Oh, Yeah! This is FINALLY Happening!

So yes.  After all the moaning I did about not finding Nevada Barr's Endangered Species (Anna Pigeon #5), in town, I just shut up and ordered it.  A Barnes & Noble 20% coupon was expiring in hours, and being a member, shipping is free.  Double NO-EXCUSE!

The excitement to continue Anna's murder-solving, park ranger adventures are continuing forward.

PS: My bemoaning recent post where I mention the series is HERE.

Me waiting on Thursday, 5/12:

Public Library Used Bookstore Hustle

While reading may be a little slow this week (spending over a week with a book that’s good, but can’t quite intercede the distractions that make up life), I’ve decided to stop over-browsing my public library’s used bookstore and actually buy something.  These two books (and many more left abandoned) have been in my hands throughout each of my visits there.  And both for good reason.

7 Mysteries/Series I Own But Haven’t Licked

Let’s get a couple of things out of the way first: the mystery genre is king of the serializing format.  Book after book.  Release after release.  Year after year.  We follow the misjudgments, drawbacks, and achievements of whatever leading star protagonist we’ve grown attached to.  Attached enough to carry us through book one to book... [insert your number here]. 

Some series are short-lived, and some are decades long.  Some series entries are strong, and some are weak.  In many cases, the author runs out of ideas and begins phoning in his or her stories.  But a few has consistent, formula-driven quality.  Whereas others hit-or-miss after about the fifth or tenth book.  Then there’s cases where an author loses some of his or her audience completely.  Whether it’s by pulling the trigger on loaded opinions, expressed through characters.  Or increasing the vulgarity behind plotted sex and/or crime.  Or–the worse offense–implanting shock factor techniques instead of fleshing out a plausible story.  You refer whatever occasion you've left an author's work for.  

Whether you chose to keep reading a series depends on your level of commitment to author and star.  And “commitment” is the operative theme of this post.

Recently–with so many books coming in–I struggled with what to read.  (Don’t you hate when you have plenty at your fingertips, yet feel you can’t define your mood enough to find which book will serve?)  I scanned my shelves and new-books pile reasoning with myself why this title may work versus this one.  I knew one of them needed to quell my reading thirst, especially with a thunderstorm coming into town.  Candles, books, the pattering rain and roiling thunder; a cozy reading session in manifested!

While I eventually found a book to read (Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon #4, Firestorm), I gaped at the number of mystery/thriller series I’ve abandoned to the shelves over the years.  Some are seven years within their abandonment.  And a few of the unreads I’m a little ashamed–given my love of the genre–to admit I've left to collect dust.  But where did all these books come from?  Who recommended them?  How old was I when I bought them?  And why did I abandon them in the hopes of retreating to them later, at a more desperate date in the future?

That’s what I want to ask and explore in this post.  For those who’ve read any of these books/series, please provide me validity for my issues at hand.  Or express how important it is to keep going.

1.  Robert B. Parker’s Family Honor

First in Parker’s Sunny Randall private-eye series, Family Honor has all the ingredients of the genre I love.  You know, a female detective doing her thing piecing together a murder conspiracy.  Yet, the unfortunate draw is I never finished the book.  It’s been years since I picked it up, so I can’t pinpoint why I bailed on Sunny’s debut more than halfway through.  But I have an idea, stirred by how certain memory imprints emerges after visual cues.  See while Parker is one of the kings of this genre, he left me unfulfilled.  But why?  Parker's the master of dialogue, right?  Well, it's his tool to swiftly get his scenes, narrative, and plot points in motion.  But maybe it was too much for me, whisking through Family Honor at top speed.  So while I can’t really compare the two, Family Honor read like a better written and somber Stephanie Plumb novel.  So fast-paced I never anchored to Sunny Randall herself.  Still, I’ve held on to the book for another attempt.  Though years later at this point.

2.  Joanne Fluke’s Chocolate Chip Murder

This is an unread debut stuffed inside my shelf for years (I’m thinking 2009).  Chocolate Chip Murder is first in Fluke’s Hannah Swensen cozy mystery series.  An obvious cozy mystery series themed around sweets and baked goods.  Yet, no matter how insanely popular this series is, I’ve yet to crack open my copy of the first book.  I have no explanation why, but I think it has a lot to do with its formatting.  Silly, I know.  But the print is so small and the book is so thick, with the extra short story and recipes.  So every time I pick it up I feel like it’s a high fantasy novel-level read, camouflaged as a cozy.  Weird, I know.  I’m a walking contradiction sometimes.  Big book.  Little book.  Big words.  Little words.  More details.  Less details.  It goes on.  Or maybe I'm just never in the mood.

