Tag: Cat in the Stacks series

BONUS REVIEW: Cat Me If You Can by Miranda James

BONUS REVIEW: Cat Me If You Can by Miranda James

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Berkley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Charlie and his finacée, Helen Louise, along with Charlie’s Maine Coon, Diesel, travel to Asheville, North Carolina for a mystery retreat for the members of the Athena Public Library’s mystery group. The Ducote sisters secured a lovely boutique hotel for everyone to stay in that will also hold their group events.

The group includes the Ducote’s ward, Benjy, as well as an art history professor, a loan officer, a plumber, and a retired couple. All together, there are 12 group members there as well as a few significant others. Charlie is looking forward to getting to know the other folks in the newly formed group.

But their mystery-focused fun is disrupted when the loan officer’s “boyfriend”/stalker disrupts their first meeting. The next day, he is found dead. Before long, the whole group is pulled into a real-life mystery.

Review

Another great mystery starring Charlie and Diesel, book 13 in the Cat in the Stacks mystery series. It was nice to have a change of setting for this book. I wanted more of their mystery retreat sessions. I loved the bits on Golden Age writers that are part of the set up of the story. In fact, I even started a list of authors to check out. I was sad that the murder investigation ended up edging out the rest of their retreat meetings.

The mystery here was excellent. It was twisty in all the best ways. I didn’t see the solution until it was revealed on the page.

There’s lots here for series fans to enjoy. There are plenty of scenes with Diesel as well as some of Charlie’s usual friend group, including the ladies from Miranda James‘ Southern Ladies Mysteries series. There’s also a fresh setting and a mystery to keep you guessing until the end. Fans of these characters should not miss this installment. Book 14, What the Cat Dragged In, will release in the spring of 2021. (Alludes to off-page sex, LGBTQ+, TW: Suicide)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥=Great, might re-read

REVIEW: Careless Whiskers by Miranda James

REVIEW: Careless Whiskers by Miranda James

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Berkley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

The Athena College production of Careless Whispers is turning into quite the event for the community. Charlie’s daughter, Laura, is the female lead, and her husband is directing. But the guest actor they had hired had to cancel, so they ended up with Luke Lombardi. Lombardi is known for his tantrums and disruptive behavior. Only the promise of a prominent director possibly coming to the performance is keeping the actor somewhat in line. Some “pranks” targeting Lombardi have unraveled his composure and put his histrionics on display for everyone to see.

Charlie’s daughter, Laura, is often the target of Lombardi’s tantrums. So when he’s killed, she’s the primary suspect. But she’s hardly the only one who had conflicts with Lombardi. First of all, there’s something weird going on with the playwright. There’s also a woman in town with an old grudge. And then there’s Lombardi’s mistress who travels with him and fumes as other women throw themselves at the actor. Also Lombardi’s personal assistant is his mistress’s ex-husband. With no shortage of suspects, Charlie’s on the case to find a murderer and protect Laura who could have been killed when the murderer struck.

Review

Book 12 in the Cat in the Stacks series. I always enjoy spending time with Charlie and Diesel. And this was no exception. The mystery was twisty. While Lombardi was a jerk, there was no strong motive for the murder, so Charlie had to keep spinning through his suspects until new details started to break through. There was no huge confrontation at the end, but most of the threads were wrapped up at the conclusion.

I was frustrated by one of the clues in the case. The “pranks” on Lombardi started at the first introduction to the character, but sometimes the book would only talk about the second and third. At first I thought maybe this was on purpose and the first, “forgotten” prank would prove to be the detail that broke the case wide open. Instead, when the prankster was unmasked, we never really tied the person to the first prank. Why did the person start there, with that prank at that time?  It never really felt like it fit with the other two.

