Tag: Meg Langslow Mystery series

BONUS REVIEW: Owl Be Home for Christmas by Donna Andrews

BONUS REVIEW: Owl Be Home for Christmas by Donna Andrews

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

This year, Meg Langslow and her family may be spending their Christmas trapped at the Caerphilly Inn thanks to an unexpected blizzard. Meg was there to help her grandfather with the Owl Fest conference. No one planned to get snowed in. But the weather isn’t the only problem.

In a crowd of professionals, you can usually count on finding a few out of control egos. And the owl conference is no exception. Dr. Frogmore is an arrogant and unpleasant man with a vocal low opinion of women in biology. He’s known in academic circles as a man who has no interest in women or other minorities in his department at Buckthorn College. And his sycophantic minion Dr. Czerny is quickly becoming runner up to Dr. Frogmore in Meg’s fictional conference award, the Most Annoying Conference Participant.

It’s no surprise to anyone when Dr. Frogmore’s death looks like foul play – hardly anyone liked the man. But the Caerphilly police chief can’t get to the Inn to investigate due to the snow storm. Meg’s dad is there to perform the tasks of the medical examiner, and the crime scene tech is there as well. But he can only do so much with an inn full of people and limited resources. At least they have Meg on site because her track record for tracking down killers is top notch!

Review

This is book 26 in Donna Andrews‘ series, and it’s a terrific mystery! I enjoyed this holiday story. The owl angle was fun – there were punny Christmas carols and interesting ecological debates. The mystery was more that satisfying with some nice twists. I was able to figure out half of the solution, but I enjoyed discovering there was more going on than I suspected.

One of the things I love about this series is the setting and the cast of characters in Caerphilly. Because of the snowed in conditions, this book didn’t have a lot of those features. I missed them, but the great mystery made up for it.

Fans of the Meg Langslow series should be sure to catch this one. It’s snowy and fun – perfect for this time of year!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

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: Toucan Keep a Secret by Donna Andrews

REVIEW: Toucan Keep a Secret by Donna Andrews

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Trinity Episcopal Church is an important part of the Caerphilly community and an important place for Meg Langslow and her family. So when their priest goes on maternity leave, Meg of course jumps in to help. Armed with her notebook-that-tells-her-when-to-breathe, Meg is ready to corral obstinate vestry members, supervise a parishioner’s toucan, and keep the church and grounds locked and secured.

Despite the best efforts of Meg and her team, however, someone breaks into the crypt (columbarium), removes some of the cremains from their niches, and bashes one of the more tiresome vestry members on the head.

It seems as though the niches that were disturbed had some connection to an unsolved jewelry heist. Mrs. Beatrice van der Lynden reportedly staged a heist with her son for the insurance money. But the college guys they planned to use ran into some real criminals trying to get in on the job. In the end, two men were dead and the jewels disappeared. Meg can’t see how the dead vestry member ties into the jewelry case, but her specialty is asking questions. She might be surprised by what she uncovers this time.

Review

This is the 23rd book in the delightful Meg Langslow mystery series. Meg is one of my favorite book characters, and she doesn’t disappoint this time.

I love this series for its quirky and eccentric characters. This book introduces some new ones who were a lot of fun. Donna Andrews does an amazing job of building a community I love while not sacrificing the core mystery in each book.

The mystery in this one is good. The contemporary crime ties into a cold case which opens up some interesting investigation options.

I loved the church setting for a lot of the book. There’s no preaching or moralizing that might put off a non-religious reader. But the characters connected to the church – Robyn the priest, Dr. Womble, and the rest – were fun. My favorite part of the whole book was the wrap up piece at the church at the end. There is even a moment there that brought tears to my eyes. It’s a lovely scene in a fantastic story in a series I love.

