Review: A Stitch Before Dying by Anne Canadeo

Book Blurb: When Maggie Messina, owner of the Black Sheep Knitting Shop, is invited to give knitting workshops at a Berkshires spa resort, she manages to negotiate a cottage that fits all five of the Black Sheep for what promises to be a weekend of knitting bliss. But while the friends are expert at counting stitches, they haven’t counted on murder.
Guests and staff at the Crystal Lake Inn are as varied as a mixed bag of yarn, but most colorful is certainly the owner, charismatic self-help guru and former psychiatrist Dr. Max Flemming. The doctor may have told all in a revealing autobiography, but from his ex-wife to the widow of his former business partner—both employees at the inn—Max seems mired in shad­ows from his past. And when a killer strikes during a mountaintop retreat, the Black Sheep wonder what the good doctor might be hiding.
The police seem to be following the wrong thread. But while Maggie’s workshops have given the knitters a unique view of the tensions at the little inn, can they make sense of a crime that is as complexly stranded as a Fair Isle sweater? When the killer murders a second time, the Black Sheep won­der if they’ve dropped a stitch and put themselves in mortal danger. . . .





My Thoughts: Despite the cover copy, which makes it sound as if the story is told from Maggie Messina's perspective, the book is told mostly from that of one of the other Black Sheep Knitters, Lucy Binger, with Maggie's thoughts interspersed occasionally. This appears to be a feature in the series, with each book featuring both Maggie and one other in her knitting circle.

     The book starts with Lucy arriving late to the Black Sheep's weekly knitting session and potluck dinner. She is worried about her boyfriend, who has been acting distant. She manages to put that worry away when she arrives at the gathering, where Maggie announces a surprise: she's been asked to teach some knitting workshops at a New Age spa and hotel in the Berkshires (located in Massachsuetts, in the US) and has arranged for all five of them to stay there, for free, as part of her compensation package. After some dithering over their ability to get away for the weekend and whether or not they agree with the New Age approach, the group agrees and plans are made.

     The Black Sheep knitters are not fans of the New Age approach to living and Canadeo has a sharp yet not harsh way of poking fun at some of the beliefs and behaviors. We gradually meet some of the guests and staff at the hotel and the connections between them are unraveled in time. Dr Max has gathered a faithful flock around him but they are not all lovey dovey and singing in harmony. The cracks are slowly revealed and little nuggets of info dropped here and there along with larger, more obvious gifts of useful information. I'm happy to say that I was actually right about who the murderer was as usually I am way off base. :P The clues are there, but you have to look for them amidst the red herrings cleverly worked into the story.

     Since this is a cozy mystery, as much time is spent on the leads, the Black Sheep knitters, as the actual mystery. I rather liked Lucy, I empathised with her boyfriend troubles, and her need for some alone time in the midst of the girl's getaway. The other knitters, Suzanne, Dana, and Phoebe, are all given time and attention but the main focus in on Lucy and Maggie. In a nicely circular bit of storytelling, the book ends after Lucy and her boyfriend have their much delayed talk and Lucy is sharing that conversation with her Black Sheep friends.

     My main quibble with the story was the alleged friendship between Maggie and Nadine, the hotel manager who asks Maggie to fill in when the scheduled teacher drops out. They were supposedly longtime friends but it never felt that way to me and it seemed unlikely that Maggie would have been as ignorant as she was of some of the key players in the mystery if in fact she and Nadine were as close as Canadeo wants us to believe.
    
     I did like that Canadeo, who is herself a knitter according to her biography, doesn't bash us over the head with knitting information or the rapturous joy (insert sarcasm here) that is knitting. Knitting certainly plays a part in the story, we meet the suspects and the killer in Maggie's knitting sessions and those sessions play a part in solving the murders, but Canadeo doesn't bash us over the head with it. Some cozy mysteries set around a hobby or occupation go overboard and you learn much more than  you could ever want to know on the subject. Tidbits of knitting information are worked into the story but don't detract from it.

     Overall, it was a good story, entertaining, engaging, and enjoyable.

Publisher: Gallery Books

Release Date: December 28, 2010

More Info: goodreads

This paperback was provided by the publisher for review.

12 Ways Libraries are Good for the Country

     As I mentioned in my post for the 2011 Support Your Local Library Challenge, I love my local library. I pretty much live there. I may even prefer it to a bookstore. After all, libraries haev FREE books :P , plus free periodicals, refernces, databases, and people, librarians, who are at your mercy (well, they are, come on) for advice, questions, etc.

     I am a firm believer in libraries, free libraries, where the user pays nothing to use the services barring small fees for services such as using a copy machine or a printer. Libraries are open to all, available to all, all you need is a card. I support my library and believe all readers should, to the extent that they are able.

     Ok, enough proselytizing. I read a fantastic article on how libraries are good for the country and wanted to share it. Although it's specific to the US, it's pretty applicable to any country. The article is the same as this post's title, and is from "American Libraries, the Magazine of the American Library Association". After you read the article, spread the word and go support your local library.