There’s a sizable core cast in this series – 16 or so including babies and pets. And I love how everyone ties into each book – filling in details about Charlie’s life, providing insight into characters and cases, etc. Once readers know the main players, I think these books can be read in any order. Fans of the series should be sure to check out this latest installment. The scene where Charlie is lurking in the theater trying to get some clues was a highlight for me. So out of character in some ways, and completely in character in others. The playwright situation was also a highlight of this book in my opinion – unexpected and twisty. (LGBTQ+)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

BONUS REVIEW: The Pawful Truth by Miranda James

BONUS REVIEW: The Pawful Truth by Miranda James

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Berkley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

If you’re working at a good college, why not take advantage of the excellent professors and audit a class? And that question is what sets this story in motion. Charlie Harris signs up for a class on the history of England with a popular young professor at Athena College. And the guy lives up to his reputation as an instructor. He’s engaging and really knows not only his material but how to connect with students. He’s inspiring and persuasive.

Charlie isn’t the only non-traditional student in the class. There’s also Dixie Bell Compton. The professor seems to know her – and he’s not happy to see her. In fact, after the first class, as Charlie is leaving, he hears Dr. Warriner ask her “What the hell are you doing in my class?” Charlie’s only real interaction with Dixie comes when she asks him to be her study partner for the course. As he’s only auditing the class, Charlie declines. When Dixie is later found murdered, Charlie can’t help but wonder if he should have helped her – and if Dr. Warriner had anything to do with her death.

Review

A mystery starring the team of Charlie Harris and his Maine Coon cat, Diesel, is a treat every time. I love these characters as well as the larger circle of Charlie’s family, boarders and friends. They feel like family after all this time. I’ve been reading about them now for eleven books.

This series always feels fresh to me compared to others in the cozy genre. There’s a male protagonist, there’s no romance with a law enforcement officer, and Charlie is a seasoned character with grandchildren. The two cats in this book are just as nuanced as the human characters with personalities and antics that I find fun to read.

This was a twisty mystery – and Charlie had permission to keep his ears open for clues this time since so much of what happened was tied to the college. That was a nice change as well. The solution didn’t come until the very last pages, but I wasn’t 100% sold on it. There’s a reason built into the solution for my reluctance to feel it’s completely wrapped up. But even then, there were a few moments that didn’t ring true for me emotionally with the characters. Maybe I needed more – a few more paragraphs to the solution so it felt better anchored to me. That may just be personal preference. That said, the solution fit the story, and the book ended with a lot of energy – and a set up for the next book in the series, Careless Whiskers, set to release in January 2020. I know I won’t be missing it – and you shouldn’t either.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: My Summer Reading Plan 2019

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: My Summer Reading Plan 2019

Posted on by Jaymie

Last summer was something of a summer reading “FAIL” for me even though I read 69 books. I only read 2 of the six family challenge books I was assigned (I finally read a third later in the year). So this year, we are simplifying yet again for the Family Challenge. Here are some of the things I plan to read this summer.

Family Reading Challenge

We decided that this summer each of us will read the entire Harry Potter series again. It has been ages since we have read the whole thing, although my teen and I have re-read single books here and there. I might even read a couple of them from the illustrated versions we bought but haven’t enjoyed yet.

In addition to Harry, we are only picking one challenge book for each of the other people in the family. I gave both my husband and my teen a stack of books to choose from. If we were doing 2 or 3 books, I would have picked myself but I didn’t have “that one” book I wanted either to read. I have challenged my teen to read Powerless and my husband to read Polaris Rising. My husband and I both were thinking of Scalzi’s Lock In for the teen so he assigned that one. My teen chose #MurderTrending for both parents. And my husband chose Long Road to Mercy for me.  He’s always trying to get me to read more Baldacci!

We are also putting in “prizes” for this year, too, to see if that helps us actually finish the goal by July 31.

#Bookaday

Teachers, librarians and other book fanatics all over social media (Instagram, Twitter) choose to read a book each day of summer vacation. My #bookaday will run from June 1 to July 31, so 61 books in 61 days. And to help with that I have a Kindle full of Advance Reader Copies and my personal TBR pile for the summer.

