Good grief!

Gosh, I haven't made a regular blog post since the end of last year!  What have I been doing?  Reading mostly, obviously, by my reading challenge post, but I also submitted two poems to contests, one of which didn't win, and the other I'm still waiting to hear on.

I've also been busy writing short stories inspired by pictures I've downloaded from the Internet.  Our writing group began these at the end of last year and have had fun challenging ourselves with it.  

This month is Camp NaNo, and although I haven't written as much as I'd have liked to by this point, I've been working on four different story lines, two inspired by pictures, one by a dream and one by another book.  Rather than working on one novel for the entire month, I opted to write short stories and poetry during Camp.

My goal for the next year is to get ready to make the move to Washington state.  I've wanted to live there for years, and next spring is my plan.  Between now and then will be a lot of sorting, donating and re-packing to minimize what I'll be taking with me.  I'm so looking forward to the move!

Books Read March 2014

Adams, Alina

• Murder on Ice 

Fiction.  First in a cozy mystery about ice skating.  Bex, a news researcher acts as referee between a married couple and former Olympic champions who now work as announcers.  All of their bickering about fair and unfair voting among the ice skating judges raises the stakes when one of the judges is found dead.

Allen, Sarah Addison

• The Girl Who Chased the Moon 

Fiction.  Magical tale of two women living in a small North Carolina town.  The younger one, just seventeen, has just lost her mother and come back to her mother’s hometown to live with the grandfather she never knew she had.  The other woman was born and raised in the town and returned only to sell off her father’s restaurant after his death then planned on moving back to Baltimore.

• The Sugar Queen 

Fiction.  Josey Cirrini lives in a big, elegant house with her domineering mother.  Her family is wealthy and well-thought of by the townsfolk.  Josey should be happy, but she spends most of her time alone in her room with a secret stash of sweets hidden in her closet.  One day she opens the door to find something else in her closet, or rather, someone else.

• The Firefly Dance

Fiction.  Collection of short stories written by four authors, anchored by the last story by Sarah Addison Allen.  The other three authors are Phyllis Schieber, Kathryn Magendie and Augusta Trobaugh.

Bell, James Scott

• Plot & Structure 

Non-fiction.  One in the Write Great Fiction series.  Excellent, easy to read, and clear suggestions on crafting a novel.

Bishop, Erzabet

• Beltane Fires

Fiction.  Novella about a woman’s journey to a Beltane celebration after the breakup of her relationship.  While everyone else is enjoying the festivities in the fields, she feels lonely...until she takes a walk and meets The Forest Lord.

Blackwell, Juliet

• Home for the Haunting 

Fiction.  Mel Turner is volunteering as house captain for Neighbors Together, building a ramp for a wheelchair-bound man.  She’s distracted by the ghostly faces peering at her from the house next door...a house she comes to find out is known in the neighborhood as The Murder House.

Blake, Heather

• The Good, the Bad and the Witchy 

Fiction.  3rd in the paranormal cozy mystery series that takes place in Enchanted Village near Salem, Massachusetts.  The village, populated by a variety of Crafters, is a magical place to visit, but for some it can be downright deadly.

Boneham, Sheila Webster

• The Money Bird 

Fiction.  2nd in the cozy mystery seres about an animal photographer/dog trainer who finds something unusual in the viewfinder of her camera while photographing water dog training.  What is a rare parrot doing in the Indiana countryside?  The mystery deepens as a fellow photographer is found dead in the vicinity.

Carl, JoAnne

• The Chocolate Cat Caper

Fiction.  1st in a cozy mystery series set in Michigan.  After running away from her marriage, former trophy wife, Lee, finds herself working at her aunt Nettie’s chocolate shop.  A delivery she makes to the home of a much disliked lawyer sets her right in the path of a murder.   

Castle, Angela

• The Purrfect Plan 

Fiction.  Shapeshifter erotica set in Australia.  Storm Wellington wants a baby in the worst way, but she has no interest in a relationship, so she travels to Black Town to find a man for the night.  Unbeknownst to her, Black Town is Australia’s shifter town, populated by cat shifters and led by the alpha male, River Black.  Storm first has her eyes set on his twin brother, but the moment she sees River walk into the bar, they only have eyes for each other.

Charles, L.J.

