Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Holiday Wishes


Image result for holiday clip art free


While I take a short blogging break
to spend time with family and friends, 
 

 Image result for holiday clip art free


I wish all of you joy, cheer, and happiness as 2019 draws
 to a close and the new year and decade begin,



Image result for holiday clip art free 

as well as good books and enjoyable reading.

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 and Book Beginnings

16



It's Friday . . . time to share book excerpts with:
  • Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.  
  • The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice, where you grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an eBook), find one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.

Today I'm featuring an upcoming read, Heads You Win, a political thriller by Jeffrey Archer.



Beginning:  Book One
Chapter 1 -- Alexander
Leningrad, 1968

"What are you going to do when you leave school? asked Alexander.

"I'm hoping to join the KGB," Vladimir replied, "but they won't even consider me if I don't get a place at the state university.  How about you?"

"I intend to be the first democratically elected president of Russia," said Alexander, laughing.

********************
Page 56:  "We certainly can't risk that.  Have any of the passengers shown the slightest interest in our plight?"
********************

My thoughts:   No one writes political thrillers like Jeffrey Archer, and the opening scene really intrigues me.

********************
From Goodreads:  Leningrad, Russia, 1968.

Alexander Karpenko is no ordinary child, and from an early age, it is clear he is destined to lead his countrymen. But when his father is assassinated by the KGB for defying the state, he and his mother will have to escape from Russia if they hope to survive. At the docks, they are confronted with an irreversible choice: should they board a container ship bound for America, or Great Britain? Alexander leaves that choice to the toss of a coin . . .

In a single moment, a double twist decides Alexander's future. During an epic tale of fate and fortune, spanning two continents and thirty years, we follow his triumphs and defeats as he struggles as an immigrant to conquer his new world. As this unique story unfolds, Alexander comes to realize where his destiny lies, and accepts that he must face the past he left behind in Russia.

With a final twist that will shock even his most ardent fans, this is #1 New York Times bestseller Jeffrey Archer's most ambitious and creative work since Kane & Abel.
 

********************


This Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution. Sharing this original post on Twitter with appropriate recognition is appreciated.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph

It's Tuesday . . . time for . . . 

                                                      
 



First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, now hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach, is where bloggers post the first paragraph(s) of a book they are currently reading or planning to read sometime soon. 


Today I'm featuring my current read, Akin, by Emma Donoghue. The excerpt shared is from a hardcover version borrowed from the library.

 Akin

1
The Call

An old man packing his bags.

Hard not to read the situation metaphorically, Joan commented in his head.

Noah corrected her: not old.  He was only seventy-nine, till next Monday.  When he'd been young, your seventies had counted as old, but not these days.  Say, youngish up to sixty; then middle-aged, or young-old, through the sixties and seventies.  Ancient Romans used to distinguish between senectus (still lives) and decrepitus (done for).  Sharp as ever, hale, hearty -- surely Noah could still count himself in the senectus camp?


What do you think?  Would you continue reading?
Noah is packing for a trip.  Little does he know it will be quite a unique adventure.






This First Chapter ~ First Paragraph post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution. Sharing this original post on Twitter with appropriate recognition is appreciated.

Great Escapes Spotlight and Giveaway: Murder, She Encountered by Peg Cochran



Today I'm shining a spotlight on Murder, She Encountered, the third book in the Murder, She Reported cozy mystery series by Peg Cochran.  In this post you'll find book and author information along with a giveaway entry.


About the book . . .

 

Murder, She Encountered (Murder, She Reported Series)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Alibi (December 3, 2019)
Print Length ~230 Pages
Digital ASIN: B07PKJGHGK

Synopsis . . .  A gutsy Manhattan socialite encounters murder and corruption at the World’s Fair in this captivating historical cozy mystery for readers of Victoria Thompson, Susan Elia MacNeal, and Rhys Bowen.

New York City, 1939. A rising star at the Daily Trumpet, Elizabeth “Biz” Adams has been sent to the World’s Fair—billed as the “World of Tomorrow,” a look toward a brighter future even as the drumbeats of war grow louder—to cover a robbery. What she stumbles upon instead is a dead woman, dumped into the Aquacade’s pool with a nylon stocking wrapped around her neck.