TBR Books

My top priority for the summer is to get ahead on my review copies. These are some of the ones I am most excited to read.

 

These are some of the new books coming out in June and July that I hope to read.

 

And finally, these are some of the books I want to RE-READ this summer. I am craving a re-reading binge like no one’s business. I am hoping to get ahead on as much as I can in June so I can spend July on reading old favorites – some to get ready for sequels (Ash Princess, Kill the Queen, Lady’s Guide…) and the rest just because I love them.

Aliens Abroad
Ash Princess
It’s Not Me It’s You
Kill the Queen
A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder
A List of Cages
The Names They Gave Us
The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You
Polaris Rising
Prince in Disguise
The Way to the Stars

What are you planning to read this summer?

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: My 2018 Favorites

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: My 2018 Favorites

Posted on by Jaymie

I read a lot of books every year.  I like to keep track of what I read every year and see how it stacks up to years before. Here are some of my reading statistics for 2018.

2018 Stats

Through the course of 2018 I read 418 books.  There were 66 more that I started but did not finish. My stated goal for the year was 250, but I was hoping to get to 365. My highest number since I started keeping track was around 340. I’m pretty proud of all the reading I did this year, and even more proud of walking away from books that aren’t working for me.

Of those 418, the break down for target audience is

  •     36% adult (151 books)
  •     21% middle grade (87 books)
  •     20% teen/young adult (83 books)
  •     18% picture books/early readers
  •      5% transitional chapter books
    And of those, 27 were graphic novels for various ages.

The main genre breakdown is

  • 39% Fantasy
  • 19% Realistic/Contemporary
  • 14% Mystery
  •   9% Science Fiction
  •   6% General Nonfiction (26 books – my goal was at least one per month)

This year most of the books I read were from the library (30%). I read 93 books from my To Be Read shelves (which are overflowing), including brand new books, as well as 110  advanced reader copies from publishers. I also re-read 60 favorites this year. Next year I want to split out my new books and my truly “TBR” books that have been on my shelves for awhile. I’d like to make more progress getting through the books that I’ve had for awhile in 2019.

When someone asks me my favorite genre, I automatically answer “mystery,” but my actual reading did not reflect that in 2018. Last year my genre reading was more balanced between Fantasy, Mystery and Realistic/Contemporary. This year I really went all in on Fantasy, although my top three genres were the same. I’d like to read more mysteries this year. I really focused on adult books again this year, but  my reading for kids – middle grade and teens – was more balanced. I’d like to keep this balance in 2019.

This year I discovered that I do better reading nonfiction if I have a physical book. To stay focused, I need to be able to underline and dog-ear and make notes. In 2019, I want to keep reading 1-2 nonfiction books each month. I am also going to add a spreadsheet to my tracking process to see if I can better track authors and characters of color and other factors.

2018 Favorites!!

At the end of the year, I love to pull the titles of all of my 5 star favorites and then compare them to come up with my favorites for the year. I might not remember every detail about them, but I remember how I felt about them. These are the books I recommend time and time again, the ones I re-read and long to re-read.

You can see my list of favorites from 2016 here and 2017 here. Last year I had one middle grade book, five YA books, and four books for adults (including two nonfiction). When I went back through my list of the 400+ books I read in 2018, I came up with about 35 that were candidates for the best of the year. I whittled that list down to ten – 7 books for adults and three middle grade books. And here they are:

10. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl – I adored this middle grade novel about a girl who was struck by lightning, which made her a genius. You can read more about it here.

 

 

 

9. Aliens Abroad – Book 16 in the Gini Koch series that I adore. I read the whole series once or twice a year. I read this book twice in 2018, and it was excellent both times! You can read my full review here.

