Beer, Books and Boos

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace Price from his own funeral, Wallace suspects he really might be dead. Instead of leading him directly to the afterlife, the reaper takes him to a small village. On the outskirts, off the path through the woods, tucked between mountains, is a particular tea shop, run by a man named Hugo. Hugo is the tea shop's owner to locals and the ferryman to souls who need to cross over. But Wallace isn't ready to abandon the life he barely lived. With Hugo's help he finally starts to learn about all the things he missed in life. When the Manager, a curious and powerful being, arrives at the tea shop and gives Wallace one week to cross over, Wallace sets about living a lifetime in seven days. By turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, this absorbing tale of grief and hope is told with TJ Klune's signature warmth, humor, and extraordinary empathy. Review: I don't know how to put into words how much I loved this book and I read it at the perfec...

  The Hatmakers by Tamzin Merchant Series: N/A Rating: 4.0 Recommend: Yes Synopsis: Cordelia comes from a long line of magical milliners, who weave alchemy and enchantment into every hat. In Cordelia's world, Making - crafting items such as hats, cloaks, watches, boots and gloves from magical ingredients - is a rare and ancient skill, and only a few special Maker families remain. When Cordelia's father Prospero and his ship, the Jolly Bonnet, are lost at sea during a mission to collect hat ingredients, Cordelia is determined to find him. But Uncle Tiberius and Aunt Ariadne have no time to help the littlest Hatmaker, for an ancient rivalry between the Maker families is threatening to surface. Worse, someone seems to be using Maker magic to start a war. Review: This was the cutest and sweetest book I have read this year, it is perfect story about friendship and family. My niece would love this book and I will be buying this for her. Cordelia is a wonderful character and watchi...

What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo Series: N/A Rating:  4.5 Recommend:   Yes Synopsis: Eleanor has not seen or spoken with her family in years, not since they sent her away to Saint Brigid's boarding school. She knows them only as vague memories: her grandfather's tremendous fanged snout, the barrel full of water her mother always soaked in, and strange hunting trips in a dark wood with her sister and cousins. And she remembers the way they looked at her, like she was the freak. When Eleanor finally finds the courage to confront her family and return to their ancestral home on the rainy coast of Maine, she finds them already gathered in wait, seemingly ready to welcome her back with open arms. "I read this in the cards," her grandmother tells her. However, Grandma Persephone doesn't see all, for just as Eleanor is beginning to readjust to the life she always longed for, a strange and sudden death rocks the family, leaving Eleanor to manage this difficult new dynamic wit...

Lore by Alexandra Bracken Series: N/A Rating: 4.0 Recommend: Yes Synopsis: Her name will be legend Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality. Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world in the wake of her family's sadistic murder by a rival line, turning her back on the hunt's promises of eternal glory. For years she's pushed away any thought of revenge against the man--now a god--responsible for their deaths. Yet as the next hunt dawns over New York City, two participants seek out her help: Castor, a childhood friend of Lore believed long dead, and a gravely wounded Athena, among the last of the original gods. The goddess offers an alliance against their mutual enemy and, at last, a way for Lore to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore's decision to bind her fat...

The Adventures of a Victorian Con Woman by David Lassman and Mick Davis Series: N/A Rating: 3.0 Recommend: Yes Synopsis: The story of Mrs. Gordon Baillie is stranger than anything to be met with in the field of fiction.' Mrs. Gordon Baillie, known throughout her life as Annie, was born in the direst poverty in the small Scottish fishing town of Peterhead in 1848. Illegitimate and illiterate, her beauty and intelligence nevertheless enabled her to overcome her circumstances and become a charming and wealthy socialite living a life of luxury while raising money for worthy causes and charitable works. Behind her supposed perfect and contented life, however, lay one of the most notorious and compulsive swindlers of the Victorian Age. Her fraudulent fundraising and larger-than-life schemes played out across four decades and three continents, and involved land owners, crofters, aristocrats, politicians, bankers, socialist revolutionaries, operatic stars, and the cultural icons of the da...