If you haven’t read any of the Meg Langslow books before, start with the first few (Murder with Peacocks, then Murder with Puffins and then Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos) to get the characters in mind. After that the order probably doesn’t matter. Book 24, Lark! The Herald Angels Sing releases in October, 2018.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Memorable Protagonists

Posted on by Jaymie

I’ve noticed that a make-or-break part of a book for me is the main character. While I enjoy tons of books, the truly special ones have characters that I adore. I read so much, I often don’t remember a lot of details about the books unless I re-read them a few times. But there are some characters that I remember immediately. I see the cover of the book, and instantly I think of these characters, and I want to dive into the book again. And when I think about these characters, there are often characteristics they have in common.

Here are a few of my favorite, most memorable protagonists:

The Protectors – I am a HUGE fan of smart, protective, and fierce characters who defend others. Kitty Katt-Martini in the Alien series by Gini Koch is the epitome of this sort of character. It’s why I am fanatic of the series that is already 16 books long – most of those book over 500 pages – and I re-read it at least once a year. In every book, Kitty puts herself between the evil megalomaniacs and the people she loves and the characters who need to be protected. Tess Kendrick from the Fixer series (book one was my favorite book of 2015 and book two was top of the list in 2016) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is about half Kitty’s age, but she is just as fierce. She has a delightfully strong personality and doesn’t care what other people think about her, but she follows her moral code, “fixing” the wrongs around her. Another teen protector is Adam Blake from Robin Roe’s A List of Cages. This was my favorite book from 2017. Adam is a more happy-go-lucky character than Kitty or Tess – he’s breezy and unconcerned for the most part, but when it comes to Julian, he is fiercely protective exactly when Julian needs him. Finally, Turtle the Seawing dragon is the star of Talons of Power in the Wings of Fire series by Tui T. Sutherland. He is fairly meek for a “protector,” but he pushes past his insecurity and fear to do what no one else can to protect his friends.

Graphic Novels for Kids - Phoebe and her Unicorn

The Funny Folks – Wedgie the Corgi is my favorite part of the Wedgie and Gizmo series by Suzanne Selfors. In my head he sounds like Doug from the Pixar movie Up. He’s a goofy, hilarious, earnest character who loves everyone and everything. He makes up fantastic names for other characters – he calls Gizmo the guinea pig “Furry Potato.” I love characters that make me laugh. The other protagonist who always makes me laugh is Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, the unicorn in the Phoebe and her Unicorn series by Dana Simpson. Early in the series it was her declaration of “UNICORN!” in fancy fonts to show why  she was awesome and should always win every argument that would crack me up. As the series has gone on, that stellar attitude is only part of what makes her funny. I love her character.

The Brooding and Mysterious Men – It’s always interesting to me to read a series about a set of brothers where each brother gets a book to explore their unique perspective and personality. One series I have read multiple times is the Sons of Destiny series. Yes, I know it’s hard to take that cover seriously. And the content of the book is just what you would expect based on that cover. But what I love most about the series is the fantasy world and the magic as well as the story arc that covers all eight books. Rydan Corvis, “The Storm,” is brother number six, and his story is my favorite. He is the dark and brooding brother that shuns the light and the company of the others. No one seems to understand him, so getting to read a story from his perspective is really enjoyable. (One note about the series – there are four sets of twin brothers and the books go in order from the oldest brother to the youngest. But books five and six, which includes Rydan’s story, take place concurrently. So you get 60% or so of the same story, but from different perspectives, which I found really clever). The other brooding character that captivated me is Gabriel Merrick from Brigid Kemmerer‘s Elementals series. This is another fantasy romance series geared more toward young adults. While I enjoyed reading the whole series, Gabriel’s story was my favorite. He has a fierce, fiery personality, and he is reluctant to let others in, so the only way to really get a read on him is to dig into his own story. (Note, one of the books in the series includes a character’s struggle with his sexuality.) Both of these characters have a dark and mysterious air about them, so breaking through that by learning their stories is really satisfying for me as a reader.

The Character Most Like Me – Meg Langslow is the smart, organized, diplomatic, and creative protagonist at the center of Donna Andrews mystery series. And she is a woman after my own heart. She is the only one of my favorite protagonists who seems most like me. I’d love to be protective like the first group, but that’s not really who I am. But I am Meg. She has her “notebook that tells me when to breathe” and I have my to do lists and planners and forms and calendars and organizational systems. I “get” Meg which makes reading her stories enjoyable!

