Posted in book, books, Charleston, Fav Books, photograph, photographs, Photography, travel

55 Tradd Street

3.5 years ago, I wrote a review about Karen White’s House on Tradd Street series. Romance, Ghosts, and Mystery, Family Secrets, a Mysterious Reporter, and More Ghosts, and A Teenager, More Family Secrets, and a Dollhouse.

We went to Charleston for Christmas week. While there, we visited downtown Charleston and walked around a little bit. One of the places we ended up was at the corner of Meeting and Tradd Street. I had to investigate and find out where the house was located.

I don’t know if this actually 55 Tradd Street because I couldn’t find the house address. It’s either 57 or 55 because on one side is 59 and on the other is 53. I’m going to say it is 55 Tradd Street.

Whether it is 55 Tradd Street or not, it was pretty cool to find a place you’ve read about in a book. It puts a picture in your mind while reading the book.

Stay kind!

Have a magical day,
Traci

Posted in books

Valentine’s Day: Week 2 – Cupid

Cupid refers to a cozy mystery that has to do with the paranormal.

Defending the Dead (Relatively Dead, #3)

Defending the Dead by Sheila Connolly

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


In this installment of the Relatively Dead series, Abby has moved in with Ned. Since she lost her job at the museum, she has more time on her hands. She decides to see if any of her relatives were part of the Salem Witch trials in 1692 and 1693.

Meanwhile she has to mend a broken relationship with Lindsey, the curator at the museum. Will she allow her to spend time with Elle, Lindsey’s daughter? Oh, did I mention Elle has the same abilities to see ghosts of people from the past?

My Review: I enjoyed the historical aspect of the story. I was a little confused with the whole moving in with Ned and Elle but that was because I had only listened to part of the previous story. In order to get the whole picture, you need to read the stories in order. They build upon each other.



View all my reviews

Stay kind!

Have a magical day,
Traci

Posted in books

Valentine’s Day Bingo – Free Space

Lethal Licorice (Amish Candy Shop Mystery, #2)

Lethal Licorice by Amanda Flower

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Another great book by Amanda Flower.

There is an Amish candy competition going on in Harvest, Ohio. One of the contenders is found dead. Meanwhile Aiden Brody’s mother’s pet pig, Jethro, is missing. Could there be a connection between the death and the missing pig?

Bailey is an Englishwoman competing in the Amish candy competition which is upsetting to some of the Amish. In the meantime, she is also investigating the death of the contender. Can she discover who the killer is before she herself is killed.





View all my reviews

Stay kind!

Have a magical day,
Traci

Posted in books

Valentine’s Day Bingo – Week 1 – Secret Admirer

I’ve been doing a cozy mystery bingo off and on for the past 3 years.

So what is it? Goodreads has different groups you can join. One of which is the cozy mystery bingo. If you decide to join a bingo, you are assigned a group. Each week, you are given a topic to read about. It is up to you to find a book that fits the topic.

This round of bingo is related to Valentine’s Day.

Continue reading “Valentine’s Day Bingo – Week 1 – Secret Admirer”
Posted in books

A Teenager, More Family Secrets, and a Dollhouse

I’ve now listened to the third book in the Tradd Street Series.  (Family Secrets, a Mysterious Reporter, and More Ghosts and Romance, Ghosts, and Mystery)

The Strangers on Montagu Street begins with Jack dropping off his daughter, Nola, on Melanie’s doorstop.  Yeah, Jack has a teenage daughter.

Nola and Jack were constantly fighting so he thought it would better for Nola and his relationship if they did not live in the same house.  Nola had been estranged from him for all of her 13 years so they were not off to a good start.

Melanie took Nola to Jack’s parents’ antique furniture store.  While they were there, Nola took interest in a dollhouse so Jack’s mother gave it to her as a gift.  Suddenly strange things began to happen in the house.  Angry ghosts are now haunting Melanie and Nola.  Except Nola does not realize it yet because she does not realize ghosts are real.  All she knows is the dolls in the house keep moving around.

It is up to Nola, Melanie, Melanie’s mom, and Jack to find out the identity of the ghosts and what message they were trying to relay.  During the course of the book, you will meet Julia Mantego (spelling) and discover how she is related to those tortured souls.