Mystery & Suspense Challenge 2011!

     Ok, this is the last challenge I'm signing up for; I'm not sure I can manage anymore, even with crossovers allowed. :D I enjoy reading mysteries, I always have, and this challenge takes into account all of the variations and sub-genres.

     There's even  a prize, being offered by Simon & Schuster, UK. Details down below.

          Details

• Timeline: 01 Jan 2011 - 31 Dec 2011
• Rules: To read TWELVE (12) mystery & suspense novels in 2011 (12 is the minimum but you can read more if you wish!)
• You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.
• You can join anytime between now and the later part of next year.
• At the beginning of Jan 2011, you will find a link to specific month to add your reviews. There will be a monthly prize too courtesy of the lovely Simon & Schuster - you must be signed up to the challenge and add the link to your review to be entered into the monthly prize draw.
• To sign  up, go HERE.  

     Now, there are many different sub-genres of mystery and suspense and the host, Book Chick City, is including all of them - you can choose from the numerous sub-genres, from cosy mysteries such as Agatha Christie to the more hard-boiled kind like V.I. Warshawski by Sara Paretsky, or romantic suspense written by the likes of Linda Howard, forensic crime such as those written by Kathy Reichs and even paranormal/supernatural suspense such as Kelley Armstrong. The challenge should have something for everyone! :)

     And finally, the prize details :)

• Courtesy of publisher SIMON & SCHUSTER UK, ALL participants of this challenge will receive a free ARC of 'The Survivor' by Sean Slater to start you off on your challenge! Once you have made your participation post and signed up for the challenge, FILL OUT THIS FORM! This form will ask for your full name, postal address, post URL and your entry number from the participants list found on the host site  (so she can verify), which she will then pass on to the publisher.

Have fun reading!

2011 e-Book Reading Challenge

Now that I have an e-reader, a Kindle, I keep playing with it and just generally acting like a kid with a shiny new toy. Oh, wait. I am. :P So when I saw this challenge posted over The Book Vixen site, I jumped on it. I'm aiming for obsessed, it seems to fit. :P If you have an e-reader, why not join in? You're reading on it anyway aren't you?

The Challenge is being hosted by The Ladybug Reads.

Challenge Guidelines:

1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.
-Non-bloggers: Include your information in the comment section.

2. There are four levels:

--Curious – Read 3 e-books.

- Fascinated – Read 6 e-books.

- Addicted – Read 12 e-books.

-- Obsessed – Read 20 e-books.

3. Any genre counts.

4. You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.

5. Challenge begins January 1, 2011 and lasts until December 31, 2011.
 
6. Go to The Ladybug Reads’ blog to sign up.

1. Tempest's Legacy by Nicole Peeler
2. Heart's Sentinel by PJ Schnyder
3. A Safe Harbor by Moira Rogers
4. I Thought It Was You by Shiloh Walker

Review: Hunger Aroused by Dee Carney

Book Blurb:  Jasmine is sick in bed when a sexy stranger breaks in and reveals she's suffering an irreversible case of vampirism. And because her turning wasn't approved by the Council, he must kill her once the transition is complete. In the meantime, the executioner offers to ease her torment with chocolate, hot peppers or sexual release. Fortunately for them both, Jasmine's kitchen is bare...

Corin's honor demands he do his duty, but he cannot execute the lovely woman while any part of her humanity remains. He must also find-and kill-her sire. Jasmine denies ever having contact with a vampire, causing Corin to question the justice of his orders. Sensing his hesitation, the Council dispatches another executioner, forcing the pair to make a run for it. 

Every hour they spend together-every sensual encounter they share-finds them growing closer. Now Corin will have to choose: kill the woman he loves, or go against everything he believes to set her free.

My thoughts: The first paragraph of the book blurb caught me eye and had me laughing out loud in the library. I knew I had to read this story. Unfortunately, the story did not meet my expectations. The blurb starts out humorous and then gets serious. The book starts out serious and stays there. There is little humor in the story; the story itself does progress in the fashion described by the blurb so that was accurate but I expected humor and also heat.  I got neither.

I have to say that Carney's writing style really put me off. It's choppy, full of sentence fragements. One paragraph will consist of nothing but one sentence fragment after another, making it difficult, for me anyway, to read and to follow. It really disrupted the flow of the story; I would find myself mentally re-writing fragments or whole paragraphs into something that made sense. Then there would be passages that were grammatically fine but just didn't hold my attention. Over the course of five days, I would constantly pick it up and put it down; finishing the story was a struggle for me. The last quarter of the story, approximately, was when I got involved and I finished that in one sitting.

That last bit is when the excrement hits the fan and the action really begins. Up until then, I was having a hard time really caring what happened, if Jasmine lived, if they had a HEA, etc. I liked the ending, it was a mix of predictable and surprising.