 

 

 

8. The Reckless Club – I felt like this was a mash up of The Breakfast Club and Golden Girls. The elderly folks in this novel are just as engaging as the kids. This was a book I wanted to hug. You can read more here.

 

 

 

7. Six Cats a Slayin’ – Book 10 in the awesome Cat in the Stacks series by Miranda James/Dean James. Right now this is my favorite book in the whole series. Read a full write up on this one here.

 

 

 

6. Captain Superlative – I have been talking about this book to everyone I know – kids, teachers, booksellers. I even wrote about it for another blog about books for kids.  I fell in love with the characters in this one. Read about them here.

 

 

 

5. ‘Twas the Knife Before Christmas – This Christmas series is a staple for me every November/December. Both books so far have had fantastic mysteries, and I adore the setting and characters. Read more here.

 

 

 

4. A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder – I just got around to reviewing this one this week, but I have loved this since I first read it last summer. The mystery is fantastic. I already have book two on my wish list for summer 2019. You can see my review here.

 

 

 

3. Lark the Herald Angels Sing – Book 24 in one of my all-time favorite cozy mystery series. I didn’t get to do a full review of this one in 2018, but it was an excellent combination of Christmas cheer, a great mystery, and the quirky characters I adore. You can read a little more in this post of Christmas books from 2018.

 

 

2. Ella: An Amish Retelling of Cinderella – I have adored this entire series, but Ella is my favorite of the three books. I’d love to see more books in this series, but I don’t know if that is the publisher’s plan. You can read these in any order, and I highly recommend all of them, including Belle and Sadie. You can read more about Belle and Ella here.

 

 

1. Kill the Queen – The cover is what first caught my attention on this one, but the book was even more fantastic than the cover promised. This is my favorite book from 2018. I already have book 2 on my wish list for 2019. I can’t believe I never had a chance to post a full review on this one in 2018!! I’ll be posting a full review as soon as I have an open spot, but you can read the Book News summary here.

 

 

Honorable Mentions

None of the Young Adult Books I read this year made my top ten, but here are my three most favorite YA books from 2018:

Grace and Fury

More Than We Can Tell

Fire and Heist

 

None of the Nonfiction I read made the top 10 either. Here are my top three Nonfiction reads from 2018:

The Path Between Us

Braving the Wilderness

I’d Rather Be Reading

 

My top three picture books from 2018:

We Don’t Eat Our Classmates

Can I Be Your Dog?

Santa Bruce

 

What were your favorite reads in 2018?

REVIEW: Six Cats a Slayin' by Miranda James

REVIEW: Six Cats a Slayin’ by Miranda James

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Berkley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

As Charlie and Diesel prepare for the holiday season, they have their hands – and paws – full.

Someone left five kittens on Charlie’s doorstep with a note saying someone would drown the cats if Charlie wasn’t able to take care of them. Diesel is all in for kitten-sitting while Charlie figures out what to do with the kittens.

Charlie’s new granddaughter is struggling with colic. Her mother, Charlie’s daughter-in-law, is beyond weary, but she is resistant to any offer of help. She seems to think it would mean she was a bad mother. Charlie longs to help them, but he also wants to respect their boundaries.

And finally, Charlie has a new neighbor – a pushy, flirtatious woman. Everything about her is the opposite of what Charlie would choose in a friend. And Gerry Albritton seems to want more than friendship. Hopefully, when Charlie brings Helen Louise to Gerry’s Christmas party, Gerry will get the hint that he’s not interested.

When Gerry dies at her own party, Charlie will have to add sleuthing to his busy to do list. He saw and heard too much at that party that could help lead the police to the killer.

Review

This was an absolute delight! I have been a fan of this series since the start. Charlie is a fantastic protagonist. He’s smart and personable and really cares about others. He recognizes his flaws and tries to learn from his past and the people he loves. Diesel is a hoot! I especially loved all the scenes with Diesel and the kittens. The author did a spectacular job with the descriptions for those scenes. That whole story line was precious.