• The Knowing 

Fiction.  Nia’s visions have happened during the last snowstorm of the past three years.  In each vision, she sees through a murderer’s eyes as he hunts and down kills his victims.  It’s early spring, and the last snowstorm has been predicted.  In her panic to stop the visions and the murders, she escapes the North Dakotan winter to fly to sunny Hawai’i.  Unfortunately, the murderer is already there.

Cohen, Nancy J.

• Writing the Cozy Mystery

Non-fiction.  Short book on the craft of writing cozies.

Dunning, John

• Booked to Die 

Fiction.  First in the Cliff Janeway cozy mystery series set in Denver, Colorado.  Janeway is a police detective called to investigate the murder of a local man who is well known in the booktrade business.  Janeway’s own interest and expertise in the book business comes in play as he learns that he and the victim have mutual acquaintances, complicating the investigation.

Evans, Christy

• Sink Trap 

Fiction.  Georgiana Neverall had to give up her high-tech high-stress job in San Francisco and move back home to Oregon.  Surprisingly, she’s found a new career as a plumber’s assistant.  While trying to unclog a sink in a house being renovated before sale, she finds an antique broach that looks very familiar, and she knows the owner treasured it very much.  She wants to return the broach, but the owner has mysteriously disappeared.

Fluke, Joanne

• Blackberry Pie Murder 

Fiction.  21st in the cozy mystery series set in Lake Eden, Minnesota where Hannah Swensen owns The Cookie Jar.  A thunderstorm is raging as she drives her business partner back to work from the auto body shop where Lisa has left her car to be worked on.  Nervous to take the highway back to town in the deluge, Hannah makes the decision to stay another route, one that leads her directly into danger.

Gaarder, Jostein

• The Orange Girl 

Fiction.  15-year-old Georg Roed is given a letter written to him by his father, the father who had died 11 years ago.  In it, his father tells a magical story of how he met the elusive Orange Girl, and where their journey led.

Gustainis, Justin

• Evil Ways 

Fiction.  Children are begin murdered again, this time for a very particular purpose.  Black versus white magic comes into play as Libby and Quentin gather their resources and allies to fight the darkest kind of magic, one that calls upon the Demon Lord, Himself.

Hall, Parnell

• A Clue for the Puzzle Lady

Fiction.  First in a cozy mystery series that combines crossword puzzles with mysteries.  Sherry Carter is a puzzle constructor, but unable to get anyone to buy her puzzles, she created the persona of The Puzzle Lady, a gentile, kindly little old woman, with her aunt, Cora Felton, as “The Puzzle Lady”.  Unfortunately, Cora is an unabashed alcoholic, whose habits her niece is constantly trying to hide from the public.  A girl is found dead in the local cemetery with what appears to be a puzzle clue in her pocket.  The police chief asks The Puzzle Lady to help him solve the case.

Herman, Julie Wray

• Three Dirty Women and the Garden of Death

Fiction.  First in a cozy mystery trilogy set in the South starring three friends who run a landscaping company together.  Unfortunately, during one job, they dig up the body of the soon-to-be ex-husband of one of the women.

Jenkins, Suzanne

• Dream Lover

Fiction.  The life of a woman who believes she has the perfect marriage is rocked to the core when her husband dies on a train of a heart attack, and it's found that he has AIDS.  As if that weren't enough for her to deal with, she finds out that she is also infected with the disease AND that her husband has had a dozen long-term mistresses, some affairs lasting over twenty years.  In trying to deal with all of these body blows, she decides to get to know the woman and one man who shared her husband's life for so many years.  The story is told from the point of view of each of the participants in the story.

Kimberly, Alice

• The Ghost and the Dead Man’s Library 

Fiction.  3rd in the paranormal cozy mystery series.  Penelope and her aunt Sadie are offered a chance to pick up a collection of rare books from the home of Sadie’s long lost love.  He insists that they pick up the books that day, and Pen and Sadie drive through a wicked rainstorm to reach the dilapidated mansion that looks like a set of a horror movie.  Along for the ride is Pen’s friend and confidante, the ghost of the long dead PI who haunts her bookstore.

Norman, Michael

• Skeleton Picnic

Fiction.  Second in the BLM Ranger J.D. Books series.  Rolly and Abby Rogers are pot hunters, illegally digging up ancient grave and village sites in Utah and selling the artifacts for money.  During one excavation, they find themselves in trouble, and it’s up to J.D. Books to find out what happened to them. 