Elizabeth snaps a photo as the police arrest Joey Dorman, a gentle young hot dog vendor who made no secret of his obsession with the murder victim. Even though she’s thrilled that her photo makes the front page, the fear and confusion evident on Joey’s face are haunting. So Elizabeth vows to prove his innocence—or his guilt—with her partner at the Daily Trumpet, Ralph Kaminsky. Meanwhile, her romance with Detective Sal Marino is heating up, and Elizabeth is more determined than ever to follow her heart.

But when Kaminsky’s efforts to expose the real killer land him in the hospital, Elizabeth is forced to continue the investigation on her own. And as she tries to narrow down the long list of suspects, she discovers a dark secret running through the Fair—a secret some would kill to protect.

Look for all of Peg Cochran’s delightful mysteries featuring Elizabeth Adams, which can be read together or separately:
MURDER, SHE REPORTED
MURDER, SHE UNCOVERED
MURDER, SHE ENCOUNTERED


About the author . . . Mystery writing lets Peg indulge her curiosity under the guise of “work” (aka research).  As a kid, she read the entire set of children’s encyclopedias her parents gave her and has been known to read the dictionary.  She put pen to paper at age seven when she wrote plays and forced her cousins to perform them at Christmas dinner.  She switched to mysteries when she discovered the perfect hiding place for a body down the street from her house.

When she’s not writing, she spends her time reading, cooking, spoiling her granddaughter and checking her books’ stats on Amazon.

 

A former Jersey girl, Peg now resides in Michigan with her husband and Westhighland white terrier, Reg.  She is the author of the Sweet Nothings Lingerie series (written as Meg London), the Gourmet De-Lite series, the Lucille series, the Cranberry Cove series, and the Farmer’s Daughter series.


Author links . . . 
Website:  http://www.pegcochran.com/
Newsletter Sign Uphttp://www.pegcochran.com/newsletter-signup.html
Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/pegcochran
Twitterhttps://twitter.com/@pegcochran
GoodReadshttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5352603.Peg_Cochran
BookBubhttps://www.bookbub.com/authors/peg-cochran


Purchase links . . .      Amazon      B&N     Kobo


Giveaway . . . CLICK HERE to enter a drawing to win a digital copy of Murder, She Encountered. 


Blog Tours 

Tour Participants . . .
December 2Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
December 3 The Book Diva’s Reads – SPOTLIGHT
December 4Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
December 5The Cozy Pages – REVIEW
December 6View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT
December 6 Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
December 6MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
December 8The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW
December 9Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
December 10FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
December 11The Avid Reader – REVIEW
December 11eBook Addicts – REVIEW
December 12Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
December 13I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
December 13Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
December 14The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – SPOTLIGHT
December 14Laura’s Interests – REVIEW
December 16 I Read What You Write – REVIEW  
December 17Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
December 17Book Club Librarian – SPOTLIGHT
December 18Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT
December 19Here’s How It Happened – REVIEW
December 19My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
December 20A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – REVIEW





Note . . . I received neither remuneration nor a copy of the book Murder, She Encountered in exchange for this spotlight post.



 
This Spotlight and Giveaway post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog.  It cannot be republished without attribution.  Sharing this original post on Twitter and/or other blogs with appropriate recognition is appreciated. 


Friday, December 13, 2019

Great Escapes Blog Tour, Review and Giveaway: Bookmarked for Murder by V.M. Burns

 

Today I'm participating in the Bookmarked for Murder Blog Tour.  In this post you'll find book and author information along with my review.  And be sure to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a Kindle copy of the book.  


About the book . . .

 
Bookmarked for Murder (Mystery Bookshop Mystery)
 Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Kensington (November 26, 2019)
Paperback: 256 pages
ISBN-10: 1496718313
ISBN-13: 978-1496718310
Digital ASIN: B07P9MR138





Synopsis . . . Amateur sleuth Samantha Washington's shopping trip to Chicago takes a deadly detour when a man is murdered on her bus . . .

