Books Read August 2013

Cates, Bailey

• Bewitched, Bothered, and Biscotti 

Fiction.  Katie Lightfoot is still adjusting to the knowledge of being a hereditary witch, while she goes about her daily job at the family bakery.  She has a new romance with a gorgeous fireman, but that hits some bumps when the hunky newspaper reporter pops in and out of her life.  While on a picnic with her fireman, Katie receives a shock when they find a dead man hiding in the bushes.  The magickal mystery is off and running, as Katie tries to solve the murder in order to save her own skin.

Davidson, Diane Mott

• The Whole Enchilada 

Fiction.  Goldy is up to her knees in food as she gets ready to cater her son’s  and her son’s good friend’s birthday party to be held at her best friend’s mansion.  When the other boy’s mother arrives, she is acting strangely, and Goldy becomes quite concerned when a strange man crashes the party.  The evening doesn’t go quite as planned, and by the end of the night a murder has been committed.

Dereske, Jo

• Miss Zukas and the Library Murders 

Fiction.  First in the Miss Zukas series about a thirty-something uptight and rather prissy librarian who finds herself involved in a murder or two.  With the help of her zany artist sidekick, she’s not sure if she’s staying out of trouble or landing in the middle of it.

Dugan, Ellen 

• Practical Protection Magick

Non-fiction.  Wonderfully informative and easy-to-follow guide to psychic attacks and how to defend yourself against them.

Galenorn, Yasmine

• Night Vision 

Fiction.  Cicely must accept the crown of the Queen of Snow and Ice as part of her destiny, as her cousin, Rhiannon, wears the crown of the Queen of Rivers and Rushes.  Myst is still out to destroy them, Geoffrey and Leo are out to conquer them, and a new threat, the Blood Oracle, has been released and seeks one thing...to decimate Cicely.

Grafton, Sue

• Kinsey and Me 

Non-fiction and Fiction.  Part memoir and part short stories about Kinsey Milhone, Grafton shares a lot of herself in this book.

Graham, Heather

• Ghost Shadow 

Fiction.  A centuries-old curse comes alive and is played out among descendants of the founding families of Key West.  A murder committed ten years ago is replayed, and the key suspect in this murder is the same as in the one a decade ago.  Love lost and love found, ghosts and pirates all come together to solve this mystery and stop the curse.

Gregory, Philippa

• The Red Queen 

Fiction.  Fictionalized account of the matriarch of the Tudor family, Margaret Beaufort, whose faith in God and in herself (perhaps before God), changed the history of England and placed her son, Henry Tudor, on the throne.

Hamilton, Lyn

• The Xibalba Murders 

Fiction.  Lara McLintoch answers her old friend’s call to fly to Mexico and help him with a project, however when she arrives, she lands in the midst of a centuries-old myth and a modern-day murder.

James, Miranda 

• File M for Murder 

Fiction.  Charlie and Diesel find themselves involved in another murder, as a visiting playwright is found dead, and Charlie’s own daughter, Laura, is a prime suspect.  A decade-sold mystery rears its head, and Charlie and his family needs to find out who the killer is before there is another death.

Koontz, Dean

• Shadow Fires 

Fiction.  Fast-paced story about life, death and genetic alteration.  Where do we stop playing with nature?  A woman about to divorce her husband sees him suddenly killed by a garbage truck while trying to cross a busy street.  A cold terror begins to fill her.  That night she gets a call that she’s been dreading.  His body has been stolen from the morgue.

Smith, Melissa A.

• Jealousy’s Rage

Fiction.  A hunter from Atlantis has one year to find his mate, so he travels to the Midwest to find her.  Ellie has had her heart broken one too many times to jump into another relationship, but she finds her resolve wavering as she describes her ideal man...and he walks into the real estate office where she works.

Toronto, Suzy 

• The Sacred Sisterhood of Wonderful Wacky Women

Non-fiction.  Charming tales of real women who made an impact on the author’s life, who taught her what being a friend is about and how to fully live in the life she was given.  Accompanied by recipes.