So these are my most memorable protagonists. What sorts of characters do you enjoy?

REVIEW: Gone Gull by Donna Andrews

REVIEW: Gone Gull by Donna Andrews

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Meg Langslow is teaching a blacksmithing class at her grandmother’s new Craft Center on Biscuit Mountain. Unfortunately the Center’s teachers and guests have been harassed by a vandal. Class studios and student work have been destroyed. Of course, Meg is called upon to ferret out the culprit.

Before she gets very far in her investigation, Meg stumbles across a dead body. Things aren’t looking good for Biscuit Mountain Craft Center.

Meg and her family aren’t going to let Cordelia’s dream die like this, though. They call in reinforcements – almost the entire extended family – to help. And the Langslow family is a force to be reckoned with!

Review

This is one of my favorite cozy series. I’m thrilled at how solid the stories are, even on the 21st book in the series.

Meg, with her notebook-that-tells-her-when-to-breathe, is a woman after my own heart. She’s smart. She has a crazy, humongous family, and she’s learned to leverage the personalities and strengths to her advantage.

The mysteries in this one were great. Both the vandalism situation and the murders were wrapped up with satisfying conclusions. The gull situation that spanned the whole book had a nice wrap up as well.

This was completely enjoyable from start to finish! Once readers are familiar with the various people in the series, I think these books can be read in any order. I would definitely start with book one, though – Murder with Peacocks – and read the first few in order so you can get to know the family and townspeople before you dive into the rest of the series.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEWS: 2017 Christmas Books

REVIEWS: 2017 Christmas Books

Posted on by Jaymie

I had something else scheduled for review today, but it didn’t work out, so I am going to plug in a few short reviews of some of the 2017 Christmas books I have been able to read this season. I hope you will find something here you like!

How the Finch Stole Christmas – The Christmas production of A Christmas Carol is headed off the rails thanks to a diva-level actor with a drinking problem. A dead body is not exactly what Meg and friends need on top of the production stress! This is book 22 in the Meg Langslow series, one of my favorite cozy series. I love that no matter how many books there are in the series, the stories and the characters stay strong and enjoyable. The mystery in this one was great. And Meg is one of my favorite protagonists of all time. Rating: ♥♥♥♥

 

 

Merry and Bright – The latest from Debbie Macomber focuses on a young woman whose family sets her up for an online dating service. Her best match turns out to the be last person she wanted it to be.  I really enjoyed this one! The plot is pretty simple and You’ve Got Mail-esque, but the characters are fantastic and really made this a fun holiday read.  This would make a darling Hallmark Christmas movie. Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

 

 

Holly and Ivy – A lonely widow meets a young girl with a great gift in this holiday story. For me, this story suffered from an unsympathetic character right from the beginning. I almost gave up on finishing this one. I pressed through the unpleasant character and things finally started to turn around about half-way through. The ending was great and made me glad I kept with it. Rating: ♥♥♥

 

 

Twelve Slays of Christmas – The first book in a Christmas Tree farm mystery series. A young woman heads home to Mistletoe, Maine after her Christmas Eve wedding is cancelled. Maybe some time at home, celebrating the holiday with family on the farm will be just what she needs. She certainly does NOT need a dead body or for her family and friends to be suspected murderers. This was a delight from start to finish! The setting was perfect – I loved the holiday activities the family does around the farm for Christmas. The characters were a lot of fun – the “voice” was great and there was humor and romance as well as a solid mystery. This is a series I will be following faithfully! Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

 

Sugar Pine Trail – A librarian finds herself taking care of two young boys at Christmas time. And her handsome neighbor pitches in. This is the 7th book in the Haven Point series, but I’m not sure the books are necessarily interconnected, except for the setting. This was so fantastic, though, I have added the rest of the series to my library wish list so I can check out all the rest of the books. The characters in this were spectacular. I loved the foster care angle, and the author did a great job of portraying that pretty realistically. The love story was terrific. Great romance to put you in the holiday spirit. Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