  Serial Killers at the Movies by Christopher Berry-Dee Series: N/A Rating: 5.0 Recommend: Yes Synopsis: The depraved crimes of both real and imagined serial killers and mass murderers have long transfixed us in newspapers and books, but perhaps nowhere more so than on the big screen. Films such as Silence of the Lambs, Psycho, and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer have not only reached huge audiences, but also allowed us into the minds of society’s most disturbed individuals. Christopher Berry-Dee talks to the serial killers whose wicked stories have most thrilled and fascinated us at the movies and, through far-ranging and disturbing interviews, he tells the stories of the mass murderers who provided the inspiration for some of cinema’s most shocking films. Serial Killers at the Movies takes the reader on an uncomfortable and truly dark journey into a terrifying world of murder and deviancy. Review: This book brought my two loves together true crime and horror/slasher movies,...

  Death Bee Comes Her by Nancy CoCo Series: An Oregon Honeycomb Mystery   Rating: 5.0 Recommend:   Yes Synopsis : A BALMY WAY TO GO With her Let It Bee honey boutique buzzing along nicely, life is as sweet as nectar for Wren Johnson—until she takes a morning walk along the Pacific beach with her Havana Brown cat, Everett, and stumbles upon the body of Agnes Snow, the cranky queen of the local craft fairs, stiff as driftwood. More unfortunate? Clutched in the victim’s fist is a label from Wren’s homemade beeswax-and-honey lip balm. Which makes Officer Jim Hampton focus his dreamy-blue Paul Newman eyes on Wren as suspect number one. With fabulous feline support from Everett, Wren must comb the town for clues and clear her name before someone else gets stung. Review:   I loved this book and I need the second one now. I think Wren’s cat and Aunt were my favorite characters beside Wren herself. I am already picturing actors for the characters in this book. It had all my ...

  The Broken Spine by Dorothy St. James Series: Beloved Bookroom Mystery   Rating: 3.0 Recommend: Yes Synopsis: The first in an exciting new series featuring Trudell Becket, a spunky librarian who will stop at nothing to save her beloved books and catch a killer! Trudell Becket finds herself in a bind when her library is turned into a state-of-the-art bookless 'technological center'. A library with no books breaks Trudell's book-loving heart and she decides to rescue hundreds of beloved tomes slated for the recycle center. Under the cover of darkness, Trudell sets up a secret book room in the library's basement and opens it to her loyal patrons. When the town councilman, who was a vocal supporter of the library's transformation is crushed by an overturned shelf of DVDs, Trudell becomes the prime suspect. She was the only person in the library at the time of his murder, or so the police believe. But the visitors to Trudell's secret bookroom were actually all the...

  To Fetch a Felon by Jennifer Hawkins Series: A Chatty Corgi Mystery Series Rating:   ★★★ Recommend: Yes Goodreads Synopsis: A tea shop owner and her beloved corgi attempt to collar a criminal in the first entry of a charming new cozy mystery series set in a quaint British village. Emma Reed left London because she wanted to put her life in high finance behind her. Her dream is to open a small tea shop in an idyllic village in Cornwall, with its cobblestone streets and twisting byways. Emma plans to bake the recipes handed down to her from her beloved grandmother, and there'll be plenty of space for her talking corgi, Oliver, to explore. Yes...talking. Emma has always been able to understand Oliver, even though no one else can, and she's looking forward to plenty of quality time with her best canine buddy in the countryside. But when Emma arrives in the village she discovers that the curmudgeonly owner of her new building, Victoria, hates dogs and refuses to sell the buildin...

  One Poison Pie by Lynn Cahoon Series: Kitchen Witch Mysteries Rating: ★★★★★ Recommend: Yes Goodreads Synopsis: When Mia Malone’s grandmother asks her to take a week away from her restaurant job and come to Magic Springs, Idaho, she’s happy to oblige. Like Mia, Grans has witchcraft running through her veins, and life with her is never boring. Plus, the cause is a good one—helping Grans get the local food bank up and running again. But there’s an unappetizing surprise in store. While Mia is knee-deep in boxes of donated produce, she encounters the body of Dorian Alexander. Dorian was a warlock, leader of the local coven. He was also her Grans’ new beau. There’s no potion that’ll make this trouble disappear. But if Mia wants to keep her Grans—now a prime suspect—from serving a spell in prison, she’ll have to unearth the real killer fast. . . . Review: I did really enjoy this book but not really feeling any of the characters like I did with the short story. I will be continuing wi...

  Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco Series: Kingdom of the Wicked #1 Rating: ★★★ Recommend: Maybe Goodreads Synopsis: Two sisters. One brutal murder. A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself… And an intoxicating romance. Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe – witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family’s renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin…desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister’s killer and to seek vengeance at any cost-even if it means using dark magic that’s been long forbidden. Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked-princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia’s side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women’s murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems… Review: I enjoyed this boo...

  I really enjoyed this book and I couldn't put it down. The Vampire Motorcycle Club was great but I wish there was more about it. Now Bane was a good MC, he may have acted like he didn't have emotions but you could tell he cared about his 'family' and plus a few others (don't want to give too much away). I loved Ryan and she was a awesome MC. I loved how she handle everything and that she didn't give up. I will be telling all my vampire loving friends to pick up this book along with other books by Alyssa Day.

  “Cohoe transmutes the legend of the Philosopher's Stone into a dark, intoxicating tale of ambition, obsession, and sacrifice. Prepare for a magic that will consume you.” - Rosamund Hodge, New York Times bestselling author of Cruel Beauty and Bright Smoke, Cold Fire I want to start off by saying I am in love with this cover, it is what drew me to the book. Then I read the synopsis and it hooked me even more. Once I started reading I could hardly put it down but I do have to say that the main character Thea Hope was a little too arrogant for me. She did grow on me through out the book along with the others. I was fine with the pacing for the book and it kept me entertained, and it was easy to keep up with what was going on. Towards the end it started to feel a little rushed but it didn't take away much from the story. I just wish there was more, That is why I only gave it three stars, I will be picking up more from this author. I will also be recommending this to my friends cau...

  I could have finished this in a day cause I was loving it that much, but I did need to get some sleep. I loved loved Brooke Cerise and her antique store. I love antique shopping and this book was perfect for me. The characters had me laughing and making me feel like I was right there with them. I loved the chemistry between Brooke and Josh, it was believable even though they were wolves. The treasure hunt her great aunt created for her was wonderful and I loved how excited everyone got when they went hunting for the treasures. This has to be my favorite book by Brooke Cerise and it will be on I will probably I read over and over again. I will be buying this book as soon as it comes out. 

  I have to say Terry Spear is one of my favorite author and love her wolf series. Night of the Billionaire Wolf was a fun and fast pace book once I stay down to read. If you need a book to get your mind off the stresses then this is the book for you. Lexi Summerfield is a wonder character and I liked that she was the billionaire. You don't see that a lot in romance books and it was nice to see. Watching the stresses she had to deal with and how she stayed positive. I am also in love the Ryder Gallagher and I am glad he never strong-arm Lexi into anything. The secondary characters were great and I was glad to see familiar faces. Now I can't wait to buy the paperback when it comes out. Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

  The narration was very easy to follow along, though I did have some trouble keeping up with the characters at some points in the story. I do wish that I knew more about the world Soraya and why people acted the way they did. I just wished there was more and it was a little longer. I did really enjoy the characters even if I hated some. They made the story more interesting and I will be picking up a physical copy of this book very soon.

  I absolutely loved this book and I adore Lynn Cahoon. Her writing style kept me engaged with the story and the characters were easy to love. Mia and her grandmother had me in love from the start and they have me wanting to continues with this series. I can't wait until the full length books is out to get my hands on it.

  It was a fun read but the some of the characters did get on my nerves. I really couldn't stand Teddie's mother, she was into looks too much for me. What I did like was that Teddie was a strong woman and didn't let anyone push her around. The writing was fast pace and was good quick read. I will be picking up this book as soon as it comes out.

  I loved this book and the art work. I laughed out loud at some of the books in this. I am going to have to get a physical copy of this. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

  It took me about a week to finish this book, because I kept losing my interest. The author's writing wasn't bad, but I didn't really like the characters. I feel like I read the story before and felt the same. I do think this is good for people just getting into fantasy especially children 12 and younger. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.