Candy Cane Murder
I really liked this book. It's three Christmas novellas from three cozy mystery authors: Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine and Leslie Meier. I enjoy books in series so I really enjoyed Laura Levine's and Leslie Meier's since I have been reading the Jaine Austen and Lucy Stone mysteries for a while. But they were short and cute and I enjoyed them.
Three Bedrooms, One Corpse
This book was not good. I really liked the first two in the series. In this book, it is more about Aurora's love life than the murders. I don't know if I want to read any more of them. I'm going back to Sookie!
Curse of the Spellmans
I really enjoyed this book. It is the second of the Spellman series. The Spellmans are a family of privatge investigators and they are really funny. Izzy is the main character and in this book, she is trying to solve the mystery of the new neighbor, the mysterious gardener, John Brown. With great secondary characters, this book is hilarious.
Betsy-Tacy
I remember reading one of the Betsy-Tacy books when I was young. I always wanted to read the rest of the series. This is a good book for a little girl. It's so sweet and innocent. I enjoyed it very much. It's the story of how Betsy and Tacy first met and became friends.
A Red Herring Without Mustard
This is the third in the Flavia de Luce series. I love Flavia. She is a character like no other. In this one, Flavia invites an old gypsy to camp on Buckshaw property after burning down her tent. The next day Flavia discovers that someone has tried to murder the old woman. Of course, Flavia tries to discover who tried to kill with old woman along with another murder before Inspector Hewitt. Familiar characters from the other books are present: vain Ophelia, bookworm Daphne, faithful Dogger, Mrs. Mullet, Colonel de Luce and others. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend the series.
 - Dashiell Hammett)
The Shining
This is a re-read for me. I remember it being so much easier to read when I first read it. For those that watched the movie with Jack Nicholson, this book is not like that. No maze and no scary twins. This is one of King's earlier books and it really doesn't get going until about halfway through. That's when the hotel takes over. Good book.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
This was a great book. Flavia de Luce is an 11 year old with a passion for chemistry and who loves poisons. This book takes place in the 1950s. Flavia has 2 sisters, Ophelia and Daphne – Ophelia is a pianist and Daphne keeps her head in a book. One morning, Flavia sees a man lying in the cucumbers. He takes his dying breath while Flavia looks on. What follows is a police investigation which Flavia becomes a part of. Excellent book. I can’t wait to read the 2nd one.
Lies
This is the 3rd in the Gone series. The kids at Perdido Beach have formed a council, but it doesn’t seem to be working. The division between Normals and the kids with Powers is more prominent fueled by Zil and the Human Crew. Caine and the group at Coates have resorted to cannibalism. And we are introduced to a new group of kids on an island just off Perdido Beach. Brittany seems to have come back to life and someone else has been spotted that is also dead, someone who strikes fear in everyone’s heart. Sam and Astrid are having major issues and Orsay is seeing the dreams of people outside the FAYZ. Great book. Can’t wait to read the next one.
Death by Panty Hose
Another Jaine Austen mystery. This book was so funny. I love Jaine and her cat Prozac. In this one, Jaine’s car is stolen which forces her to take on a job she wouldn’t normally take on. Writing jokes for a stand up comedian named Dorcas who is not funny and ends her act by throwing her pantyhose into the audience. When a comic named Vic is strangled with a pair of pantyhose, Dorcas is the number one suspect. But there are lots of people who wanted Vic dead and Jaine sets out to find the murderer. The book is really funny and is a fast read. I enjoyed it.
L is for Lawless (Kinsey Millhone Mystery)
Another good Kinsey Millhone book. Kinsey does a favor for Henry and looks into a problem or a friend. She ends up on a plane to Dallas, stealing a maid’s uniform so she can sneak into a room, chased by a maniac who sets fire to the hotel, ends up in Kentucky with no money but she solves the mystery. I really enjoyed it.
 - Sue Grafton)
Delirium
Delirium is the story in which society does not allow people to love. At 18, they have an operation performed where they become “safe”. They are then paired and married. Love is considered a disease. Lena is a girl looking forward to her operation and being paired. Then she meets Alex and she falls in love. It started off slow but it got really good, really fast and I am looking forward to the next book.
Tippy-Toe Murder (Kensington mystery)
This is the 2nd in the Lucy Stone series. I love books in a series and I love “cozy” mysteries. So this was right up my alley. Lucy is pregnant with her 4th child. In the little city of Tinker’s Cove, Maine, there are two mysteries. Caroline Hutton, retired ballet teacher, disappears one morning while walking her dog. And who killed Morrill Slack? Lucy discovers the body when she goes to pick up her video camera, which just happens to be the murder weapon. A quick read and it was cute.
 - Leslie Meier)
Hunger
This is the second in the Gone series. It was really good. Life goes on in the FAYZ. Food is running out and kids are starving. They are also developing new powers. Some of the kids in Perdido Beach don’t like it and start a normal vs. powers division. Sam is losing it and Caine is coming back from his meeting with the Darkness. The Darkness is calling to some of the kids. Good book. Can’t wait to read the next one.
The Devotion of Suspect X: A Detective Galileo Novel
I received this book as an Advanced Readers Copy from Goodreads. Thanks, Goodreads. This book was very good. It is the story of Yasuko who is divorced and lives with her daughter. Her ex-husband finds her and begins to harass her and her daughter, Misato. After a struggle, he ends up dead on their floor. Next door neighbor, Ishigami, hears the commotion and helps her dispose of the body and gives her and her daughter specific instructions on what to do, say and behave when questioned by the police. Police detective, Kusanagi, enlists the help of a genius from the university, Dr. Yukawa. Yukawa went to school with Ishigami. Yukawa thinks Ishigami had something to do with the murder, but can’t put his finger on it. This book was very exciting and intriguing. Loved it.
The Fault in Our Stars
This book was excellent. It’s the story of Hazel, a teenager with stage IV thyroid cancer. She carts around an oxygen tank and loves a book called An Imperial Affliction. The two other main characters are Isaac, whose cancer causes him to become blind and Augustus, who has a prosthetic leg. Two of the characters embark on a journey to find out what happens at the end of the book. This book is one of the best books I have read this year. Loved it.
