A Fine Year for Murder by Lauren Carr

by Carol2 Comments
A Fine Year for Murder is the second in the Thorny Rose Mysteries. From the first, we know that Jessica has nightmares, and this time around we learn why. Once again, the coincidence that bring everyone into the investigation seems a little forced. Jessica and Murphy attend a family dinner where investigative journalist Dallas Walker is describing a cold case she is investigating that is known as the Pine Bridge Massacre – a brutal killing of a family. Jessica realizes that she witnessed the death of the young girl but has been suppressing the details causing her violent nightmares. What are the chances, really, first that Jessica was a witness to the massacre, and that a family member's girlfriend happens to be investigating it? But let's just ignore that and get on with the rest of the book. I thought the mystery was well done. I liked how Carr blended the "real" clues with Jessica's memory. The family at the winery, Jessica's adoptive family as...
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Earthly Remains by Donna Leon

by Carol1 Comment
I've read or listened to a fair number of the Commissario Brunetti series, but I read them out of order. It's a bit of bad luck that both this and the one I listened to before it both deal with pollution. Yes, it's a topic Leon keeps coming back to, apparently a major issue in Venice, but usually it's spread out a little than it was for me this time. I would have liked a different topic, but that's more my fault than Leon's. I liked that Brunetti gets out of town for a while this time around. I enjoy the early part of the story where he's relaxing and rowing; it's different than we usually see him. I like the people in the smaller towns, their relationships. I enjoyed the bees and how much they meant to David Casati. I missed his family a bit, but I'm sure they'll be in the next one. The investigation was interesting, with it's digging into...
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Kill and Run by Lauren Carr

by Carol3 Comments
The mystery in Kill and Run was good. Carr lets you think you know who the bad guy is, right up until you're wrong. Everything tied together, although some of the coincidences were a little tough to swallow. I don't know why I thought this was going to be a cozy mystery, because it's got a harder edge than that, which is not surprising considering Murphy is with NCI and a member of an elite secret force called the Phantoms. The tone of the narrator made it seem more like a thriller and less cozy, too. It does have a bunch of quirky animals, though, which is a cozy trait and the amateur sleuth - Jessica - who puts herself in dangerous positions. There are a lot of characters in this. From Murphy and Jessica's families to the military folks, it's a lot to keep track of. I listened to the audio, I guess print and ebook versions have a cast of...
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Argyle Fox by Marie Letourneau

by Carol3 Comments
We woke up this morning to more snow and cold temperatures. Ohio's weather has been crazy lately. I swear it was almost 60 yesterday. I needed some spring and Argyle Fox provides just that. It's a windy spring day and Argyle Fox wants to play outside, but the wind ruins everything he tries to do, until he comes up with a solution. It's a fun cute book. I like the ingenuity it encourages. On the other hand, I don't think wind should really ruin playing pirate or knight and I don't think it was nice for the other woodland creatures to discourage his imaginative play. You don't need a cardboard castle to pretend to fight a dragon. Or a paper hat to be a pirate. And I'm pretty sure building a tower of cards outside is never a good idea. But, if the wind hadn't made him grumpy during his other games, he wouldn't have been able to figure out the perfect...
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Thursday’s Tale: The Little Mermaid by Metaphrog

by Carol2 Comments
I'm always a little worried about re-workings of The Little Mermaid. So many of us have seen the Disney version and expect the happy ending for the prince and the mermaid. Metaphrog isn't giving us a happy ending, they are sticking closer to the original by Hans Christian Andersen. Our Little Mermaid does fall in love with a human prince and does make a deal with a witch, but the witch is not scary. The Witch is helping and warning our mermaid, but the mermaid still wants to have legs and the witch obliges at the cost of the mermaid's voice. The mermaid does get to live in the prince's palace, but the prince marries someone else. In the end, the little mermaid jumps into the sea, dissolves into foam and will live forever in the water. It's a sad story really. Metaphrog does cut out the more religious aspects of the original, which should make it appeal to a larger audience....
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Good Morning, Superman! by Michael Dahl

by Carol2 Comments
Good Morning, Superman! is a really cute book. A little boy is getting ready for the day and everything he does is mirrored by something Superman does. For example, as the little boy gets dressed, Superman reveals his costume. The boy eats his breakfast, gathering his strength, as Superman flies above the buildings, getting ready to fight the bad guys. Even the boy's sister gets in on the act in her Supergirl costume, handing him his lunchbox, because helpers are super heroes too. The illustrations are bright and fun, just like the cover. It's a perfect book for any superhero loving pre-schooler. It may even help with the morning routine....
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