Sugar Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Sugar Cookie Murder

Author: Joanne Fluke
Publisher: Kensington Books
Year: 2012
Genre: Mystery
Age: Adult 18+
Page Count: 328

Audio Publisher: Recorded Books
Audio Year: 2011
Audio Length: 6 hours & 3 minutes
Audio Reader: Suzanne Toren

Rating:

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This is book #6 in the Hannah Swensen mystery series. The reader for the audio has been consistent throughout the series so far & that makes me happy, I hate when they change readers! I was able to finish this book in about a week which is my average time if I listen a little everyday. I'm really enjoying this series so far. I was a little skeptical in the beginning because they are a little bit cheesy but now I'm liking that they are light & funny, plus quick to listen to on audio. I like listening to audio because you can do other things while you are "reading". I've already got book #7 checked out so I can start listening to that one right away. I think the cover for the paperback & the ebook with the cute little snowman cookie are great. But what is up with the audiobook cover? LOL that's a gingerbread man not a sugar cookie...at least it's Christmas, I think it's funny still.

This story takes place around Christmas time, the last one was around Halloween, so far those 2 holidays have fallen in the books frequently, either those of summer time. In this book we finally get to meet Delores's new boyfriend, he's an English Lord & how he ended up in Minnesota dating Hannah's mother I'm not sure so that part is a little sketchy. Andrea also has her baby, it's a girl! The murder in this book actually wasn't that at all but a complete accident that many people I think were pleased with in the end. There also wasn't a second body or an akward scene where Hannah almost gets killed by the suspect either which I was happy to see. We also get to see the recipes from the cookbook that Hannah has been working on, some of them sound great & I saved those, others sound questionable. I'll include the famous Hawaiian Pot Roast & the Jello Cake below for you.

 

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

Garden Spells

Author: Sarah Addison Allen
Publisher: Bantam Books
Year: 2007
Genre: Magical Realism
Age: Adult 18+
Page Count: 290 pages

Rating:

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This is the first book in a duology about the Waverley family. It was this months pick for the Cook the Books book club that I run at the library. We usually read traditional cooking murder mysteries like Joanne Fluke but when the book club started I told them as long as it involved food & they wanted to read it that was fine.This book isn't the traditional cooking murder mystery but I still really enjoyed it & I'm hoping to eat something delicious at this months meeting. It's kinda fun meeting every month & not knowing which recipe the host will pick, you never know what you'll get.

When this book was first chosen I was a little worried about liking it, it didn't sound like something I would normally read. But once I started reading it I was getting some serious Practical Magic vibes & I liked that. Practical Magic is one of my favorite books & I love Alice Hoffman, I've read several of her other books. So I pressed on & actually really like the book in the end & I want to read the next one.

In this story we meet the Waverley sisters. They live in Bascom, North Carolina in a big old Queen Anne style house that overlooks the town square. They grew up there with their grandmother after their mother left & eventually died. Now Claire presides over the house since their grandmothers death. her kid sister Sydney has come back home with her daughter Bay, fleeing her abusive boyfriend, Bay's father. Claire isn't sure about Sydney coming home, espcally since she starts trouble the second she arrives based on her high school expereinces. But Sydney surprises Claire & the rest of the town with her actions & the love she has for her daughter & her family. The sisters are related to a woman named Evanelle who has a particular talent for bringing people what they need. They may not need it right away but some day they will eed that strange objects she brings. The Waverley's have a magical garden behind the huge house. It has herbs that can be used to heal, flowers that can trick the mind, & an apple tree with a mind of it's own. Between the sisters various love interests, the whispers of the town's people, and the story of the feud between the Waverley's & the Clark's that started generations ago this book is filled with so much magic it will practically turn the pages itself.

One of the things that I loved about this book besides it being funny & full of life was that it had a happy ending. I won't give it away but between a sister on the run with her child, an abusive boyfriend, & a town full of people that think the Waverley's are witches you can imagine for yourself all that could go wrong. Plus the mix of the magic apple tree, Claire's herbal concotions, & a small southern town full of secrets makes the story very interesting.

Fudge Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Fudge Cupcake Murder

Author: Joanne Fluke
Publisher: Kensington Books
Year: 2004
Genre: Mystery
Age: Adult 18+
Page Count: 269

Audio Publisher: Recorded Books
Audio Year: 2010
Audio Reader: Suzanne Toren
Audio Length: 9 hrs & 3 mins

Rating:

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This is the 4th book in the Hannah Swensen series.  Look at how cute that cover is with the little skull sprinkles! This book has taken me the longest to finish, I wasn't entirely committed to it. But I did enjoy it overall.I'm happy that if I stick to them I can finish them in about a week. They have all had the same reader which makes me happy, her voice is clear & she does several voices. I'm surprised that there is not a male & a female reader for this series, I think that would add some depth to the audio.

This book continued from the last, Andrea is still pregnant, she should have her baby soon. The bakery is still doing well & Hannah's romance between Mike & Norman continues. Even Hannah & Andrea's mother finds herself with a new boyfriend she is trying to keep secret from the girls. Moisha, Hannah's cat is st as rting to get older & she is having to take extreme measures with his food to make sure he has all his vitamins, that process is funny but a little bit good. Although in this story Bill finds himself in trouble when he is running for sheriff & the current one is murdered. Hannah & Andrea must solve the case before it's too late, for Bill's sake. Mike gets on Hannah's bad side when he suspects Bill for the death of the sheriff. That makes me lean more towards Norman for Hannah to pick above Mike. There is a lot of good sounding recipes in this book, I will include the main one for the cupcakes below. There is a lot of mystery surrounding the cupcakes. Hannah is working on "The Lake Eden Cookbook" in this story, I'm wondering if that is a real thing??? Because of that the fudge cupcakes are being tested to go in the cookbook, but there is a secret ingredient that they have to figure out first.