Meanwhile there is another ghost hanging around.  This ghost is more benign than the other ghosts.  Who is this wandering lost soul?  Why is she still hanging around?  As I always say, you need to read the book to find out about this ghost.

Do Jack and Melanie eventually get together?  I’m not going to say.  You’ll have to read the book to find out.

There is a big cliff hanger at the end of the book.  Makes you want to know what is going to happen next.

 

I enjoyed the book.  There was a different feel to the book with more emphasis on the relationships between the characters being the primary focus of the story.  The ghost story with the dollhouse was a secondary story at different points in the book unlike the first two books.

In the beginning, I did not really enjoy Nola.  She was a moody teenage girl.  During the course of the book, she matured and became more likable.

 

At one point in the story, the story mentions the Circular Church’s Graveyard and this exact sign.  I had taken this photo during our visit in June.

20170626135609_IMG_1940.JPG

 

Have a magical day,
Traci

Posted in books

A girl at the crossroads in life (Book Review)

In June 2016, the boys had Vacation Bible School.  I opted not to drive home because I would turn right around to go and pick them up.  So I went to the local outdoor mall.

The bookstore at the mall had Mary Kay Andrews speaking about her newest book Weekenders.

From her talk, I knew I would want to read/ listen to one of her books.  She was put on my want to read book list.  It took me a year until I finally listened to one of her books.

 

When the Imaginative One and I were on our way home from our road trip, I had finished listening to The Girl on Legare Street and Brownies and Broomsticks.  We still had almost 3 hours to go so I opted to borrow one of Mary Kay Andrews books from Hoopla to listen to for the remainder of the trip.

In the beginning of Beach Town, Greer Hennessey was on the look out for a classic Florida beach town for a movie location.  Greer is a movie location scout.

When she enters the town of Cypress Key, she realizes she has found that classic Florida beach town.  However, she did not know that Cypress Key will change her life.

She meets residents Ginny (spelling) and Eb.  Eb is the mayor of Cypress Key plus the owner of the grocery store and a realtor.

Greer and Eb have a love hate relationship throughout the book.  You have to read/ listen to the book to find out if love or hate wins.

Greer’s mother had died two months prior to the beginning of the book.  Her more Lees had been in contact with Greer’s estranged dad, Clint.  Clint lives an hour or so away from Cypress Key.  Greer has to make a decision on whether to contact Clint or to have any type of relationship with him.

Once the movie production team and actors arrive in Cypress Key, it adds an interesting dynamic to the book.  There is Bryce who is the abrasive movie director.  He is demanding and does not let the word no stop him.  The main lead in the movie was Kregg.  Kregg is a famous rapper who wants to be an actor.  He is a true bad boy.

Cypress Key has an old casino that is about to collapse.  Once Bryce finds out about the book, he wants to use the casino in the movie and then blow it up.  Throughout the book, Greer attempts to get permission to use the casino from Eb.  This adds an interesting twist to the story.  So what happens to the casino?  I’m not going to spoil it for you.  You need to read/ listen for yourself.

Greer was at a crossroad in her life.  Going to Cypress Key changed her life.

 

I loved the book.  I kept wanting to know more about Eb and Greer’s relationship and what was going to happen with the casino.  However, some of the movie details went on and on which made the book longer than it needed to be.

My favorite character is Eb.  He is described as looking sort of like the Professor on Gilligan’s Island.  Eb is a jack of all trades, a good guy, and a family man.  He only wants what is best for his home town.

Image result

If you want a good summer read, this book would fit the bill.

 

Happy reading,
Traci

Posted in books, Random

Family Secrets, a Mysterious Reporter, and More Ghosts

I just finished listening to the second book in Karen White’s  The Tradd Street series – The Girl on Legare Street.

I have already done a book review for the first book in the series – The House on Tradd Street.

This book begins soon after The House on Tradd Street.  Melanie’s estranged mother comes back into town and wants to buy the family home on Legare Street.

Melanie and her mother have a strained relationship but must work through it while restoring the house.