After some post-Christmas retail therapy in the Windy City, mystery bookshop owner and historical whodunit novelist Sam Washington is returning home to North Harbor, Michigan, on a chartered bus. With Nana Jo and her gal pals Irma, Dorothy, and Ruby Mae from Shady Acres Retirement Village along for the ride, it’s a lively trip. But one passenger is not so lively—a gentleman Irma befriended is found dead in his seat after an unscheduled stop. The ladies immediately shift gears to find out who punched his ticket, while Sam slips into the driver’s seat to make sure Nana Jo and her crew steer clear of fatal conclusions . . .


My review . . . Murder seems to find bookstore owner and aspiring author Sam Washington wherever she goes. In the latest installment of the Mystery Bookshop series, Sam, Nana Jo, and their tight-knit group of friends from Shady Acres Retirement Village are returning from a shopping trip to Chicago when one of the bus passengers, an author who has snuggled up to the flirty Irma, is found dead in his seat.  When the death is ruled a homicide, the bus driver and all other passengers are under suspicion.  Who killed Max Franck and why?  And as Sam, Nana Jo, and their band of sleuthing seniors attempt to answer these questions, danger strikes even closer to home as a second murder victim—Shady Acres resident Sarah Jane Howard—is discovered.  Are the murders connected?

The feisty seniors turn up all sorts of helpful information through their small-town network, but it is up to Sam to make sense of it all.  Sam turns to her tried and true method of writing to help her process the clues and her own thoughts about the crimes.  As she develops the story line of her latest British historical cozy, her theory on the current murder investigation crystallizes. Will Sam be able to identify the killer before further harm befalls the residents of Shady Acres?

In the Mystery Bookshop series, Burns has created an inviting bookstore setting and cast of endearing family and neighbors who are devoted to each other through thick and thin.  Their gregarious personalities and laugh-out loud antics add to the overall enjoyment of the reading experience.


Giveaway . . . Enter the Bookmarked for Murder Giveaway of a $20 Amazon Gift Card by using this link. 


About the author . . . 
 

V.M. Burns was born in Northwestern Indiana and spent many years in Southwestern Michigan on the Lake Michigan shoreline. She is a lover of dogs, British historic cozies, and scones with clotted cream. After many years in the Midwest, she went in search of milder winters and currently lives in Eastern Tennessee with her poodles. Her debut novel, The Plot is Murder was nominated for a 2017 Agatha Award for Best First Novel. Valerie is a member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and a lifetime member of  Sisters in Crime. Readers can learn more by visiting her website at vmburns.com


Author links . . .

Purchase links . . .



Blog Tours 

Tour Participants . . .
December 2Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT 
December 2 The Ninja Librarian -REVIEW 
December 2Lisa Ks Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 
December 3Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW 
December 3Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW 
December 4Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW 
December 4FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT 
December 5 Laura’s Interests – REVIEW 
December 5Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 
December 6The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW 
December 6Teresa Trent Author Blog – REVIEW 
December 7Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT 
December 7Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW 
December 8Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW  
December 9My Reading Journeys – REVIEW 
December 9Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW 
December 10Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT 
December 10Cassidy’s Bookshelves – REVIEW 
December 11Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW  
December 11Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT 
December 12I Read What You Write – SPOTLIGHT 
December 12The Book Diva’s Reads – SPOTLIGHT 
December 13Book Club Librarian– REVIEW   
December 13Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 



Note . . . I received a complimentary copy of Bookmarked for Murder from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.



 
This Blog Tour, Review and Giveaway post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog.  It cannot be republished without attribution.  Sharing this original post on Twitter and/or other book-related blogs with appropriate recognition is appreciated. 
 

 

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings

16

It's Friday . . . time to share book excerpts with:
  • Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.  
  • The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice, where you grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an eBook), find one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.

Today I'm featuring a recent blog tour read, Bookmarked for Murder by V.M. Burns.  It's the fifth book in the Mystery Bookshop mystery series. The excerpts shared are from the eBook I received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.


Bookmarked for Murder (Mystery Bookshop, #5) 

Beginning:  "Samantha Marie Washington!"
 
It was never good when my grandmother included my middle name.  Mid-thirties and I still cringed as much as I did as a kid.  I snapped the book I was perusing closed and looked up.  "What?"

