The Darling Dahlias and the Unlucky Clover is the 7th book in the "Darling Dahlias" series.  I've read a lot of series in the past.  Sometimes I need to start from the beginning and sometimes not.  It just depends.
I did appreciate the Susan Wittig's "Club Roster" at the beginning of the book and letter to the reader to help me make a few necessary connections and most importantly, a quick place to look back to later in the story if I was confused about characters.  

Golden Lines

Yes, it was all very old fashioned and staid and decorous.  But it seemed to Lizzy to represent what people were seeking when they climbed the stairs: if not justice, then something close to it, something established, reliable, constant, and trustworthy.  (47)

Can't somebody have a talk with Mr. Whitworth?  He needs to know he's a stumbling block in the path of Darling's progress. (69)

Darling was behind the times, for nearby Monroeville had real post-office boxes with brass-plated doors and little glass windows and combination locks, so you didn't have to ask the postmaster for your mail.  Lizzy's mailman (a pleasant fellow named Tootie Blue) carried the mail in a big leather shoulder bag and delivered hers right to the door.  (112)

The woman seated in the chair on the other side of Lizzy's desk was wearing a plain cotton housedress and no gloves, and her going-to-town straw hat was trimmed with a wilted-looking red crepe paper rose. (174)

Once it was all in the blackpot, the mash was left to ferment, with an occasional stir.  Then a fire was lit under it and the mash was boiled, releasing the alcohol in the form of steam.  The steam was run through a coil of copper pipe (the worm) in a vat or box of cold water, cooling it into a liquid.  At its most potent, what came out of the worm was 150 proof - 75 percent alcohol, with a knife-edged, explosive jolt.  White lightning.  White dog.  Tiger spit. Hooch. (194)

My Perspective

As I mentioned before I have been a big series reader in the past, but lately have not been in the least bit interested in starting another. 
Y'all, I'm interested. 
While the gardening "stuff" and the clover theme of this particular story didn't necessarily grab me, the Darling community got me hook, line, and sinker. 
Oh those slow days.  
The days when everybody knew everybody from birth to death.
Days when the simplest aspects of life were celebrated...with pie :)

While the mystery was well-written...and the murderer out of the blue...never saw that coming...I felt compelled to wonder what's next.  The Darling Dahlias and the Unlucky Clover almost feels like just a beginning...like there's more to this mystery that might be worked out further in the next installment.  I also may or may not have missed the conclusion of the $50 a month mystery?

I left the Dahlias story wanting to get to know them more and disappointed that when I curl up with a book tonight, I won't be getting caught up in Darling, Alabama.

Cast of Characters and Tidbits I Can't Wait to Read more about...
Whitney Whitworth
Ophelia - the female reporter
Charlie Dickens - editor The Dispatch
Mr. Mosely and Lizzy, his secretary, the aspiring writer
Grady - Lizzy's ex whose wife just died...their history and maybe future?
Beulah's beauty shop - reminded me of Steel Magnolias
Champaign's Darling Chapeaux - Charlie's wife's hat business (Fannie) - love a small town girl makes it big story.
Sheriff Buddy Norris
DessaRae, Sally-Lou, and Fremon
Regina Whitworth and her driving instructor
bootlegger Bodeen Pyle
ordering from Sears and Roebuck catalogue
"chipped chocolate cookies" - I love this kind of trivia when built into a story just right. 
Betty Crocker radio program - what the what?  
Deputy Wayne's cat - The Beast

The Google Factor (I'm a nerd)

bullet fingerprints
FDR social security
Black Monday, 1929
The CCC Camp
Huey P. Long
Babcock cylinder press
Miles proofing press
Linotype
Kellogg Switchboard Company 
Alabama State Prison Farm - 
Woolworth's - Frank Woolworth
Five & Dime
FDR's right-hand-man, Harry Hopkins
the WPA - the Works Progress Administration
Publishing industry during The Depression
the switchboard

The Author



Susan Wittig Albert 
is the NYT bestselling author of over 100 books. Her work includes four mystery series: China Bayles, the Darling Dahliasthe Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter, and the Robin Paige Victorian mysteries. She has published three award-winning historical novels, as well as YA fiction, memoirs, and nonfiction. Susan currently serves as an editor of StoryCircleBookReviews and helps to coordinate SCN’s online class program. She and her husband Bill live in the Texas Hill Country, where she writes, gardens, and raises a varying assortment of barnyard creatures.

For more information please visit Susan Wittig Albert’s website


You can also find Susan on FacebookTwitterGoodreadsGoogle+Instagram, and Pinterest.





Blog Tour Schedule

Wednesday, February 28

Thursday, March 1
Review at A Chick Who Reads

Friday, March 2
Review at Trisha Jenn Reads

Saturday, March 3
Review at Cup of Sensibility

Monday, March 5
Review at Peppermint Ph.D.

Tuesday, March 6
Feature at A Literary Vacation

Wednesday, March 7

Thursday, March 8
Interview at Jorie Loves a Story

Monday, March 12

Tuesday, March 13
Review at The Lit Bitch

Wednesday, March 14
Interview at Passages to the Past

Thursday, March 15
Review at A Bookaholic Swede

Friday, March 16
Interview at Donna’s Book Blog


Darling Dahlias

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Books on our Winter TBRs



Linking up with The Broke and the Bookish today via the best meme in the blogosphere, Top Ten Tuesday!


Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish in June 2010.

Each week they post a new Top Ten list that one of their bloggers will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post and, if you want to, add your name to the Linky widget on that day's posts (typically put up midnight EST on Tuesday) so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.


This topic is like crack for me.  I would have books in every room, every corner, every shelf in my house if I could.  I just gave away a lot of books during our recent move and have already regretted some of my now missing reads and TBRs :(  I can only imagine what my TBR and Wish List is going to look like after reading everyone else's lists!  Here are the Winter (January and February 2018) selections I have my eye on:



TBR for 2018


Flavia de Luce - Jan. 30, 2018
I haven't read any of these, and I'm not going to force myself to go back to #1...


Feb. 6, 2018
Jumping right on this series as well...




Jan. 2
a little non-fiction never hurt anyone...




Feb. 27
neither does a little spiritual practice...




Jan. 30
I listen to Jamie's podcast every week and am anxious to read her entire story...


Feb. 6
Please load me up with all the historical fiction...Spanish flu epidemic of 1918!



Feb. 6 
more historical fiction...




still more American historical fiction...daughters 
Jan. 30


the human spirit and the connection between generations...
Jan. 2

ALASKA...wilderness - toughness - family...I'm there.
Feb. 6



OK! I'M OFF TO READ EVERYONE ELSE'S LISTS!!  
JOIN US!!