Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop by Emmeline Duncan

Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop by Emmeline Duncan

by Carol1 Comment
Another thing I've learned from cozy mysteries is to probably avoid themed towns, like Elyan Hollow, Oregon, a Halloween themed town. A cozy horror movie was filmed in town decades ago and after so many tourists came through to see the movie spot, the town decided to lean into it year round. Bailey manages her grandfather's bookstore, Lazy Bones Books, and has organized a literary festival to kick off this year's Halloween events. There's also a ghost-hunting group in town from the reality tv show, Gone Ghouls. Obviously someone is going to end up dead, and Baily is just unlucky enough to discover the body and to have a motive for the murder. I enjoyed the town and the characters. It was fun and light and a good October read. The mystery was a little simple but I was happy the secret in Bailey's family was resolved. This is the first in the series, so we do get introduced to a lot...
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My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

by CarolNo Comments
Ayoola, our murderer in My Sister, the Serial Killer, is entirely different from the serial killer in the last book I read. She's beautiful and charming. She doesn't brag, but justifies and makes excuses. Ayoola kills men she dates and calls her older sister, Korede, to help her clean up afterward. She often tells Korede that the man attacked or threatened her, but the book opens with the third dead man Korede has helped deal with, and Ayoola never has any bruises. The sisters are opposites. Ayoola is lovely, outgoing, flirty and a talented clothing designer. Korede is quiet, self-contained, and good at her job as a nurse. But they are sisters and Korede will do what she needs to to protect Ayoola. We are told the story from Korede's point of view and given her thoughts on her life, her sister, their family, the police, She has an interesting perspective, unusual when it comes to serial killer novels....
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The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore

The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore

by CarolNo Comments
I thought a Christmas romance would be a fun read for December. This one was like a paperback version of a Hallmark movie with a bit more spice. It was good enough, but I'm not much of a romance reader and found it dragged a bit. I do appreciate that for the most part Kira and Ben actually did communicate decently. The reasons their romance didn't proceed as smoothly as it could have made sense and were minor in the grand scheme of things. And the happy ever after was cute enough....
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The One Thing You’d Save by Linda Sue Park

The One Thing You’d Save by Linda Sue Park

by Carol2 Comments
The One Thing You'd Save is written in verse using a Korean form of poetry called sijo. Sijo is an ancient classic form of poetry with three lines of thirteen to seventeen syllables. They can be either 3 long lines or divided into 6 shorter lines. to be honest, though, i wouldn't have noticed if it hadn't been for the author's note at the end. It doesn't read like poetry to me, for what that's worth. In the story, A teacher asks her students what one thing they would save if their home was on fire. Your family and pets are safe, so you don't have to worry about them. We get to hear each student's choices and the reasons behind them. And the kids talk about their lives and what's important to know, with the occasional reminder from the teacher to be respectful.  The kids' voices felt real and honest. And yes, it made me cry. ...
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The Sea Turtle Did It by Kay Dew Shostak

The Sea Turtle Did It by Kay Dew Shostak

by CarolNo Comments
I discovered the Southern Beach mysteries last year when I was on vacation on Amelia Island, fictionalized here as Sophia Island. I absolutely loved the town, the beach, everything, and the author does a fabulous job with bringing the area to life in these books. Jewel is still new to the island but I love the women she's become friends with. This time around a young woman's body is found in a fake turtle nest and the police don't seem to be getting anywhere, so the lunch group start digging around for answers. The women each being their strengths and connections to the case. They get to the solution before I did, that's for sure. And I like seeing Jewel settle in and embrace her new home and life, even if her husband won't come visit. I need to order # 3 soon....
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Death Among the Doilies by Mollie Cox Bryan

Death Among the Doilies by Mollie Cox Bryan

by CarolNo Comments
I love the concept behind this series. Cora and her friend, Jane, have renovated a Victorian house into a crafting paradise and are holding their first retreat weekend. Cora used to work as a counselor at a domestic violence shelter, but it became too stressful for her. Jane escaped an abusive relationship and has a school age daughter. It's all going well with their new venture until the school librarian is killed and Jane becomes a suspect. We've got a nice cast of eccentric characters and a small town where gossip spreads quickly. I don't love Cora and Jane yet. Given their backgrounds, they make a few odd choices. And I wish the author didn't go on about how attractive they find the various men in the book - it just seemed strange. I know a lot of cozy mysteries have love interests, but we don't need them all the time. The mystery was well done. There were enough clues...
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