I loved the family pieces, too. Not only did they expand on the characters from previous books, but they also showed the reader more about Charlie. The evolution of Charlie’s relationship with his son from the first book to this one, for example, has been so satisfying. And the things Charlie has learned helped out another character in this story.

The mystery was terrific. Lots of twists and unusual clues that had to be uncovered. The final solution didn’t come with a lot of punch this time – no last ditch effort to get away with murder or big showdown on the page. That might be disappointing to some readers, but I felt like it maintained the tone of the overall book. I was so charmed by the full story that I was satisfied with how all the pieces came together. This may be my new favorite book in this terrific series. You can read my review of other books from Miranda James/Dean James – including a couple Diesel stories – here.  This is book 10 in the Cat in the Stacks series.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Claws for Concern by Miranda James

REVIEW: Claws for Concern by Miranda James

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Charlie Harris has met a lot of people through his jobs as a librarian. Walking around with a 40-pound Maine Coon named Diesel helps him meet people, too. This time, Charlie meets Bill Delaney. Delaney says he’s the son of Charlie’s late uncle from his first, brief marriage. The guy seems a little lost. His mother recently died, and the news of his father’s identity is pretty new. Charlie, being Charlie, considers inviting Bill to rent one of the boarding rooms at his house.

At the same time, true crime writer, Jack Pemberton, contacts Charlie about working together on a book about amateur sleuths and the crimes they’ve solved. Jack lives in Tullahoma, Bill Delaney’s home town. The town where Bill was suspected of four murders, but never charged.

Charlie feels a responsibility to help Bill out, but he can’t invite a murderer into his home! But when Bill is involved in a hit-and-run that doesn’t seem accidental, Charlie and Diesel decide to team up with Pemberton to see if they can solve the 20 year old cold case once and for all.

Review

I have enjoyed this series since I read the very first book. I don’t read a lot of cozy mysteries with a male protagonist, and I like how this sets the series apart. Diesel is a terrific character – not just animal window dressing for the series. He opens up conversations for Charlie, passes judgement on the character of people involved in the cases, and chirps his two cents along the way.

One of the things I liked about this particular story was the fresh take offered by a cold case and a new sleuthing partner for Charlie. The usual characters are still around – Charlie’s boarders, housekeeper, and family as well as the Ducote sisters – but they are secondary to most of the action.

The mystery in this one is “quiet.” There’s not a lot of action or danger until the very end. The case is solid. I was working on the solution all the way to the end. Since it’s a cold case, Jack and Charlie have to do a lot of digging, interviewing folks until they can shake loose a new wrinkle in the case. I enjoyed that.

The Tullahoma pieces felt like a cozy mystery in the making. I couldn’t find evidence of a series starring Jack Pemberton, but if Miranda (Dean) James decides to write one, I will definitely read it!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read an electronic review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD - Books about Books

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD – Books about Books

Posted on by Jaymie

I am such a book geek. And I say that with pride. I love finding people and authors and communities that love books as much as I do. Here are some books – for all ages – that share a love of books, reading and bookish places.

Books for Kids

Bunny’s Book Club – There are a couple books on this list that are TBRs rather than books I have read. This is one of those. I haven’t found this one in person to check it out, but it looks perfect. I hope to read this one soon.
Doris the Bookasaurus – Doris’ love of books is annoying to her little brothers because it keeps her from playing with them. When she shows them a book they love, though, everything changes. This is darling.
Library Lion – I always looked forward to reading this story about a lion in the library to my students. It’s lovely, and students really connect with it.
Madeline Finn and the Library Dog – Madeline struggles with reading, but a program at the library where she can practice her reading with a dog helps her grow as a reader. This is delightful. You can read my review here.
Wild About Books – This is one of the picture books we often by for new babies. Sure, it’s not a book they can enjoy right away, but it is such a great love letter to books that we are confident families will grow to love it like we did. This was another favorite to read aloud when I was teaching.