Meanwhile a sunken boat is found off shore.  The boat sunk in the late 1800’s and had belonged to Melanie’s family.  Once the boat was brought up, there was a shocking discovery of a body on the boat.  Melanie and her mother work on their relationship while trying to figure out who the identity of the person on the boat.

A mysterious reporter wants to do an interview with Ginnette, Melanie’s mother, because she bought the house on Legare Street.  As the story progresses, Rebecca, the reporter, becomes more and more suspicious.  Who is she?  Why is she so interested in the history of Melanie’s family?

Yes, there is more ghosts in this book.  There is the protector of Melanie.  He was there for her when she was a child and now is there when she is an adult.  Who is he?  Why is staying around the house?  Does he have anything to do with the mysterious body in the boat?

There is also an evil ghost in the house.  Does this ghost have anything to do with the mysterious body in the boat?  Why is the ghost unsettled?

Jack is still around in this book.  His relationship with Melanie is on and off through out the book.

I enjoyed listening to this story.  The cliffhanger at the end of the book makes me want to read the next book in the series which I have started to read.  To be honest, I don’t really like Rebecca.  When you read the book, you will discover that her motives were good but she wasn’t honest when she was dealing with Ginnette and Melanie.

My belief is that Jack and Melanie belong together.  Everyone can see that but there is a few obstacles in the way.  That’s another reason I want to read the next book so I can find out if Jack and Melanie every get together.

 

The Hunley is mentioned in the book.  While we were in South Carolina last month, we actually went to see the Hunley so once again this made me relate to the book.

Here are some photos from our visit to see the Hunley.

collage #7.jpg

collage #8

Have a magical day,
Traci

Posted in books, Random

Romance, Ghosts, and Mystery

4. Book review!

{This post is edited.  While typing it up, it was storming so my dog wanted my attention.  Meanwhile our bird was trying to help me type up this post.  I reread what I wrote so I’ve got to revise and edit what I typed up.)

When I was in New York last month, I was introduced to a new author.

My friend, Molly, and I were at Barnes and Nobles looking at Chick Lit books.  I finally decided on purchasing On Folly Beach written by Karen White.

Once I began reading the book, I could not put it down.  The book flipped between present day (2009) and World War II.  This book has both romance and mystery.  Most of all it had the beach.

However, this review is not about On Folly Beach, it’s about another book written by Karen White.

After finishing the book, I decided to find other books written by her because I really enjoyed her writing style.

That’s when I discovered the Tradd Street series that takes place in the historical area of Charleston near the Battery.

I borrowed the first book in the series The House on Tradd Street on Hoopla so I could listen to the book while driving and cooking.  I completed the book yesterday.

Hubby and I traveled to the Toledo Zoo yesterday.  I wanted to finish the book so we listened to it on the 2.5 hour drive.  We pulled into the parking lot as the story ended.  Talk about perfect timing.

Now onto the review about the book:

Melanie has inherited 55 Tradd Street.  The house needs to be renovated because it is in disrepair.  Melanie does not want the house because she is able to see and communicate with ghosts.  This house has ghosts – both benign and evil.

In the meantime, she meets Jack, an author, who wants to discover what has happened to one of the former inhabitants, Louisa, because she suddenly disappears at the same time as another citizen of Charleston, Joseph.

Meanwhile the mysterious Mark shows up.  Should Melanie trust him or not?  Jack believes she should not trust him.  He has a feeling that Mark is up to no good especially since he is the grandson of the Joseph.  Even though Jack warns Melanie not to date him, Melanie begins to date him.  How does the relationship turn out?  I’m not going to tell you.  You need to read the book to find out.

There is also some missing treasure.  Jack, Melanie, and her dad set out to find the treasure while trying to find out what happened to Louisa and Joseph.

I enjoyed listening to the story.

A couple of weeks ago, we traveled to Charleston, SC.  While there, I visited some of the places mentioned in the book.  I’m glad I got to see those places.

Here are some photos of the places mentioned in the book:

Top Left – St. Phillips Church

Top Middle – St. Phillips Cemetery

Top Right – John C. Calhoun marker (Not the actual grave)

Bottom Left – Queen Street marker

Bottom Right – Dock Street Theater

Have a magical day,
Traci

P.S.  Hubby and I started listening to the next book in the series on our way home from Toledo.
Mama’s Losin’ It

Posted in books, Fav Books

Books I Read This Summer – Part 2

Here are the remainder of the books that I read this summer.

