Believe in the Magic Traci Diary
Recipes, Travels, and Stories
4. Book review!
Have you ever fallen in love with a book that you are willing to read over and over again? A book that makes you want to travel to a foreign land just to see the sights that are mentioned. A book that makes you meet your own Jamie.
I have read Outlander by Diana Gabaldon over and over again. I’m currently listening to the book on Audible once again. Continue reading “Love in the Scottish Highlands”
Here are the remainder of the books that I read this summer.
Death by Tiara by Laura Levine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
Here Comes the Bribe by Mary Daheim
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
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.
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.
The Chocolate Clown Corpse by JoAnna Carl
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
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.
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.
Alpine for You by Maddy Hunter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’ve previously mentioned how I like Joanna Fluke’s Hannah Swenson books. I’m rereading some of the books in the series. As I was reading Key Lime Murder, she included this recipe. I was instantly intrigued. I’ve made other oatmeal cookies that included chocolate chips and M&M’s. This year I wanted something simple. This cookie fit the bill!!!
Stars of the recipe:
Steps:
Back in August 2010, I was going to do a series about my favorite books or series. I only did one post and then didn’t do any others. Both the Imaginative One and I have read this series. This is one of his favorite series and loves to read me exerpts from the books all of the time.
Imagine your favorite fairy tale characters were real and lived in a town called Ferryport Landing, New York.
Your mother and father have disappeared without a trace and for a year and a half you have lived in foster care moving from one home to another with your sister. Suddenly a long lost grandma of yours is claiming to be your relative. But wait your mother and father have told you that she has died. Is this a trick?
For Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, this is exactly what happens to them. They are transported to Ferryport Landing. There they discover their family is relatives of the Grimm Brothers who not only wrote fairy tales but also knew the characters personally. They brought them over from Europe to the United States. The ancestors of the Grimm Brothers have become fairy tale detectives.
These stories will engage you as you discover a secret organization known as The Scarlet Hand, how Sabrina and Daphne react to being in the town full of fairy tale characters, and their adventures as fairy tale detectives. As the series continues, you will discover more evil plots by the Scarlet Hand. You will become sucked into the town of Ferryport Landing and into the lives of Sabrina and Daphne.
I’ve decided to do a series of posts about different books that I enjoy either reading or listening to on CD. Some are adult series while others might be a children’s series.
One of my favorite series is the Hannah Swenson series. It’s a murder mystery series that involves Hannah who owns a cookie shop in Lake Eden, Minnesota. Hannah is famous not only for her baking skills but also for finding dead bodies which drives her mother, Delores, batty. With the help of her sisters, Michelle and Andrea, her cookie shop partner, Lisa, and one of her two on-and-off boyfriend, Norman, they track down the killer. Her other on-and-off boyfriend, Mike, does not always like her investigating these murders. In some of the books, Hannah finds herself in some very tight situations which leaves the readers wanting to read more because they want to make sure everything is okay with Hannah.
An added bonus to the entertaining books is the recipes, Joanna Fluke provides for the readers. They range from cookies to casseroles or hot dishes as they are called in Minnesota. I have tried some of the recipes from her books that are absolutely delicious. In fact, I have posted two of the recipes – Pretzel chocolate chip cookies and Watermelon cookies.
I have read all of the books and several of them numerous times. I hope you enjoy the series as much as I have.