********************
56% of eBook:  I tactfully questioned whether Irma's tumble down the stairs could have been an accident.  After all, she did wear six-inch hooker heels on a daily basis, and it was possible she merely tripped.
********************

My thoughts:  It's a universal uh-oh momenthearing one's full name said by a parent or grandparent.  The immediate attention grabber is a good way to start a story. 

********************
From Goodreads: 
Amateur sleuth Samantha Washington’s shopping trip to Chicago takes a deadly detour when a man is murdered on her bus . . .

After some post-Christmas retail therapy in the Windy City, mystery bookshop owner and historical whodunit novelist Sam Washington is returning home to North Harbor, Michigan, on a chartered bus. With Nana Jo and her gal pals Irma, Dorothy, and Ruby Mae from Shady Acres Retirement Village along for the ride, it's a lively trip. But one passenger is not so lively—a gentleman Irma befriended is found dead in his seat after an unscheduled stop. The ladies immediately shift gears to find out who punched his ticket, while Sam slips into the driver's seat to make sure Nana Jo and her crew steer clear of fatal conclusions.










********************



This Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution. Sharing this original post on Twitter with appropriate recognition is appreciated.

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Great Escapes Blog Tour, Review and Giveaway: Death on the Danube by Jennifer S. Alderson


Today I'm participating in the Death on the Danube Blog Tour.  In this post you'll find book and author information along with my review.  And be sure to enter the giveaway below.

About the book . . .
   
 Death on the Danube: A New Year's Murder in Budapest
Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Traveling Life Press (November 28, 2019)
Print Length ~200 Pages
ASIN: B07XLF95SN


Synopsis . . .   Who knew a New Year’s trip to Budapest could be so deadly? The tour must go on – even with a killer in their midst…
Recent divorcee Lana Hansen needs a break. Her luck has run sour for going on a decade, ever since she got fired from her favorite job as an investigative reporter. When her fresh start in Seattle doesn’t work out as planned, Lana ends up unemployed and penniless on Christmas Eve.
Dotty Thompson, her landlord and the owner of Wanderlust Tours, is also in a tight spot after one of her tour guides ends up in the hospital, leaving her a guide short on Christmas Day.
When Dotty offers her a job leading the tour group through Budapest, Hungary, Lana jumps at the chance. It’s the perfect way to ring in the new year and pay her rent!
What starts off as the adventure of a lifetime quickly turns into a nightmare when Carl, her fellow tour guide, is found floating in the Danube River. Was it murder or accidental death? Suspects abound when Lana discovers almost everyone on the tour had a bone to pick with Carl.
But Dotty insists the tour must go on, so Lana finds herself trapped with nine murder suspects. When another guest turns up dead, Lana has to figure out who the killer is before she too ends up floating in the Danube…
Introducing Lana Hansen, tour guide, reluctant amateur sleuth, and star of the Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series. Join Lana as she leads tourists and readers to fascinating cities around the globe on intriguing adventures that, unfortunately for Lana, often turn deadly.
Feel-good stories about friendship, travel, and celebrating new experiences. Coming soon: Books 2 and 3 in the Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series!


My review . . . Seattleite Lana Hansen’s life is adrift.  A disgraced investigative journalist, Lana is smarting from her recent divorce, underemployment, and precarious financial situation.  When her landlady Dotty Thompson, owner of Wanderlust Tours, offers her a chance to cancel her rental debt by assisting with a tour, Lana is tempted but a tad reluctant. Is Dotty’s proposal the financial and career turning point Lana so desperately seeks?  And is Lana up to the task?  There is, of course, a small catch.  Lana must join a tour already in progress, feign familiarity with places she's never visited, and pretend to be older.  The 37-year-old Lana ultimately decides to accept the free trip to Budapest, adding gray highlights to her hair and studying up on local information to give the appearance of an experienced 50-year-old tour guide.  What could go wrong?

Lana’s assignment is to fill in for an injured tour guide for the remaining six days of the trip, working with Carl Miller, the other tour leader who is known for his charming, slick personality.  As Lana settles into her tour duties, Carl goes missing, and his body is later found afloat in the Danube.  Was his death deliberate or accidental?  The eclectic group of tourists, many of whom have had personal experiences with Carl, quickly fall into two categories: amateur sleuths and prime suspects, and it is up to Lana to use her investigative reporting skills to identify the guilty and save the tour from further mishaps.