Death by Tiara (A Jaine Austen Mystery #13)Death by Tiara by Laura Levine

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

View all my reviews

 

 

Trouble at High Tide (Murder, She Wrote, #37)Trouble at High Tide by Jessica Fletcher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. Jessica was invited down to Bermuda for a week of relaxation. On her first night there, her plans were derailed when there was a murder. Jessica investigated the murder while enjoying what suppose to be a relaxing vacation.

Even though there weren’t too many suspects, Jessica had to work through all of the tension within the victim’s family. It made for a good read.

This was the first Murder She Wrote book but it won’t be the last. I really enjoyed the pacing of the book. With Donald Bain’s description of the area of Bermuda, I was able to create a picture of the beach Jessica’s cabin was located on.

View all my reviews

Destination Murder (Murder, She Wrote, #20)Destination Murder by Jessica Fletcher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading this book.

Jessica was on a trip with her friend Reggie. They were traveling with his Train and Rail Club to Vancouver, British Columbia. Once in Vancouver, they were going to take a three day train ride through the countryside of British Columbia. However tragedy occurs while they are on the train. Jessica helps investigate the murder of one of the members of the Train and Rail Club.

After reading this book, I want to travel in British Columbia. The scenery sounds absolutely gorgeous.

View all my reviews

Lowcountry Boil (A Liz Talbot Mystery, #1)Lowcountry Boil by Susan M. Boyer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book. Liz is a Private Investigator who has moved from her hometown years ago. When her grandma is murder, she moves back to Stella Maris, South Carolina to help solve her grandma’s murder.

She gets help from her friend Colleen, a guardian of the island. Colleen had died 14 years previously. I thought this was an interesting twist to the story.

I ended up listening to the story rather than reading the story. The narrator had a Southern accent which made it a pleasant listening experience.

The author takes the reader/ listener through so many twists and turns that makes the reader want to know more. I highly recommend this book.

View all my reviews

Vi Agra Falls (Bed-and-Breakfast Mysteries, #24)Vi Agra Falls by Mary Daheim

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Judith’s husband’s ex-wife is back in town. You never know what Vivian, aka Herself, is going to be up.

The reader is given some background information about Herself in the book. That background information can be confusing at times while reading. Renie, Judith’s cousin, at one point told Judith that a family tree was needed when discussing Herself’s marriages and children. That is so true for the reader.

I would suggest reading this book when you have time to actually concentrate on the book so you are not confused by all the characters introduced in the book.

Oh, Joe frustrated me at times because he seemed to be at Herself’s beck and call. She’s your ex wife. Judith is your current wife. I felt as though he needed to grow a backbone at times.

View all my reviews

Cloche and Dagger (Hat Shop Mystery, #1)Cloche and Dagger by Jenn McKinlay

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Scarlett is down on her luck in love. Her cousin asks her to come to England to help with their grandma’s hat shop, Mim’s Whims. When she gets to the shop, Viv is nowhere to be found. Then there was a murder of one of their customers. Scarlett needs to get acclimated to England while dealing with the murder, wondering where her cousin is, and staying out of harm’s way because someone is trying to harm her.

This was such a good book. I enjoyed the pacing of the story. I also enjoyed Scarlett and Harrison’s relationship. Harrison helps with the financial side of the shop. Is there going to be a relationship between Scarlett and Harrison or are Harrison and Viv a couple? I want to read more books in the series to find out.

View all my reviews

A Deadly Cliché (A Books by the Bay Mystery #2)A Deadly Cliché by Ellery Adams

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. Olivia lives in Oyster Bay, North Carolina with Captain Haivland, her standard poodle.

Oyster Bay has been plagued by murders and robbers by the Cliche’ Killers. Olivia and her friends are helping figure out who these killers are before more people are robbed or killed. There is a secondary mystery involving a mysterious letter.

The main character seems in control of her life. She thrives on being an independent lady.