Books for Older Kids/Teens

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library – The epitome of books about books! This outstanding middle grade story about kids competing in a book-based contest in a futuristic library has been a hit with every student I ever handed it to. Book 3 in the series comes out this fall and a movie of this first book will be coming to Nickelodeon soon.
Finding Serendipity – First in a series about a girl who discovers a land where stories live. In book one, Serendipity gets help finding her missing mother by the main character in her mother’s famous books. I enjoyed sharing this series with students.
Fish in a Tree – The main thing I remember about this book is the origin of the title which is a quote reportedly from Einstein that says if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will always think it is stupid. The main character in this book has dyslexia and finally has a persistent and observant teacher who discovers it and helps her. This was a fantastic story!
The Losers Club – I just finished this AWESOME story (I’m still trying to find a review slot for it here on the blog). At the center of the story is a boy who is getting in trouble every day at school – for reading. So he starts a club for kids who want to read, but he calls it the Losers Club so a lot of people don’t join and mess up his quiet reading time. Not only did the story highlight reading, but it also talked about a lot of books kids might enjoy.
The School Story – Andrew Clements wrote The Losers Club and also The School Story which is about a girl who writes a book and secretly tries to get it published. This is one of my favorite early Clements stories along with Frindle, No Talking and The Last Holiday Concert.
Bookishly Ever After – Earlier this year I reviewed this book for older teens about a book nerd who tries to use the characters from her favorite books to help her negotiate a romance.
I Kill the Mockingbird – I adore this book about a group of teens who hide copies of To Kill a Mockingbird in order to get everyone talking about it.  While this one is written for a middle grade audience, I found that my older students connected with this better than the younger ones. This works for all teens.

Books for Adults

Classified as Murder – This is the second book (my favorite) of the Cat in the Stacks mystery series about a college librarian who works in the archives. Fantastic mystery series, terrific cat that adds a fun component to the series. Here you can read a review of the most recent book in the series.
A Dark and Stormy Murder – Outstanding mystery series about two writers collaborating on books while solving mysteries. You can read my review here.
The Eyre Affair – This is the other book on this list I have not read. I have several of the books in this series about a literary detective, but I haven’t tried it yet. I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s Nursery Crimes series.
Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops – This nonfiction book is laugh-out-loud funny while also being a little sad when it comes to true stories from folks who work with books.
The Writing Desk – I recently read this fantastic Christian novel about two writers in different time periods and the ways their stories connect. Excellent.

 

Do you have any favorite books about books?

REVIEW: Twelve Angry Librarians by Miranda James

REVIEW: Twelve Angry Librarians by Miranda James

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Athena is hosting an academic librarian’s conference which means Charlie is enjoying catching up with old friends. But he’s not happy to see every person who is attending the conference.

Gavin Fong is horrible. He steals credit on professional articles and blackballs other librarians from advancing in their careers. He even tries to blackmail Charlie into helping him get the Library Director’s job at Athena College.

When Gavin dies from poison in his bottled water – the special brand he insisted on during one of his diva moments – no one is really surprised. Plenty of people despised him. As an insider, Charlie may be able to ask questions and pursue clues to help the police catch a killer.

Review

Another great mystery in this terrific series! (Book 8 in the series)

The core characters play their usual roles in the story. The detective is willing to hear Charlie’s theories while maintaining a professional distance. Charlie’s family and friends are supportive while also having their own lives and parts to play in the larger story.

The mystery was great. There were a LOT of folks who didn’t like the victim. He was narcissistic and cruel. He cared only for himself and his own advancement no matter the cost. The solution was creative and unusual while also being reasonable and satisfying.

This is one of my favorite cozy mystery series right now. You can’t go wrong with any book in the series! The author’s next book will be a new story in the Southern Ladies Mystery series, Fixing to Die, which will be out in the fall.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