3.  Greg Iles’ The Quiet Game

Eh.  So we know I don’t really sprint for leading male protagonist to serve my crime fiction.  On the occasion, maybe.  The Quiet Game came into my possession through the influence of a volunteer working my public library’s used bookstore.  At first she pushed me a copy of Greg Iles’ book, 24 Hours.  You know, as she raved about how amazing it was.  Sold by her enthusiasm, I took 24 Hours as she slipped me a copy of The Quiet Game to boot.  They were a dollar, so I didn’t really fuss.  And, fact is, once I cracked open the copy of 24 Hours, I read it in one sitting.  That’s how glued I was.  The book was a thrill ride you’d hate to put down.  Unfortunately, the same uhmph hasn’t quite caught up with The Quiet Game.  I can blame the thickness of the book.  I could say those 400+ pages to wallow through with Penn Cage (I’m sure he’s a great protagonist) in lead holds me back.  A number of excuses will do.  Yet at the end of the day, I’ve held on to my copy all the same.  One day.  Just one day I’ll get to it.  Who knows.  Maybe I’ll get hooked and engorge myself on the entire series.

4.  Frankie Y. Bailey’s Death’s Favorite Child

I've got an idea why I haven’t read this book after five years.  Why?  Because it’s not first in the Lizzie Stuart series.  I later learned A Dead Man’s Honor is the proper debut of this sleuth’s adventures.  Naturally drawn to a series with an African American female lead and writer; Death's Favorite Child is an easy necessary regardless of its position.  It just sucks I haven’t went back to correct my mistake by ordering the first book in the series.  You know.  OCD fully functioning and all.

5.  Eleanor Tayler Bland’s Whispers in the Dark

My most pitiful and shameful confession arrives with my stalling Bland’s Marti MacAlister series with book nine.  I was on a roll with MacAlister through 2012-2013.  Then I got to the ninth book.  Here, Bland took my favorite black female cop through the city and into the islands for two different plot lines.  One plot focused on MacAlister's profession, the other on a friend’s personal life.  There was just something about this book that drought'ed my thirst.  Well, my thirst for this specific chapter in the series.  So my resounding solution is to forget about this entry and move on to the next.  There aren’t enough Marti MacAlisters or Eleanor Taylor Blands out there for either to be forgotten.  And I still got five more books in the series to go.  Count me in still!

6.  Patricia Cornwell’s Southern Cross

Cornwell started writing this new third-person series before she took her famed forensic pathologist, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, out of the first person narrative and into third.  The changes in POV were experimental you could say.  But when that switch reached Scarpetta, it brought a string of books most dedicated readers cringed over.  Well, the same cringe can kind of apply for Cornwell’s Andy Brazil series–the original guinea pig of her expanding her writing chops.  As show above, Southern Cross is second in the Andy Brazil series.  (Somehow I made it through the maze of the first book, Hornet’s Nest.)  There’s only so much I say about Southern Cross.  Besides how crazy and directionless it felt.  For whatever reason, I feel almost obligated to take all three of the Andy Brazil books down.  “Down” as in swallow, but not "eject."  Nonetheless, I only got a quarter through Southern Cross when I realized it was a going to be a difficult test of my patience.  Something about digital fish swimming over a computer monitor's screen froze me out of the game.  I haven’t been back since the summer of 2011.

7.  Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs

No explanation needed.  Only bask in my shame as I unveil the biggest misstep in my crime fiction reading career.  That’s right.  The first Temperance Brennan novel has sat unread on my shelf for close to six years now.  A hot ass mess indeed.  I pick it up year after year, but can never seem to get pass the first chapter.  So I set it aside and save it for the following year.  It’s pitiful.  It’s a shame.  You’d think I'd glutton my way through a series revolving around a female forensics anthropologist.  But I haven’t.  Those are the sad facts.

Well that’s it, guys.  My list of shameful owned but unreads mysteries/series is complete.  Give a guy a round of applause for admitting some of these faults!

Sisters Doing It For Themselves | The Female Mystery Lead Haul

Remember that Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin song “Sisters Are Doin’ it for Themselves”?  Good if you do.  Because I believe it's a suitable theme song for my recent book haul.  A haul where I unintentionally visited three different bookstores in an afternoon, led mostly by divine inspiration.  I know how "divine inspiration" sounds.  But what else describes visiting one bookstore and–in passing–somehow three-point turn your way to stop by another?  Just because it was there to catch your eye.  In lunch hour traffic.  Imagine.  So while everyone else was lined up at Chick-Fil-A's drive-thru, some of us were chewing on organic brownie bars and throwing down at the local bookstores.  It had to be done. 

So I attribute the song to this collection of recent purchases–because they’re mysteries carried by women leads.  You know, just about the only gender class in mysteries I raise up to read about.  I mean, a time or two I’ll give the guys a chance.  It’s just male characters in this genre seem so outmoded.  Or, for the sake of sounding redundant, passé.  In the future I may have to eat my words.  Still, unless the male character is gay, I’m less likely to find genuine interest in his story.  And, subsequently, the investigation.  And true there are self-published Kindle books nowadays with a gay male solving crime.  I just need to do a little more research to find good ones.  You know, because the book still has to tell a great story at the end of the day.  But on the general tip: I need a good, kick-ass female to pull me through a mystery.

So with the chatter bucket out of the way, I’m here to share four new crime novels centered on the female sleuth.  As well as a lot of deserts in Arizona...