Stay tuned for the next mystery in Lake Eden...Sugar Cookie Murder!

Lemon Meringue Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Lemon Meringue Pie Murder

Author: Joanne Fluke
Publisher: Kensginton Publishing Group
Year: 2009
Genre: Mystery
Age: Adult 18+
Page Count: 352

Audio Publisher: Recorded Books
Audio Year: 2011
Audio Reader: Suzanne Toren
Audio Length: 9 hours & 45 mins

Rating:

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 This is the 4th book in the Hannah Swensen murder mystery series by Joanne Fluke. I've been listening to these on audio & they are kinda growing on me! I'm looking forward to reading/listening to more of them. The reader is pretty good & I'm happy it has been the same person each time. This is the first book in this series that I was able to figure out who did it before the very end. I'm so proud of myself LOL. This was also the first book so far in the series when Hannah didn't find another body after the initial murder. She does find someone that is injured with her sister Michelle but they live! I was very happy to see that finally. Overall I think this might have been my favorite one so far. There are 24 books in this series right now I think & another one coming out in February so I'm going to just keep listening to them on audio. Below I will include a recipe from the book, as usual they all sound really good!

Merry & Bright by Debbie Macomber

Merry & Bright

Author: Debbie Macomber
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Year: 2017
Genre: Christmas
Age: Adult 18+
Page Count: 157

Audio Publisher: Penguin Random House
Audio Year: 2017
Audio Reader: Em Eldridge
Audio Length: 4 hours & 20 minutes

Rating:

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This is my 3rd Debbie Macomber book I think. I've read only Christmas ones which turns out I actually enjoy them! They are fun & light with romance & holiday magic. I'm interested in trying some of her other "non Christmas" books, comment below & let me know some of your favorites. I also find that I enjoy the books more listening to them then reading them. This one was a believable story that had a happy ending of course. All of these books I've read so far all kinda follow the same plot & you don't know where it's gonna go in the middle but they always turn out good in the end. It was short, I was able to finish it almost completely on audio in one trip. The audio reader was good, no accent or anything so easy to listen to, although I don't really mind accents. I'm gonna say that I like this one 2nd out of the other two I've read. So that means it's Alaskan Holiday, Merry & Bright, & then 12 Days of Christmas. I feel like 12 days was a little rushed in the story compared to these others, a lot has to happen in a short amount of pages. I also like that the title really tied into the story & characters especially.

January 2019 TBR

I'm gonna catch up on the books I didn't finish in December & kinda start my series journey for this year. So here is my January TBR...

Merry & Bright by Debbie Macomber

I started listening to this on audio on the first leg of my trip after I finished Blueberry Muffin Murder & I'm planning on finishing it within the next few days. 

Lemon Meringue Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

I also have this one on audio for my trip home & I should be able to almost finish it. 

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

This is our Cook the Books book for January. 

The Meg by Steven Alten

This book would count for my series challenge. I really loved the movie so I want to read the book. 

Effortless & Reckless by S.C. Stephens

I read the first book in this series & it was AMAZING so I want to finish the series. 

December 2018 Wrap-Up

This month I was hoping to read more & finish a few more books so I can start my series challenge in January but I still read 5 books, 2 of which were on audio. I'm listening to audiobook more & more so I can work & read at the same time. Here are my December reads:

Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens

https://whitemountainlibrarian.blogspot.com/2018/12/thoughtless-by-sc-stephens.html

Strawberry Shortcake Murder by Joanne Fluke

https://whitemountainlibrarian.blogspot.com/2018/12/strawberry-shortcake-murder-by-joanne.html

Blueberry Muffin Murder by Joanne Fluke

https://whitemountainlibrarian.blogspot.com/2019/01/blueberry-muffin-murder-by-joanne-fluke.html

Poison by Sarah Pinborough

https://whitemountainlibrarian.blogspot.com/2018/12/tales-from-kingdom-by-sarah-pinborough.html

Bewitched, Bothered, & Biscotti by Bailey Cates

https://whitemountainlibrarian.blogspot.com/2018/12/bewitched-bothered-biscotti-by-bailey.html

Blueberry Muffin Murder by Joanne Fluke

Blueberry Muffin Murder

Author: Joanne Fluke
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Inc
Year: 2006
Genre: Mystery
Page Count: 265
Audio Reader: Suzanne Toren
Audio Publisher: Recorded Books
Audio Year: 2011
Audio Length: 9 hrs & 25 mins

Rating:

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I finished listening to this audiobook on the first leg of my New Years Trip. I had been listening to it for a little while so I'm happy I was able to finish it. I don't drive a lot so I try to listen when I'm at home too. I'm finding that I'm enjoying listening to this series as apposed to reading it although I do also checkout the ebook usually for those times when I can't listen. This book is the 3rd in the Hannah Swensen series & we see some growth in her story. The basic plot of the murder mystery is there but Hannah's romance between Mike & Norman heats up. I'm not sure whose side I'm on right now, both men have some good qualities. Hannah being with Mike might be a problem though if she keeps finding dead bodies. In this story the 2nd murder involved Hannah finding a body with the mayor & her sister in an ice fishing house, the mayor thought he had caught a pretty big fish. Hannah's sister Andrea also finds out she is pregnant. Hannah has a good suspicion that she is before her sister actually confirms it, the banter between the two sisters is really funny. The recipes in this book sound really good too! I'll include one below for you to enjoy. I have quite a recipe book going from these books & I still haven't had a chance to try any yet. I'm planning on continuing this series in 2019 so stay tuned for more reviews.