I’m wondering if there is going to be a relationship with Olivia and the police chief.

View all my reviews

Hula Done It? (Passport to Peril, #4)Hula Done It? by Maddy Hunter

I am loving this series of books. For me, they are quick reads with just enough humor to keep me interested.

Emily Andrew is on a Halloween cruise around the Hawaiian islands. A professor who specializes in James Cook fell off the side of the cruise ship. Emily and her trusty tour group of senior citizens are up to the challenge of finding out what happened to Dorian Smoker, the professor.

Notable highlights of the story:
There is something to do with extra size condoms in the book. It’s hilarious.
Also the treasure hunting is very interesting.

View all my reviews

Posted in books, Fav Books

Books I’ve Read During the Summer – Part 1

I did a lot of reading this summer.  Since I have 17 books that I’m going to share with you, I’ve broken the list into 2 parts.  The first part is going to be 9 of the books and the second part is going to be the final 8 books.
Foreign Éclairs (A White House Chef Mystery #9)Foreign Éclairs by Julie Hyzy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Julie Hyzy has declared this book as the last book in the series. The last few words of the book is like a fork in the road. She can either continue with the series or the series has ended. There is no clear answer.

Once again Oliva, aka Ollie, Paras is in trouble. At first, she thinks her mugging is just that a mugging but then discovers a previous enemy’s brother blames her for what happened to his brother. The brother will stop at nothing to eliminate what he believes to be a threat.

This book reminded me of CSI at points in the book. I’m a big fan of CSI so maybe that is why it appealed to me. Foreign Eclairs is a heavier read than what is considered to be a cozy read.

View all my reviews

Killer Cruise (A Jaine Austen Mystery, #8)Killer Cruise by Laura Levine

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was hilarious. Jaine, with an i, gets into one mess after another while on the cruise. The emails from her parents and her gay friend, Lance were the best part of the book.

Killer Cruise is the first book I’ve read from this author. I really enjoyed her writing style.

View all my reviews

Here Comes the Bribe (Bed-and-Breakfast Mysteries, #30)Here Comes the Bribe by Mary Daheim

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

View all my reviews

 

 

To Cache a Killer (The Frannie Shoemaker Campground Mysteries #5)To Cache a Killer by Karen Musser Nortman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Frannie and her friends are camping in Iowa. While they are camping, they are geocaching. There is a murder and a mystery involving travel bugs.

I gave it a 3 because there were parts I felt that dragged in the story. I’m not really into geocaching like my husband. If he read the book, he might have given it a higher rating. I know the basics of geocaching but don’t fully understand it.

View all my reviews

The Chocolate Frog Frame-Up (A Chocoholic Mystery, #3)The Chocolate Frog Frame-Up by JoAnna Carl

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lee’s boyfriend has been accused of murder. It’s up to her and Joe to figure out who the real murderer is without getting hurt or killed themselves.

I really liked this book especially the chocolate tidbits the author provides.

View all my reviews

The Chocolate Clown Corpse (A Chocoholic Mystery, #14)The Chocolate Clown Corpse by JoAnna Carl

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

View all my reviews

 

 

A Clue for the Puzzle Lady (Puzzle Lady, #1)A Clue for the Puzzle Lady by Parnell Hall

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book took me a long time to complete. Well with the way I read, it took a long time to read. It was broken down into 60 chapters which made it seem longer.

The premise is good but it took me a long time to really get into the book. Once I got into the book, I finished it within a day. So what was the premise of the book? Clues that looked like crossword puzzle clues were left at two murder scenes. Were the clues truly crossword puzzle clues or something else? You need to read to find out.

View all my reviews

Dutch Me Deadly (Passport to Peril, #7)Dutch Me Deadly by Maddy Hunter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book. It was entertaining and allowed me to travel without having to leave my living room.

I loved Maddy Hunter’s description of the Red Light District. If I ever get there, I need to remember not to go into a coffeehouse. You need to read the book to find out why.

I also learned that you need to be careful about bicyclists instead of cars when you are in Amsterdam.

View all my reviews

Alpine for You (Passport to Peril, #1)Alpine for You by Maddy Hunter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

View all my reviews