Mailbox Monday - July 10

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

Happy Monday! Our day started out with a thunderstorm and a tornado warning where we were instructed to seek shelter. Doesn't that sound like fun?

Since we are on vacation my mailbox is very far away this week. That's okay, I've been catching up on my reading. Probably won't have anything new when we get home, but I need to order the next two books in Duffy Brown's Consignment Shop Mystery series. These characters are addicting.

Watched The Girl on the Train last night. Good, but a little creepy. Also watched The Zookeeper's Wife  and now I want to read that book.

Here are some shots from vacation:

See you back at home by this time next week. Have fun!

Book Review: Pearls and Poison by Duffy Brown

Can Reagan Summerside clear her mother's name when she is accused of murdering her election time opponent?

In Pearls and Poison, the third book in Duffy Brown's Consignment Shop Mystery series, Judge Guillotine Gloria is running against Kip Seymour, a local construction contractor, for alderman. When Kip is found poisoned, Gloria quickly becomes suspect number one.

Determined to clear her mother's name, Reagan delves into who might want Kip dead. Unfortunately, that is a very long list and many of these people are dangerous. Keeping herself out of harm's way is going to be challenging enough, never mind trying to keep Auntie Kiki safe. With her loyal companion, Bruce Willis (a.k.a. BW) by her side, Reagan will need to tread lightly if she doesn't want to wind up the next victim.

Pearls and Poison is my favorite of this series so far. Brown combines her well-developed characters, a bit of backstory, great dialogue and the essence of the south to create a fast-paced, fun cozy mystery. I've been a fan of the series since the first book and each one gets better as new characters are introduced, bits and pieces of well-known characters' pasts are shared, and each new mystery with its twists and turns evolves.

If you like cozy mysteries, you have to put Duffy Brown on your "to read" list. You won't be disappointed.


Series: A Consignment Shop Mystery (Book 3)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley; 1st edition (March 4, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425252485
ISBN-13: 978-0425252482

I received a copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Book Review: Killer in Crinolines by Duffy Brown

Reagan Summerside and Auntie Kiki are back to their high jinks solving a new murder in Killer in Crinolines by Duffy Brown.

When Reagan's best friend Chantilly is arrested for murdering Simon Ambrose, Reagan knows she can't just sit working at her consignment shop. She must find out who really offed Simon--and the list of suspects seems endless. With the help of Auntie Kiki and some unwanted help from Walker Boone and friends, she won't stop until Chantilly's name is cleared.

I loved Iced Chiffon--the first book in this series--and have already started the third book in the series, Pearls and Poison. Brown mixes a great mystery filled with twists and turns with the charm of the South and the antics of Reagan and her aunt to come up with a superb series that keeps the reader coming back for more. Now five books in, I don't see this series ending anytime soon....thank goodness.

The sexual tension between Boone and Reagan, the savvy of Auntie Kiki in weaseling information out of people, the occasional appearance of boys from the hood, and the numerous other characters in Savannah provide for a fun, unique totally southern cozy mystery you won't want to miss.

Highly recommended!

Series: A Consignment Shop Mystery (Book 2)
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Berkley (May 7, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425252159
ISBN-13: 978-0425252154

I received a copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Happy Independence Day!

 

Wanted to take a minute from our vacation on the Outer Banks to wish all my fellow Americans a happy and safe Independence Day. Thank you to all those who serve(d) our country and their families. God bless you all and God bless America.

 Click the link below for some Independence Day history. http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/july-4th

Book Review: Finding Bethlehem in the Midst of Bedlam by James W. Moore

In this moving Advent devotional, readers will find Scripture, daily devotionals, personal stories, prayers, discussion questions and exercises that are perfect for a single person or group study.

The book has a great format: one reading for each Sunday of Advent followed by questions for reflection and discussion. Then there is a prayer, a "Focus for the Week," and "Daily Devotion" section which is followed by six days of daily devotions that are also followed by questions.

