Waiting on Wednesday #105: Crimson Shore by Preston and Child

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

This week the book I am waiting on is Crimson Shore by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. It's number 15 in the Pendergast series. It's due to be published November 10, 2015 by Grand Central Publishing. The first two chapters are available on their website.

Synopsis via Goodreads.com:
Special Agent Pendergast takes on a private case in Exmouth, Massachusetts-an ancient village on the coast north of Salem-to investigate the theft of a valuable wine cellar. He travels to the seaside town with his ward, Constance Greene, where they quickly discover something far more sinister: a bricked-up niche in the wine cellar that held the remains of a man, tortured and then entombed alive 150 years ago. But why? The puzzle is compounded when they discover a murdered body covered with mysterious symbols in the salt marshes behind Exmouth...the place where, legend has it, the real witches of Salem took refuge after fleeing the 1692 witch hunts...

Why am I waiting on it? I've found that I enjoy this series. I like reading about the history of Salem and I'm wondering how much of a role it will play in what happens in the book. And I've liked the paranormal aspects to the stories in other novels in the series.

What book are you waiting on this week? Leave it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can participate, just do the following:

• Grab your current read and open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and the author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

Published September 22, 2015
by Quirk Books

From Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs:

"Look casual," I said. "Like you belong here."

This seemed to strike Emma as funny, and she stifled a laugh. It was funny I guess, inasmuch as we belonged nowhere in particular, least of all here.

pp.29-30 

What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy Reading!

Banned Books Week 2015

Banned Books Week this year is from September 27 to October 3. This year's focus is on Young Adult Books. For the purpose of compiling this year's list of most Banned Books in the YA division, the following was applied:  Young Adult literature is generally written for an audience between the ages of about eleven or twelve to about seventeen or eighteen. This is not a steadfast rule, but rather a general parameter. For the purpose of this list, the sponsors of Banned Books Week have defined Young Adult as books that have been taught in middle and high schools, and/or are located in the teen collections of public and/or school libraries.
 - From the BannedBooksWeek.org website

The top 10 books on the list are below:

The first 5 of the top ten are:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The next five of the top ten are:

Drama by Raina Telgemeir

Chinese Handcuffs by Chris Crutcher

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros 

Looking For Alaska by John Green

Do you read banned books? Are there any YA books that aren't in the top 10 that you think should be?

Review: The Hidden by Heather Graham

The Hidden by Heather Graham is #17 in the Krewe of  Hunters series and is due out September 29, 2015.

People are being murdered in Estes Park, Colorado, particularly on the Conway Ranch. The one thing they seem to have in common is that they are descendants of Nathan Kendall who owned the ranch and was himself killed in a horrific manner about 150 years ago. Scarlet is working on the Conway Ranch as a historian in their museum and bunking above it. When images of one of the murders appear on her camera before the bodies are found, she becomes a prime suspect in the murders.

Scarlet is divorced from Special Agent Diego McCullough. But, when things get dangerous for her, he is the first one she thinks to call. Lucky for her, Diego has just opted to join an elite group within the FBI known as the Krewe of Hunters. They give him the support he needs to get to her quickly and to investigate just what is going on there, even the ghostly events. Along the way, Scarlet and Diego find that their romance isn't dead after all.

I would classify this as a paranormal romantic mystery. There are elements of all 3 present in this well-written story. Ghosts of murder victims are talking to both Scarlet and the investigators. A romance is rekindled between Scarlet and her ex-husband Diego. Then there are the mysteries as to who killed Nathan Kendall and his wife Jillian 150 years ago and who is killing people now. All 3 parts blend together to make a good story that kept me guessing as to the identity of the killer right up until the end. The book held up as a page turner. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next as I read. As a result, I read it quickly and was a little sorry to see it end, but felt the ending was satisfying.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Waiting on Wednesday #104: Beauty, Beast, and Belladonna by Maia Chance

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

This week I am waiting on the cozy Beauty, Beast and Belladonna by Maia Chance. It's the third book in her Fairy Tale Fatal Series. 