We get several scenes of Corin in the past, before and after he becomes a vampire. I liked him in those scenes and I felt for him but whenever the action shifted back to the present, he became stiff, a cardboard character. Jasmine seems like she could be your next door neighbor, she comes across as likable but I could never quite connect to her. I think the story length was part of the problem; Carney needed more time to develop the characters and make them less cardboard.  Instead, they are stock characters - Jasmine is the workaholic adult orphan too busy to make friends or have a life, and that hasn't changed by story's end. Corin is the brooding, alpha male scarred by his past. We do see some slight change in him, but not enough. In addition, it wasn't explained to my satisfaction why Jasmine needed to be executed simply because she was turned vampire without the ruling council's permission. I understood going after her sire, the vampire who turned her, but no reasonable explanation was given for the council's decree to kill the innocent progeny.

I mentioned earlier that I never felt the heat between Jasmine and Corin. They have plenty of scenes where they make out or have sex but to me, it was all insert Tab A into Slot B. The erotic scenes just didn't feel erotic to me, and that's a fairly large component of the novella.

The story has promise but Carney fails to deliver.

Publisher: Carina Press

Release Date: Nov. 8th, 2010

This review was first published at Book Lovers Inc. I received this as an e-galley from NetGalley.

Horror & Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge 2011

Yes, another challenge that I'm going to participate in. Actually I think that both Jax and I are doing this one so we will have two lists of books read, one for each of us. Book Chick City is hosting this one. I don't read much in the way of horror novels but I do read a lot of urban fantasy and some times the lines between the genres get blurry. We only need to read a minimum of 24 books during the year, though of course we can read more. I don't expect to have any problem with accomplishing that. :)

Here are the details:

• You must sign up at Book Chick City or your reading won't count towards the challenge.       
• Timeline: 01 Jan 2011 - 31 Dec 2011
• Rules: To read TWENTY FOUR (24) horror & urban fantasy novels in 2011 (24 is the minimum but you can read more if you wish!)
• You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.
• You can join anytime between now and the later part of next year.
• At the beginning of Jan 2011, you will find a link to add your reviews.
• You don't have to have a blog to join in - for those without a blog just go to Book Chick City and BCC will add you to the list - just join the discussion in the comments section to let us know when you've read a book and what you thought of it! :)

1. Tempest's Legacy by Nicole Peeler
2. Heart's Sentinel by PJ Schnyder
3. A Safe Harbor: Building Sanctuary by Moira Rogers
4. The Radleys by Matt Haig
5. I Thought It Was You by Shiloh Walker 

2011 Support Your Local Library Challenge

I live, I mean LIVE at my local library. If I'm not at work, and the library is open, I'm there. The librarians all know me by name, When I walk in, they immediatley check the hold shelf for me. :D It's only 20 minutes from home, has a wonderful supply of books, periodicals, databases, etc., has free internet access, friendly helpful librarians, etc. It's an awesome place and I would easily read 50%  fewer (maybe even more!)  books than I do if I couldn't use the library. I'm lucky and live in a state where the libraries are regionalized. Town and college libraries participate, and each network has hundreds of participating libraries. So, if the book I want isn't available locally, I can request it from another library in the network and there's no fee for the service. Plus, no matter what town I live in, my library card and privileges are good statewide, subject to each library's rules and regulations.

So, when I saw The Book Vixen's post about the challenge I knew I wanted to participate. It's actually being hosted by The Book Junkie. Invite your friends, tell your local library, share it on Twitter, facebook, and other social sites. Most of all, have fun. :)


Rules:

1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.  Click HERE to sign up.
2. There are four levels to this challenge...Pick your passion: 
        ►The Mini – Check out and read 30 library books. 
        ►Fun Size – Check out and read 40 library books. 
        ►Jumbo Size – Check out and read 50 library books. 
        ►Mega Size – Check out and read 51+ library books.
3. Audio, Re-reads, eBooks, YA, Young Reader – basically any book counts just as long as it is checked out from the library. Books MUST be checked out like with a library card, books purchased at a library DO NOT count. 
4. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.
5. Crossovers from other reading challenges count. YAY!
6. Challenge begins January 1st, 2011 and goes thru December 31st, 2011.

I am being ambitious and aiming for the Jumbo size, a minimum of 50 library books read in 2011. I know I've done it in years past, but I wasn't reviewing then. I enjoy reading for review but it does cut into my time to read for myself. I think I can do it. :)

1. The Grimrose Path by Rob Thurman
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MERRY CHRISTMAS

   

      To all of our readers, friends, followers, and acquaintances around the world, may you have a peaceful, joyful day, wherever you are, whatever you are doing, whether you celebrate Christmas or you don't. You are in our thoughts and we are grateful for your presence in our lives. Thank you all.

     May you receive those gifts you most treasure, including, of course, books. :)

 

    

  Merry Christmas   Feliz Navidad   Buon Natale  Joyeux Noel


                                          Bea and Jax