Firestorm by Nevada Barr (Anna Pigeon #4)

First there's Firestorm, book #4 in Nevada Barr's park ranger extraordinaire Anna Pigeon series.  This is one of those books–after reading book three–I legworked used bookstores for months to find.  Not until I went over the mountains to a Barnes & Noble did a copy surface (I finally found a used copy later the same day.  The irony.).  

Nevertheless, my experience with Anna Pigeon’s debut, Track of the Cat, was everything.  Here was this flawed, borderline alcoholic who remade her life after losing her husband in a freak accident.  So in a stretch of parallels, she took herself out of the concrete jungles of New York and into Texas back country as a park ranger.  However, the Texas back country is only her first locale.  In proceeding books, Anna's new career takes her to a variety of other National Parks.  So her surroundings are always fresh to her and the reader.  As well as the murders she finds herself wrapped up in.  After the first book, Barr's blend of National Park studies and murder ticketed me for Anna's line of adventures without further convincing.

Unfortunately, the following two books, Superior Death and Ill Wind, sold me lukewarm feelings.  I was still grinding on the Anna train; I just wasn’t there completely after those reads.  Regardless, I knew I wanted to dedicate myself to this series, and have since kept an eye out for Firestorm.

In Firestorm, Anna's stationed at the California Lassen Volcanic National Park.  Sounds pretty cool, right?  Until a forest fire erupts, leaving Anna to confront it.  

Within the blazing chaos, two men are found dead.  One a victim of the fire.  The other stabbed in the back.  The kicker: a winter storm is descending on the park, leaving the remaining ten forest fire survivors stranded.  That’s Anna, eight other people, and one killer in the mix.  Anna’ll have his (or her) ass for sure.  And I must say, I feel like Firestorm will breath another life into the series.  One in which I have no intentions of giving up until I see Anna through to the end, anyway.  Her story and adventures are too unique to pass up.

#MarchMysteryMadness | Challenge #7: The Baggage Claims

2015 saw no indulgence in the late Elizabeth Peters' infamous Amelia Peabody Egypt-romping mysteries.  A mild disappointment for an even better savory return.  You see, I was a little disheartened when I wrapped up Peters’ Jacqueline Kirby series last year (Naked No More post).  And I unsuccessfully turned over three bookstores for the first book in Peters' Vicky Bliss series–to fill Kirby's void.  And yet I’ve–for whatever reason–neglected Amelia Peabody all the while.  That's kind of bad when it was her character who got me into Peters' writing in the first place.  

If I confused someone, Peters wrote three individual series with three different female protagonists.  And each with an equally independent background.  And it’s the background these women peruse to solve their given mysteries.

Ex-librarian, Jacqueline Kirby, chain-smokes while delivering "innocent" snarks.  Yet, she has an observational majesty like no other.  Sometimes, I believe she knew the given culprit before the first page of her four adventures.

Vicky Bliss–from my researched understanding–is an eccentric blond who often isn’t taken seriously.  Until one takes into account her doctorate; she’s an art historian.  (I have yet to experience her character and how she performs in a mystery.  INSERT SAD FACE HERE.)

Then there’s Amelia Peabody, Peters’ most popular lead and long-standing series star.  Coming from an esteemed and wealthy Victorian family, Peabody is the sole heir to her deceased father’s fortune.  She uses her inheritance to flip between the high falutin Victorian life and hollow Egyptian tombs.  Her passions lie in Egyptology, and she's the first to let the reader know all about her study.

So what do these three women of Peters’ have in common?  I mean, besides intelligence and the self-appointed credence to attach themselves to solving murders?  What makes a reader craze each of their individual stories?  

It’s their dry wit and humor, wrapped in murders and history.  But let's picture "dry wit" so I can give an idea of what anyone new to Peters' work could look forward to.  So, you ever criticize someone and have that individual laugh at the criticism because it goes far above his or her head to recognize the verbal stab?  That's one display of dry wit.  Or have you ever slashed someone with sarcasm which slipped out as if it was a joke?  Only... you weren't really joking.  That's another.  Or, to just get down to the nitty-gritty, do you THROW SHADE without flinching?

Now granted–as I said–I haven’t read any of the Vicky Bliss mysteries.  However, I know Elizabeth Peters and I know why I love reading her books.  It’s because she writes these type of women characters; witty, strong-willed, hyper-intelligent, and courageous.

And that’s what I miss.  So I'm taking Challenge #7 to get back into Peabody’s humorous adventures.  Picking up where I left off with the third book in her series, The Mummy Case.

Mystery Madness
2 members 2016 March Mystery Madness Challenge Group. More details to follow.

Books we've read

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I'm So Excited | Ruth Pointer & Da Chen READS

"Still So Excited!: My Life in the Pointer Sisters offers an engaging, funny, heartbreaking, and poignant look at Ruth Pointer’s roller-coaster life in and out of the Pointer Sisters. When overnight success came to the Pointer Sisters in 1973, they all thought it was the answer to their long-held prayers. While it may have served as an introduction to the good life, it also was an introduction to the high life of limos, champagne, white glove treatment, and mountains of cocaine that were the norm in the high-flying '70s and '80s. Ruth Pointer’s devastating addictions took her to the brink of death in 1984. Ruth Pointer has bounced back to live a drug- and alcohol-free life for the past 30 years and she shares how in her first biography. Readers will learn about the Pointer Sisters’ humble beginnings, musical apprenticeship, stratospheric success, miraculous comeback, and the melodic sound that captured the hearts of millions of music fans. They will also come to understand the five most important elements in Ruth’s story: faith, family, fortitude, fame, and forgiveness."