From Goodreads.com:
Variety hall actress Ophelia Flax knows how to win over an audience. That’s why she’s accepted the marriage proposal of the brutish Comte de Griffe to nettle her occasional investigative partner—and romantic sparring partner—the pompous if dashing Professor Penrose. 

But with his boorish table manners, wild mane of hair, and habit of prowling away the wee hours, the comte has shredded Ophelia’s last nerve. She intends to disengage from her feral fiancé at his winter hunting party—until Penrose, his lovely new fiancée, and a stagecoach of stranded travelers arrive at the comte’s sprawling château. Soon she can’t tell the boars from the bores.

When one of the guests is found clawed and bloody in the orangerie, Ophelia is determined to solve the murder before everyone starts believing the local version of Beauty and the Beast. But until the snows melt, she can’t trust her eyes—or her heart—since even the most civilized people hold beastly secrets.

Honestly, I haven't read any of the series yet, but I am hoping to remedy that before this one comes out in February 2016. I like that the mysteries are loosely based on Fairy Tales. They sound like they are right up my alley.

What book are you waiting on this week? Please leave the title or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: The Hidden by Heather Graham

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can participate, just do the following:

• Grab your current read and open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and the author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

Expected publication:
September 29, 2015 by Mira

There was a knock at the museum door, and Scarlet nearly jumped out of her chair. "Do you think the guys are back already?" she asked Meg

"I don't know. Sit tight. " Meg was already on her way to the door. She opened it a crack and peered out. It wasn't the guys. 

It was Lieutenant Gray.

~ from 33% through on my Kindle

I know it's more than 2 sentences, but it all goes together. Would you read on? 

What's your teaser this week? Leave it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy Reading!

Review: Dangerously Dark by Colette London

Expected to be Published
September  29, 2015
by Kensington

Dangerously Dark by Colette London is an interesting cozy. The main character Hayden Mundy Moore has an unusual profession. She is a Chocolate Whisperer. She goes around to different restaurants and  manufacturers troubleshooting or helping them figure out what a particular chocolate recipe needs in order to be a success. 

Hayden is in Portland, Oregon for her friend Carissa's engagement party. Before the party can start, the groom is found dead in her friend's food wagon. Everyone but Hayden thinks it is an accident. Hayden thinks that it is murder. Those closest to her think that she is overreacting since she just encountered her first murder a few weeks prior. She cycles through the group of food wagon friends and the nearby bar owner as she pursues the mystery. Will she be able to figure it out before she or someone else becomes another victim? 

I enjoyed the mystery and the characters. I liked the flirty play between Hayden and her bodyguard friend Danny and between her and her "keeper" Travis. Travis is in charge of administering her inheritance and making her travel plans. She hasn't met Travis in person and fantasizes about what he would look like and be like based on the interactions and his voice over the phone. This doesn't stop her from pursuing romantic fun with other men she meets. I also enjoyed the chocolate lore and information. I had never heard of some of the types of products that she encounters from sipping chocolate to flash frozen ice cream.

The mystery has a good supply of suspects thanks to the food wagon community that Carissa and her fiance belong to. It's interesting to watch how the different characters react to his death. And it's even more interesting to watch Hayden try and figure out which one would be most likely to have committed the murder. The action moves along at a more or less steady pace. It picks up a little towards the end of the book. 

If you like your mysteries with just a touch of romance, plenty of suspects, and chocolate this is a good cozy for you. Recipes are included at the end of the book. I didn't try and make any of them, but they look delicious.

This is the second book in the Chocolate Whisperer series. It can be read as a stand alone. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It kept me guessing until the end.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Waiting on Wednesday #103: The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone is due  out October 20, 2015 from Redhook.

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:
For fans of The Guild, New Girl, Scott Pilgrim, Big Bang Theory, Veronica Mars, or anyone who has ever geeked out about something.

The odds of Dahlia successfully navigating adulthood are 3,720 to 1. But never tell her the odds.

Meet Dahlia Moss, the reigning queen of unfortunate decision-making in the St. Louis area. Unemployed broke, and on her last bowl of ramen, she's not living her best life. But that's all about to change.

Before Dahlia can make her life any messier on her own she's offered a job. A job that she's woefully under-qualified for. A job that will lead her to a murder, an MMORPG, and possibly a fella (or two?).