Parker, Kate

• The Vanishing Thief 

Fiction.  First in a Victorian-era cozy mystery series set in London, England.  The proprietor of an antiquarian bookshop fights her own demons as she works with the Archivist Society to help people solve mysteries.  Along the way, she meets up with a dashing and dangerous duke, but can’t make up her mind whether he’s trying to help her or if he is actually the villain.

Sanford, Roxane Tepfer

• The Girl in the Lighthouse

Fiction.  Post-Civil War era mystery involving a young girl who grows up as the daughter of a lighthouse keeper on remote islands off the coast of Maine.  She knows her parents are keeping secrets from her, secrets of their family that she wants to uncover.  One tragedy leads to another until she meets the grandmother she never knew existed, and the love of a man spoils, launching her into even more dangerous and dire circumstances.

Tope, Rebecca

• A Cotswold Killing 

Fiction.  Thea Osbourne has her first job at housesitting in the small Cotswold village of Duntisbourne Abbots.  After a very stressful year since her husband’s death, she’s hoping that the three-week assignment will bring her out of her doldrums and help her adjust to life as a single woman.  Accompanied by her spaniel, Hepzibah, she sets off with high hopes of a peaceful trip.  That peace is immediately shattered when she is woken from a deep sleep by a scream.

Books Read February 2014

Allen, Sarah Addison

• Lost Lake

Fiction.  Wonderful tale of love, loss and recovery spanning several generations of a family.

Arlington, Lucy

• Books, Cooks, and Crooks 

Fiction.  3rd book in the cozy mystery series set in the small town of Inspiration Valley.  Lila, one of the literary agents working at the Novel Idea Agency, and her co-workers have set up a food-related bibliophile festival.  Chefs and authors have come to speak on panels and promote their newest books.  Things quickly get out of control as an explosion in the new Arts Center rocks the building and a body is found in the ashes.

Baldacci, David

• Zero Day 

Fiction.  Book one in the John Puller, Army CID series.  An Army colonel and his entire family is murdered, and Puller is challenged to figure out why and who the murderer is.  With the help of a female deputy sheriff, he works tirelessly to uncover the truth, which he will hopefully do in time to save an entire town.

Balzo, Sandra

• Bean There, Done That 

Fiction.  3rd in the Maggy Thorsen cozy mystery series.  Maggy, owner of a coffeehouse, is surprised when Rachel, the young wife of Maggy’s ex-husband, Ted, approaches her to ask for Maggy’s help in finding Ted’s new mistress.  Ironic, because Ted cheated on Maggy with Rachel during Maggy’s marriage.  Not sure why she’s helping Rachel, Maggy decides to find out if the rumor is true, while her own relationship with Pavlik suffers because of her decision.

Barrett, Lorna

• Chapter & Hearse 

Fiction.  Tricia is kept busy overseeing not only her own business, but also both the cookbook shop and the cafe across the street that belong to her sister, Angelica, who is away on a book tour.  If that isn’t enough, she soon finds herself involved in yet another murder, one that comes much too close to home.

Berry, Steve

• The Romanov Prophec

Fiction.  Fascinating blending of truth and fiction delving into the mystery of the last of the Romanov family.  An Atlanta lawyer travels to Russia to help broker a deal raising the new Romanov tsar, only to find that his own life is in danger, and his quest leads him around the world leaving a trail of deaths behind him.

Burke, Kealan Patrick

• The Hides 

Fiction.  Second in the Timmy Quinn paranormal series.  Timmy is now a teenager trying to deal with all the usual teenage angst as well as his crippling special “gift” of attracting the dead with a vengeance.  The last time almost killed him.  This time the danger once again touches his family.

Charles, Ann

• Dance of the Winnebagos 

Fiction.  First in a cozy mystery series set in Jackrabbit Junction, Arizona at an RV camp.  Claire is there keeping an eye on her grandfather as he meets up with his former Army buddies and serious skirt-chasers.  Henry, her grandfather’s beagle runs up to her carrying an old bone he’s found in the desert, which sends her off in an adventure that just might cost her life.

de la Cruz, Melissa

• Diary of the White Witch 

Fiction.  Prequel to the Witches of East End series.  Ingrid quits her job as archivist at the university and travels home to take on a new job.  Along the way, she is assaulted by forces of evil that begins the family’s new struggles.