~ Synopsis from Goodreads

I’m so excited.  And how appropriate for this book-receiving occasion.  First I want to bitch about how I missed singer, Ruth Pointer, releasing her autobiography in February.  Where was I!  Where!  As a strong supporter and fan of her band, The Pointer Sisters, I’m disappointed in myself.  Especially seeing how she was my favorite vocalist in the group.  She had (well, still has) that smoky, contralto voice that just throws me over.  Not familiar with it?  I’ll leave a Youtube video of the group’s song “Automatic”.  Ruth sings lead as she pulls you into the cosmic bliss of her voice.  Now let me disclaimer my enthusiasm by stating how all the sisters’ voices were different, and added something magical to their music.  Especially if you sit back and catch their three-part (at one point four) harmonies.  Which are absolutely amazing, especially for listeners like myself who love to active the conscious to pay attention to back vocals and such. Still, I suppose I’m just bias because I live for a female singer who can master the lower registers.  Maybe because it's so unique for female singers.  That dark, rich contralto tone is why Brandy (who actually shifts) is my favorite artist of my specific generation.  Ruth was definitely my favorite during her time.  Which of course the concept of "time" in music is moot.

Anyway, so yes.  Ruth was my favorite Pointer.  Going by the synopsis of her autobiography, I’m taken aback by what she’s willing to reveal.  Well, to be accurate, her story.  Now I'm familiar with her baby sister June’s drug addiction, as well as June's passing in 2006.  (From what I've read so far, Ruth's autobiography takes a brief moment to address the tragedy June faced which led to her later struggles.)  But I always saw Ruth, the eldest sister, as the responsible and forthright sister.  An illusion we tend to give any of our eldest siblings.  I myself being one.  Even so, she was in the same mess as June–using drugs and alcohol to cope with her own demons.  On the other hand, the use of drugs and alcohol were almost par for the course, given the 70's and 80's when the group took off.  Either way Ruth is revealing her struggle with addition and rise in the music industry, but with so much more in the vein of inspiration in Still So Excited!

FYI: Let me gush for a split-second and mention how my absolute favorite Pointer Sister song is "If You Wanna Get Back Your Lady."  Pure damn gold!  Do yourself a favor and familiarize yourself with the song.

"When Samuel Pickens’ great love tragically loses her life, Samuel travels the globe, Annabelle always on his mind. Eventually, he comes face to face with the mirror image of his obsession in the last place he would expect, and must discover her secrets and decide how far he will go for a woman he loves. 

Da Chen immerses the reader in the world of the Chinese imperial palace, filled with ghosts and grief, where bewitching concubines, treacherous eunuchs, and fierce warlords battle for supremacy. Da takes us deeply into an epic saga of 19th century China, where one man searches for his destiny and a forbidden love."

~ Synopsis taken from Goodreads

Let me tell you.  Anytime I go to the Dollar Tree/General/Store, I make a move for the book section.  It’s usually a mess in the area, but I enjoy hunting for something new to read for a single dollar.  And that’s just what I found with Da Chen’s My Last Empress. 

I read Da Chen’s book, Brothers, back in 2006.  Considering it’s been awhile, all I can say is I liked the book okay.  Hard for me to remember the exact details other than two brothers in China separated at birth.  One got the privileged life, the other got a bad deal.  The twist is they both fell in love with the same girl.  Then I forgot the rest.

But no, the author’s name still sticks with me.  Which is why I grabbed this copy of My Last Empress out of an avalanche of Sudoku puzzles and paperback Westerns.  Dish washer liquid in hand, I pumped on to the register in delight.

Spring Cleaning Sale | Behind the Books on the Bookself

Spring Cleaning!  Something I need to do more often than just in spring.  No, seriously, I’ve got to get rid of some of this stuff.  It was nagging at me to reach behind the books on my shelves and grab the forgotten treasures stashed in the shadows.  DVDs.  Boxsets.  Video games.  Even a PC gaming controller that’s never been opened!  What the hell could I do with any of this stuff?  Other than throw the SOB’s onto Amazon Marketplace and see if they’ll sell their way out of my door!  Everything in the above image isn’t listed yet (when did Amazon get a limited posting policy on media items?).  Even so, if anyone’s interested, you can visit my Amazon Marketplace store to see what’s there.  Meanwhile, I have to get a rag and start dusting elsewhere.  I need some serious book space, I would attribute the rise in digital streaming to the lack of necessity for actual movie/TV show discs.

Yet.  Books will always be.  There must always be room for books!