Turns out unfortunate decisions abound, and she's just the girl to deal with them.

Why am I waiting on this one? Well, it sounds different, interesting, and humorous. The comparisons in the first paragraph of the synopsis make it sound like it could be fun.

What book are you waiting on this week? Leave it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy Reading!

Review: Come Hell or Highball by Maia Chance

"Desperate ladies are capable of far more than people might suppose." True. Berta and I were desperate ladies and look at the soup we'd dipped ourselves into."
- Berta speaking to Mrs. Lola Woodbury who then has a thought.
location 4134 on my Kindle.

Mrs. Lola Woodby, society matron, and her good friend and cook Berta take on a task of retrieving a reel of film per a young dancer's request when the young woman offers them $3000 to do so. If they didn't need the money, would it have ever come to this? Probably not. Lola would have kept on drinking highballs, reading detective novels, and eating chocolate cake as past times.

But Lola's husband Alfie dies leaving her with more debts than money. His brother inherits the house and kicks her out. He expects her to go home to her family, but Lola doesn't fancy that. She, her pooch Cedric, and Berta go to Alfie's love nest in Washington Square and hole up there. When the rent comes due, they decide to embark on the adventure of retrieving the reel for Ruby Simpkin. Adventure most certainly follows as well as humor, humiliation, gunshots, and a handsome Private Investigator.

I liked Lola and Berta a lot. They are both funny in their own ways. The mystery also reminded me a little of the Miss Fisher mysteries that also take place in the 1920s. The book Come Hell or Highball is set to be book one in the Discreet Retrieval Agency series. There is a lot of humor in the book, but it also makes a good mystery. Where is the reel and how will they get it back? They aren't accustomed to these kinds of activities. And what will happen when people associated with the reel seem to start dropping like flies. It's a good historical cozy mystery. It was a fast read for me. I couldn't put it down. Read it in 2 days.

I would recommend this mystery for someone who likes humorous mysteries, the era of the 1920s, and light reading.

Come Hell or Highball by Maia Chance is scheduled to be released by Minotaur Books September 15, 2015.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. The quote comes from an advance reading copy and may be different in the final form.

Teaser Tuesday: The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can participate, just do the following:

• Grab your current read and open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and the author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

Published August 18th 2015
by Kathy Dawson Books 

"You've left secrets?" I don't know why I'm surprised. The secrets booth is a good way to get things off your chest, when they're things you wouldn't necessarily want to say out loud. I leave secrets too, every once in a while.
 - page 39 Cara to Sam

What is your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy Reading!

Waiting on Wednesday # 102: Double Feature: Wendy Darling by Colleen Oakes and Never Never by Brianna Shrum

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

This week is a double feature. It came to my attention that within the next month and a half there are two books coming out that are variations on Peter Pan. 

The first one out is Never Never by Brianna Shrum. It's due out September 22, 2015 from Spencer Hill Press.

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:
James Hook is a child who only wants to grow up.

When he meets Peter Pan, a boy who loves to pretend and is intent on never becoming a man, James decides he could try being a child—at least briefly. James joins Peter Pan on a holiday to Neverland, a place of adventure created by children’s dreams, but Neverland is not for the faint of heart. Soon James finds himself longing for home, determined that he is destined to be a man. But Peter refuses to take him back, leaving James trapped in a world just beyond the one he loves. A world where children are to never grow up.

But grow up he does. 

And thus begins the epic adventure of a Lost Boy and a Pirate.

This story isn’t about Peter Pan; it’s about the boy whose life he stole. It’s about a man in a world that hates men. It’s about the feared Captain James Hook and his passionate quest to kill the Pan, an impossible feat in a magical land where everyone loves Peter Pan.

Except one.

The second book due out October 13, 2015 from SparkPress is Wendy Darling: Stars by Colleen Oakes. It's book one, but I'm not sure if it is a trilogy or a series.

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

From the Best-Selling Author of Queen of Hearts comes a dark and mesmerizing twist on the beloved Children's Classic, Peter Pan.