Death on the Danube is an entertaining and enjoyable read.  In addition to the fun of solving a mystery on foreign soil, this story reads like a travelogue.  The richly-detailed descriptions of historic landmarks—from castles, to opera houses, museums, holiday markets, and grand hotels—actually make readers feel as though they too are on the tour.  This book is ideal for those who enjoy travel and those who like to travel vicariously.

Lana’s own wanderlust—and that of readers of this promising new series—will continue to be fulfilled in future installments planned by the author, with destinations of Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Costa Rica on the horizon, and no passport or packing is required.


Giveaway . . .  Enter to win a Death on the Danube prize package by clicking on this link.


About the author . . .  Jennifer S. Alderson was born in San Francisco, raised in Seattle, and currently lives in Amsterdam. After traveling extensively around Asia, Oceania, and Central America, she moved to Darwin, Australia, before settling in the Netherlands. Her background in journalism, multimedia development, and art history enriches her novels. When not writing, she can be found in a museum, biking around Amsterdam, or enjoying a coffee along the canal while planning her next research trip.


Jennifer’s love of travel, art, and culture inspires her award-winning mystery series—the Zelda Richardson Mysteries and Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mysteries—and standalone stories.


Author links . . . 
Website: http://www.jennifersalderson.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/JennifeSAlderson
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jenniferSAldersonauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JSAauthor
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/JenniferSAlderson
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jennifer-s-alderson


Purchase links . . . 
Amazon COM 
Amazon Worldwide
Amazon Author Page


 Blog Tours 

Tour Participants . . .
November 29The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – GUEST POST
November 29Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
November 30I Read What You Write – CHARACTER GUEST POST
December 1A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
December 2TBR Book Blog – REVIEW
December 2Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
December 3Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
December 3The Book Decoder – REVIEW
December 4Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW
December 4 Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
December 5View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW
December 5 Here’s How It Happened – REVIEW
December 6 StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
December 6 Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST
December 7Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
December 7Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
December 8 Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
December 9Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW
December 9This Is My Truth Now – SPOTLIGHT
December 10Book Club Librarian – REVIEW  
December 10eBook addicts – REVIEW
December 11Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
December 11 My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
December 12Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
December 12 That’s What She’s Reading – GUEST POST





Note . . . I received a complimentary copy of Death on the Danube from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.



 
This Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog.  It cannot be republished without attribution.  Sharing this original post on Twitter and/or other blogs with appropriate recognition is appreciated. 


 

Monday, December 9, 2019

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph

It's Tuesday . . . time for . . . 

                                                      
 

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, now hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach, where bloggers post the first paragraph(s) of a book they are currently reading or planning to read sometime soon.   

Today I'm featuring a recent blog tour read, Death on the Danube by Jennifer S. Alderson. The excerpt shared is from an eBook version I received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 Death on the Danube: A New Year’s Murder in Budapest (Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series Book 1) 


1  A Trip to Budapest
 December 26 - Seattle, Washington 
 

"You want me to go where, Dotty?  And do what?"  Lana Hansen had trouble keeping the incredulity out of her voice.  She was thrilled, as always, by her landlord's unwavering support and encouragement.  But now Lana was beginning to wonder whether Dotty Thompson was becoming mentally unhinged. 

"To escort a tour group in Budapest, Hungary.  It'll be easy enough for a woman of your many talents." 



What do you think?  Would you continue reading?
Death on the Danube is the first book in the new Travel Can Be Murder cozy mystery series. It's an entertaining and enjoyable read that delivers the fun of solving a mystery on foreign soil while reading like a travelogue.  The richly-detailed descriptions of historic landmarks—from castles, to opera houses, museums, holiday markets, and grand hotels—actually make readers feel as though they too are on the tour.  This book is ideal for those who enjoy travel and those who like to travel vicariously.







This First Chapter ~ First Paragraph post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution. Sharing this original post on Twitter with appropriate recognition is appreciated.