#MarchMysteryMadness TBR (Video)

*****T H E C H A L L E N G E S & B O O K S*****

My TBR (all links are Amazon affiliate) mixed with written reviews of related material:

1.  The Food/Craft/Hobby Cozy ~ I chose is Susan Wittig Albert's Witches' Bane (Book 2 in her China Bayles series).

2.  The Person of Color in Lead ~ I chose Blanche Among the Talented Tenth by Barbara Neely (Book 2 in her Blanche White series).

3.  The Christie/Poe Complex ~ I'm going with Poe again.

4.  The Rule of True Crime ~  I'm going with the queen of True Crime, Ann Rule.

5.  The Syndicating Spell-Caster ~  Madelyn Alt sounds good for me with the 4th book in her Bewitching Series, No Rest for the Wiccan.

6.  The Whispering Pet Whisper ~  My girl Rita Mae Brown is at it again.  I'm taking her on with the first book in her Mag Rogers series, A Nose for Justice. 

7.  The Baggage Claims ~  Oh how I love Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series.  It's about time I got to the 3rd book in her series, The Mummy Case.  

8.  The Not-So Kid Gloves Sleuth ~ Going with Nancy Drew on this one 

#MarchMysteryMadness: The Preparation Book Haul

I’ve been a Barnes and Noble member for years and recently found the benefit of using the member card online.  FREE SHIPPING!  Where have I been?  (Oh, I’ve been on Amazon where they upped their free shipping price margin.)  Nonetheless, with #MarchMysteryMadness coming up, I needed to stock books to fulfill the upcoming mystery reading challenges.  So those, and some books I've collected from a couple of used bookstores, are featured in this haul post.  Many are from familiar series I plan on tackling #MarchMysteryMadness with–furthering my excitement for the challenges next month.

1.       Finally got a copy of Burn Marks.  It's book six in Sara Paresky’s V. I. Warshawski private-eye, hard-boiled series.  Now I’ve passed this particular 3rd edition hardback many times at the used bookstore.  Until now.  It’s right where I’m at with the series, so I went ahead and grabbed it.  The book is in great condition.  For a 1990’s release, the pages are super clean and crisp.  All that aside, this one has got to be a winning chapter in the Warshawski series.  You see, another one of Warshawski’s distant relatives is coming back in the picture.  And she's all set to hire her niece to solve a murder.  (For more on my Sara Paretsky reviews, see the LABELS at the bottom of the post.)

The other three books will feature on my #MarchMysteryMadness TBR video...

2.      A Fever in the Heart and Other True Cases by Ann Rule

3.      The Secret of the Old Clock/The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene

4.      Blanche Among the Talented Tenth by Barbara Neely.  Blanche is back!  I've had the third book since forever, but since I have to read a series in order, it has sat on my shelf awaiting book two.  Until now!  A black, domestic housekeeper solving murders makes a boy's dreams come true! (Visit Barbara Neely LABEL below for my thoughts on the first book in the series.)

5.       I Am Half-Sick of Shadows, book four in Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce series.  YAY! It's finally in my hands!  Bookstore after bookstore I’ve searched, after reading The Red Herring Without Mustard [book three].  Actually, I would have to drive over the mountain to another Barnes & Noble in the valley to get a copy of this book.  Though I couldn’t see myself attempting so with a recently replaced crankshaft, and a cracked axle boot.  I feared my car wouldn’t pull the hill.  So I’ve ordered the book instead and can’t wait to continue with Flavia and her murder-solving mischief.  (For those unsure of what I’m even talking about, click the Alan Bradley LABEL below for all things de Luce.)

6.      The Goldfinch by Donna Tart.  Always, always wanted to give this book a go.  With all the acclaim and praise, it slammed onto my reading radar.  I was curious, and finally found this crisp copy for $4 at my public library’s bookstore.  With it in hand, I drew the attention of a staff member who stopped to gloat her love/hate relationship with the book.  This, naturally, fueled my excitement.

7.      No Rest for the Wiccan.  Another “I been to bookstore after bookstore” book.  Book four in Madelyn Alt’s Bewitching Mystery series required an online order as well.  I have a soft spot for this cozy mystery series about a witch solving local murders.  But I’ll digress for now.  (Click the Madelyn Alt LABEL for my thoughts on the previous book.)

8.      Two copies of Susan Wittig Albert’s China Bayles cozies.  That’s entry two [Witches’ Bane] and three [Hangman’s Root].  I’ve craved these hard-to-finds after discovering the first book while browsing the used bookstore.  And loved it.  (For my thoughts on the first book, click the Susan Wittig Albert LABEL below.)

Well, that’s it guys.  I’ve been hauling the hell out of books so far this year–and can’t wait to get into them all.  I have a copy of Buffy Season 10: Old Demons on the way also.  And in an attempt to use my Kindle more, I ordered/downloaded Marcia Muller’s Ask the Cards a Question.  It's book two in Muller’s Sharon McCone series.

So basically I’m back in my reading playground.  Cozies.  Female sleuths.  And murders.  With a splash of literature on the side.  Anyway, happy reading and all that jazz!