Wendy Darling has a perfectly agreeable life with her parents and brothers in wealthy London, as well as a budding romance with Booth, the neighborhood bookseller’s son. But while their parents are at a ball, the charmingly beautiful Peter Pan comes to the Darling children’s nursery and—dazzled by this flying boy with god-like powers—they follow him out of the window and straight on to morning, to Neverland, a intoxicating island of feral freedom.

As time passes in Neverland, Wendy realizes that this Lost Boy’s paradise of turquoise seas, mermaids, and pirates holds terrible secrets rooted in blood and greed. As Peter’s grasp on her heart tightens, she struggles to remember where she came from—and begins to suspect that this island of dreams, and the boy who desires her—have the potential to transform into an everlasting nightmare.

So, what book are you waiting on this week? Please share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can participate, just do the following:

• Grab your current read and open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and the author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

Charlie is talking to his sister Jane in this teaser:

"Just find the hellhounds," Charlie said. "No matter what is going on with Sophie, they'll protect her."

""And how do I do that? Put up posters with their picture. Lost: two four-hundred pound indestructible dogs. Answer to the names Alvin and Mohammed?"

~ from p. 24

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser from this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy Reading!

Review: Girl Meets Class by Karin Gillespie

Girl Meets Class by Karin Gillespie is a humorous chick-lit book soon to be released by Henery Press. September 8, 2015 to be exact.

Miss Tony Lee Wells has made quite a mess of her life while she's  been wallowing in depression over the disruption of her pro tennis career due to a weakened wrist. She's been spending money right and left, drinking way too much, and being slutty. When she is arrested for the second time for public drunkenness, her family decides enough is enough. They cut off her funds and her Aunt Cornelia cuts her a deal: if she can get a job that challenges her and keep it for a year, she can have her $5 million inheritance now instead of waiting for her Aunt to pass. Tony Lee thinks this will be easy as pie.

After looking around for work for a while, Tony Lee happens on the Teacher Corps which places individuals in teaching positions while allowing them to complete their teacher education at night. Before she knows it, she is working at Harriet Hall, an inner city school, in a special-ed classroom. Luckily for Tony Lee, her handsome co-worker Carl is willing to help her navigate her new  position and warm her bed at night. But, Tony Lee gets caught up in some nefarious dealings which threaten her inheritance and her relationship with Carl..

Characters were well drawn. There is an evolution in the character of Tony Lee Wells from the beginning of the book to the end. It's a good story. I had a little trouble suspending disbelief over her maxing out her credit card to buy electronic goodies to bribe her class to behave. But, a lot of her other mistakes were reasonable if cringeworthy.

Overall, it's a good book. I gave it 4 stars. It was a quick read for me. I enjoyed the humor. And I liked seeing how Tony Lee changes over the course of the book.

An excerpt is available on the author's website.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Waiting on Wednesday #101: Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

This week the book I am waiting on is Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs. It's the 3rd and final book in the Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series. It's due out September 22, 2015 from Quirk Books. An excerpt is available on Scribd. 

Synopsis from Goodreads.com: 

Time is running out for the Peculiar Children. With a dangerous madman on the loose and their beloved Miss Peregrine still in danger, Jacob Portman and Emma Bloom are forced to stage the most daring of rescue missions. They’ll travel through a war-torn landscape, meet new allies, and face greater dangers than ever. . . . Will Jacob come into his own as the hero his fellow Peculiars know him to be? This action-packed adventure features more than 50 all-new Peculiar photographs.

What book are you waiting on this week? Leave it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Girl Meets Class by Karin Gillespie

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can participate, just do the following:

• Grab your current read and open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and the author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

My Teaser this week is from Girl Meets Class by Karin Gillespie. It's due out September 8, 2015 from Henery Press.

Some of the labels that appeared with the synopsis included: chick-lit, women's fiction, humorous fiction, and Southern humor.

My palms dampened with sweat. Why had my father told her about  my arrest? He must have been really miffed to do that. When it came to my high-strung aunt, my father and I always operated on the mushroom principle: Keep her in the dark and feed her ... well everyone knows what mushrooms grow in."

~ from 6% on my Kindle

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser from this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy Reading!