I ordered this book because it often feels more like bedlam than Bethlehem around here. While I didn't get a chance to read it during Advent, I did take it with me on vacation and instantly dove in. James W. Moore's book encourages the reader to not only look for Bethlehem during Christmas, but throughout the year. I could see myself reading it numerous times a year to stay focused on God's Word during my hectic life. I would highly recommend Finding Bethlehem in the Midst of Bedlam to busy people everywhere looking to reconnect and refresh their relationship with their Lord and Savior. It's a book that will touch your heart.


Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Abingdon Press; Reprint edition (September 15, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1501804286
ISBN-13: 978-1501804281

I received a copy of this book through the Amazon VINE program. This review contains my honest opinions, which I was not compensated for in any way.

Mailbox Monday - Jul 3

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

Hello from the Outer Banks. We left a day early so we missed all the check in traffic. The kids are big into traditions, so we often visit the same places year after year. This is from the top of Jockey's Ridge Crossing, a shopping center across from the sand dunes and Jockey's Ridge State Park. They have a tower where they fly a flag or windsock every day. We visit every year and get fudge at The Fudgery. This is the first time we climbed the tower, though.

The dog traveled with us into Manteo on Sunday and walked the waterfront. We also stopped in Downtown Books and bought a Harry Potter puzzle and a book set on Cape Hatteras. 

Today we might go into Duck and walk the boardwalk. There's a new restaurant we would like to try as well. 

Here's the book I picked up today to add to my Outer Banks collection....

In 1886, a young woman becomes the sole survivor of a disastrous shipwreck off the coast of North Carolina's treacherous Outer Banks. She is rescued by the brave surfmen of the Life Saving Service at Little Kinnakeet Station and is suddenly forced to make her own way in the world... One hundred thirty years later, a young widow moves to the Outer Banks of North Carolina seeking a peaceful place to build a new life and somehow come to terms with her own tragic loss... The lives of these two vulnerable yet remarkable women unexpectedly intertwine in what becomes a moving, must-read story of peril, friendship, newfound strength and love.

Not sure if there will be anything in my mailbox when we return, but I brought a bunch of books down here to hopefully catch up on my overdue reviews.

Have a blessed week!

Mailbox Monday - June 26

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

If you're here, welcome. As I mentioned last week I merged The Busy Mom's Daily and Cheryl's Christian Book Connection into this blog, which I think will work out much better. Last week was a bit hectic with appointments and end of school year stuff. Dance recital was Saturday and I worked all day Sunday. Someone I still managed to get some cleaning done around here and some farming for real estate.

My mailbox made me happy last week as I received a book from one of my favorite southern fiction authors I ordered and then a book of poetry I am reviewing for a book tour arrived.

Chattahoochee, Florida, a town with a state mental institution on its main drag, seldom slips from its usual relaxed pace. Detached from the tourist havens farther south, everyone here knows everybody else. Senior citizen Elvina Houston, head of the little-ole-lady hotline, keeps her nose wedged in the middle. October typically brings three well-attended festivals and a break from the oppressive summer. But this year, the relentless heat and humidity continue and a parade of horribles cranks up for Jake Witherspoon, his best friend Hattie Davis Lewis, and her older brother Bobby, one that will affect their intertwined families, friends, and the entire town. The incidents Jake perceives as a replay of his horrible assault are every bit as real as the twisted man who inches into Hattie's family. How this group of small town folk handles the clash with hate and crime is a tribute to resiliency, friendship, and hope.

In this rare collection of nonfiction Christian poetry and prose based on real life experiences, Diamante Lavendar, a victim of abuse, shows the reader the raw emotions of pain, hate, and denial that occur before a victim of abuse can find a way to heal from the pains of assault. Knowing herself the very difficult journey of being a victim, Diamante was abused as a child, and turned to alcohol and drugs to numb the pain. Many years later, she started to heal under God's watchful eyes and was able to find love in her life again. She shares these truly inspiring, religious poems in the hopes that it may help other victims heal their hurts, as she did while writing the poetry collection.

Hope you'll share what was in your mailbox too. Enjoy your week!