#MarchMysteryMadness Challenge List

Goodreads Group: March Mystery Madness

(#MarchMysteryMadness)

*Challenges*

~~~~~ The Food/Craft/Hobby Cozy~~~~~

1.       “It wasn’t the way that Hannah preferred to attract new clientele, but she had to admit that finding Ron’s body had been good for business.  The Cookie Jar was jam-packed with customers.  Some of them were even standing while they munched their cookies, and every one of them wanted her opinion on what happened to Ron LasSalle.”

~ Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Everybody has a craft–a hobby.  Whether it’s baking sugar cookies or crocheting Forget-Me-Not dollies.  Maybe even culturing herbs for organic dishes.  Or are you into nature photography and are a dedicated bibliophile?  Now imagine engaging with your day-to-day passions when a body suddenly crosses your path.  What would you do?  Do you have what it takes to balance your craft with solving murders?  Explore the possibilities by reading a cozy mystery with a food/craft/hobby theme.

~~~~~ The Get Christie Love Lead~~~~~

2.       “Finally, after all my procrastinating and avoiding Bessie’s calls, I was able to put the finishing touches on my report, explaining exactly how I had spent her money (I didn’t include the manicure), apologizing for what I hadn’t been able to find out, but pointing out that her involvement may have sparked the cops’ renewed interest in the case.  I included the name of the lawyer that Jake had given me as well as the contact for the program for Rayshawn.  I also warned her in strong language that Rayshawn had been on the verge of committing a serious felony and had some serious problems that had to be dealt with, and if she and Viola didn’t make sure he got help, I’d be forced to go to the authorities with information that would result in his arrest.”

~ No Hiding Place by Valerie Wilson Wesley

Find and follow your inner Christie Love and Foxy Brown.  Read a mystery/crime fiction novel powered by an African (-American) female sleuth.  Or, from Tokyo to Seoul.  Shanghai to Kolkata.  Or even New York to Los Angles.  Read a mystery/crime fiction novel featuring a sleuth with an Eastern perspective on matters.  (In general, a book featuring a person of color taking lead.)

~~~~~ The Christie/Poe Complex~~~~~

3.      “I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat.”

~Edgar Allan Poe

“Dogs are wise. They crawl away into a quiet corner and lick their wounds and do not rejoin the world until they are whole once more.”

~ Agatha Christie

Did you know Edgar Allan Poe did mystery and crime fiction before mystery and crime fiction were even a thing?  Let’s face it; he’s the godfather of the genre.  He’s the seed to this entire challenge.  Therefore, your challenge is simple: indulge in one or all three of Poe’s mystery shorts…

A.     The Murders in the Rue Morgue

B.     The Mystery of Marie Roget

C.     The Purloined Letter

Or how about the matriarch of mystery and crime fiction, Agatha Christie?

#ReadSoulLit Jubilee by Margaret Walker

QUICK.  Get on Twitter and Youtube and search #ReadSoulLit!  You may be asking what does that mean–outside of its obvious nature.  However, as a quick explanation, many Booktubers are reading Jubliee by Margaret Walker during February.  For Black History Month of course!  I'll link to Booktuber, Frenchie at Brown Girl Reading's, video on the project HERE.  As for myself, I recently got my copy of the book.  I'm behind on the reading, but still wanted to share for those reading this post who would like to jump on board and participate.  That is all…

Jubilee by Margaret Walker

"Here is the classic--and true--story of Vyry, the child of a white plantation owner and his black mistress, a Southern Civil War heroine to rival Scarlett O'Hara. Vyry bears witness to the South's prewar opulence and its brutality, to its wartime ruin and the subsequent promise of Reconstruction. It is a story that Margaret Walker heard as a child from her grandmother, the real Vyry's daughter. The author spent thirty years researching the novel so that the world might know the intelligent, strong, and brave black woman called Vyry. The phenomenal acclaim this best-selling book has achieved from readers black and white, young and old, attests to her success."

~ Synopsis from Amazon.com 

A Lovely–AND Early–Surprise

Should I feel guilty for buying a copy of J. D. Robb's latest In Death book, Brotherhood in Death, early?  Hell, no.  I doubt my early contribution will stop her from stomping the New York Times Bestseller list.  So here I am, with Tuesday's (2/2/2016) release of Brotherhood in Death already in my hands.  Thanks to which employee works at my local Kroger's.  Cheers.  And keep up the "good" and "persistent" work.

Summary of Brotherhood in Death via Amazon:

Sometimes brotherhood can be another word for conspiracy. . .  

Dennis Mira just had two unpleasant surprises. First he learned that his cousin Edward was secretly meeting with a real estate agent about their late grandfather’s magnificent West Village brownstone, despite the promise they both made to keep it in the family. Then, when he went to the house to confront Edward about it, he got a blunt object to the back of the head. 

Luckily Dennis is married to Charlotte Mira, the NYPSD’s top profiler and a good friend of Lieutenant Eve Dallas. When the two arrive on the scene, he explains that the last thing he saw was Edward in a chair, bruised and bloody. When he came to, his cousin was gone. With the mess cleaned up and the security disks removed, there’s nothing left behind but a few traces for forensics to analyze. 

As a former lawyer, judge, and senator, Edward Mira mingled with the elite and crossed paths with criminals, making enemies on a regular basis. Like so many politicians, he also made some very close friends behind closed—and locked—doors. But a badge and a billionaire husband can get you into places others can’t go, and Eve intends to shine some light on the dirty deals and dark motives behind the disappearance of a powerful man, the family discord over a multimillion-dollar piece of real estate . . . and a new case that no one saw coming.

 A great treat to end January and START February...

He Wants the B(OOKS)! Book Haul Video

BOOKS MENTIONED (Amazon Affiliate Links)

1.  Leslie by Omar Tyree: http://amzn.to/1VffoDe

2.  Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler: http://amzn.to/1PtIQ46

3.  Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs: http://amzn.to/1Vffr26

4.  No Longer a Slumdog: Bringing Hope to Children in Crisis by K. P. Yohannan: http://amzn.to/1Saw7bJ

5.  Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan by Herbert P. Bix: http://amzn.to/1PtJ9vV

6.  China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan: http://amzn.to/1PtJfn2

7.  The Train Now Departing by Martha Grimes: http://amzn.to/1PtJhLD

~~~~~CHANNELS MENTIONED~~~~~

1.  FreeFormLady [Leslie]: https://www.youtube.com/user/LadyTee315

2.  Musical Tait [Parable of the Talents]: https://www.youtube.com/user/MusicalTati

3.  Dale LaRose [Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl]: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpZqzK8iuRiVkY5PQtDKxTw

4.  Yesmissjane [China Rich Girlfriend]: https://www.youtube.com/user/yesmissjane

2016 Goodreads Challenge GOALS... Err... Maybe Not

First, I gotta wonder how long I’ll be able to keep this “joke” up.  Because I’m always changing my mind about something.  Secondly, of course I’ll never stop a year reading only 17 books.  I'm not that HIGH!

What’s up, visitors/friends/neighbors/etc?  I’d like to share what I set myself up for in 2016, about Goodreads' yearly book consumption challenge.  Now I know reading and keeping track of your finished books is not a big deal to some.  But, personally, I like keeping track.  It speaks to the OCD and book lover nature in me.  The Goodreads' platform containing various thumbnail images of my book conquests puts a touch of joy in my bookworm spirit.  Or something like that.  Anyway, unfortunately, I think I got a little too OCD and personal with my reading last year.  Last year what should’ve been a relaxed stroll through books turned slightly into a grind-feast.  And it had a lot to do with increased work hours and just general personal life distractions.

You know how it goes.

So I played around with the thought of just skipping out on the challenge this year.  I told myself I was going to let it go and take my time reading.  But that’s just no damn fun to me!  I love a challenge.  I love being a witness to progress.  Hell, I love books and the hours I spend soaked in them.

So I decided to soup up my favorite number–17–and stick it in the blank box as my goal.  That’s it.  17.  From 2015’s 60 to only 17.  That number will eventually morph and transform into something bigger.  But only after I’ve hit it.

Now on to fill in the goal!

So what's your 2016 Goodreads reading goals?  What number do you have in mind?

4 Ways To Start Your New Year

Let’s try to talk about New Year’s Resolutions once more.  Actually, let’s not.  Commitments, obligations, and resolutions just ain’t my thing.  Something about the three breed my tendency to over-think.  Over-strategize.  Get stuck in achieving a goal that needs a relaxed and elastic approach.  So I prefer keeping things simple.  Really, you have to sometimes.  Simplicity opens you up to many possibilities for generating the changes you seek.  And with only so many psychological burdens to get in the way when you decide to let go of the "wheel."  Or one could hope, anyway.

Personally, I think I stand in a prayer for evolving answers for each year–which a general direction in mind.  So any resolutions surround walking the new year in faith.  Coupled with taking action on inspired thoughts along the way.  And by inspired thoughts I mean those moments when an exciting idea hits you.  When the Universe/God is calling you to take some kind of action.  Some kind of execution of an idea you trust will keep you on your blossoming path.  Even the smallest of daily actions lead to big changes.  You just have to execute and let the Universe/God do the rest of the work with the space you’ve provided.  Yet, it’s important not to find ourselves stuck in the end-goal.  But still uphold the necessity of perseverance.

And that’s why I wanted to write a post on some positive ideas and tools you can use to help usher in your New Year.  It’s not necessarily a list.  It’s not necessarily an action plan.  Just… some ideas.

It's Okay to Self-Help

Don't be afraid to get to know yourself through self-help and personal transformation books.  I’ve found they can do a world of wonder for a discouraged or troubled spirit who needs a little reassurance and self-actualization.  Believe me on this.  There are moments when I open up A Course in Miracles for a quick passage, and immediately find relief in its lucidity.  Over the years, I've found many inner and outer conflicts come into perspective instantaneously through this book.  So I keep it next to my bed like some sort of cognitive-steering emergency pill.

And that's why it irritates me when people sort of disdain or rebut the validity of self-help books.  Or activate the ever present stigma how these books are “useless” or “for the pathetic soul.”  Okay, okay.  That was a bit of an exaggeration.  Nonetheless, my immediate thought for the naysayers is they just haven't found the right book for themselves yet.  Either that or lack the patience to explore any given book's methods for creating positive life changes.

Taking the time to work on yourself gives you permission to be who you long to be in this world.  The time you take to look inside to find what does and doesn't work for your life is truly a gift to yourself.  Especially when you go through life carrying baggage (we all do) or a past you can’t let go of.  We live with so many thoughts, pains, and misconceptions generated from within and through forces outside.  Why not find some relief from them?  

I’ve gotten tons of perspectives and personal realizations by traveling through various self-help books.  It's a journey that will take all my life–and yours.  Learning and working on yourself takes work after all.  Work that’s worth it through each step, but never ends.

The six books in the image are ones I revisit (besides my favorite Louise Hay books) off and on over the years.  Nathaniel Branden’s Honoring the Self speaks about how self-esteem plays with our behavior and character.  Furthermore, how the two elements come about in our decision-making.  Wayne Dyer’s The Shift is about leaving the demands of the ego aside to reach our ambitions.  Something extremely difficult to do in world where everyone wants to feel present and accounted for.  Write It Down, Make It Happen by Henriette Anne Klauser needs more attention from me these days.  As the title suggests, writing your aspirations is the first step to achieving them.  And she’ll show you how.  The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer has been on my bedside for years.  I love the book because it’s about releasing limiting thoughts and inner aggravations.  Julia Cameron’s Walking in This World speaks about accessing creativity and, in turn, our life purpose.

I would throw a couple of Tony Robbins and Dale Carnegie in there as well.  Do you have a favorite self-help/transformation book you tote around or sleep next to?  Which is it and why do you love it?

Create a Vision Board

In August of 2011 I was watching The Secret for the umpteenth time when John Assaraf shared his vision board story.  Before I knew it I'd gathered my writing, lifestyle, traveling, and gaming magazines.  It took me no time to clip out images left and right.  Whichever image spoke to my vision, I glued them onto my own vision board then stuck the thing on the back of my door.

Now let’s be real, since then I’ve spent more time flying out the door with a glance at it.  And no, I can’t say anything from it has manifested.  But that’s all right.  It all takes time and, fact is, I’m on the road to each as closely as I write this sentence.  Nonetheless, at the end of the day, it’s a visual tool.  A reminder of two things: what I need and how far I’ve come along since its creation.

So that’s the next idea for the New Year.  Create yourself a vision board.  You don’t have to burden yourself studying it every day with a potato-fist’ed prayer.  Actually, I would suggest not doing that.  But instead put it somewhere out in the open for a simple glance here or there.  Or a minute or two lingering over it before taking an inspired action–which would get you closer to those desires.  Let your board act as a beacon.  A whistle.  A target.  A reset button after a long day in the world outside of your vision.  Or see it as a playground for the Universe/God to play in.  Because you don't always know how your vision will come to pass, only that it's coming and will often be a surprise.

Record Yourself!

Familiar with your computer’s Sound Recorder program?  Well, get familiar with it for a moment.  

My next idea is to suggest recording yourself speaking your desires, aspirations and wishes.  It’s sort of like the audio vision board–if you will.  However, record your message as if your vision has already happened.  I have about two recordings of myself doing such.  I keep them on my computer and cell phone.  I would listen to a recording at least once a day, usually on my way to work at five in the morning.  Before dawn, driving down the highway trying to get my mind prepped for the chaos I know I’ll escape one day.

You don’t need a fancy recording mic or anything.  Speak into your computer’s speakers.  Make one recording short for a burst of inspiration.  Make one long and meditative.  Just remind yourself through yourself of who you are and where you want to take this life you're given.

Record Life With a Journal

My last idea is to lead the New Year with a journal.  And yes, I’m showing a picture of one of my journals from my Zazzle shop.  It’s only right, considering I started blogging because I wanted to start a business selling journals.  Right?  Right?  (^_^)  Anyway, the idea to create journals hit me years ago when I was struggling to find a journal I liked, and would move me to write.  I didn’t want the usual Siamese or Pug journal cover.  Or the roses and wild flowers.  Seascapes and meadows–definitely a no.  So I created my own journals featuring my cast of cute (but crazy) imaginary friends.

I’ll freely admit blogging has gotten in the way of my journaling.  But just a touch.  Yet, hear me when I say it's one in itself.  Nevertheless, I can’t express the importance of journaling as a daily activity.  I’ve been journaling since the second semester of my senior year in high school.  So I have about six or seven notebooks filled with material and stories from my life.  Just imagine that for yourself for a moment.  Books.  Pages.  Filled with your life.  Your story.  Your character.  Your identity.  Your triumphs and mistakes.  All expressed, documented and accessible without conjuring up memories which one day may not be conjurable.

Give yourself life-long access to your journey.  Start 2016 writing your life down. 

_________________________________________

And that, ladies and gentleman, are my ideas for starting off the New Year.  Of course in whatever direction you wish to take the twelve months given.  There’s more out there to share, but four from me will suffice.  If you have any more to add, please place them in the comments section below.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!