Franklin, Ariana

• Mistress of the Art of Death 

Fiction.  First in a mystery series set in England in the 1100’s.  Adelia, a mistress of the art of death, is sent from Salerno, Italy to help solve a series of child murders taking place in Cambridgeshire, England.  Violent, distasteful, and surprising, the story is well-woven, and the author’s obvious authority on the life and customs of the era are proven in this story of death and the clashes of religion and class.

Galenorn, Yasmine

• Crimson Veil 

Fiction.  Book 15 in the Otherworld series.  Menolly, youngest of the D’Artigo sisters, vampire and owner of the Wayfarers Bar and Grill, is stunned when her bar goes up in flames.  In searching for the arsonist, she leads her extended family on a dangerous hunt, one that could easily end up in the deaths of her loved ones.

Goldberg, Natalie

• Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within 

Non-fiction.  The art of practice writing with Zen overtones.  

Rowling, J.K.

• Quidditch Through the Ages 

Fiction.  This history and development of the ancient game of Quidditch and an overview of the thirteen professional teams across the world.

Smith, Alexander McCall

• Tears of the Giraffe 

Fiction.  Cozy mystery set in Botswana.  2nd in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.  Mma Ramotswe is approached by an American women whose son went missing ten years ago.  She hires Mma Ramotswe to find out what happened to him.

Books Read January 2014

Adams, Ellery

• Pecan Pies and Homicides 

Fiction.  Ella Mae’s Charmed Pie Shoppe is in a bit of a slump, so Ella Mae cooks up some of her special pies to liven things up.  She had the other women get word that an arsonist has destroyed a grove in Tennessee, so they do what they can to help out the victims, knowing all the while that an arsonist and a murderer might be among the newcomers.

Avey, Sydney

• The Sheep Walker’s Daughter

Fiction.  Three generations of women star in this story of love lost, distanced relationships and finding connections while they two younger women solve the mysteries of their family history in the Basque Country.

Ball, Donna

• Vintage Ladybug Farm 

Fiction.  The ladies struggle through ups and downs of starting their new winery, Noah’s and Lori’s graduations, Lori’s upcoming wedding, and Noah’s surprise decision.  Lindsey and Dominic are drawing closer, and Paul and Derrick find that having a house built isn’t always what it’s cut out to be.

Befeler, Mike

• Living with Your Kids is Murder

Fiction.  2nd in this Geezer-Lit cozy mystery series.  Paul Jacobsen moves from Hawai’i to Boulder, Colorado to live with his son’s family.  Before he even arrives, he’s already embroiled in another murder, and that’s just the beginning of a wide spree of crimes for which he is suspected.  With the help of his precocious granddaughter who aspires to be a lawyer, he begins investigating the crimes.  A reunion with his old love sparks the beginning of a whole new adventure for him.

Bevill, C.L.

• Disembodied Bones

Fiction.  2nd book of the Lake People trilogy.  Intricate, original, very creative and spooky!  Little Leonie Simoneaud finds herself on a mission, one that has lasting consequences into her adult life, as she finds herself, once again, running and fighting for her life.

Charles, Ann

• Optical Delusions in Deadwood 

Fiction.  2nd in the humorous paranormal cozy mystery set in Deadwood, SD.  Realtor Violet is trying desperately to sell a house, any house, when she is approached to sell a house located in Lead next to a defunct mine.  The house is supposedly haunted, and Violet will need the assistance of her sort of beau, Doc, to sniff out the ghosts, if any.  

Chase, Deanna

• Haunted on Bourbon Street 

Fiction.  Jade Calhoun has just relocated to New Orleans to live near her best friend Kat.  The apartment she moves into is attached to a strip club and a cafe, and she fills in at each when the owners need help.  She finds herself drawn to the handsome co-owner of the strip club, but her feelings are complicated by the equally handsome ghost who haunts her dreams. 

Childs, Laura

• Eggs in a Casket

Fiction.  6th in her Cackleberry Club series about the cafe that specializes in eggs run by three women in their 40’s-50’s.  Suzanne and Toni are delivering flowers to the local cemetery when they come across an open grave...but it’s not empty.

Daheim, Mary

• Just Desserts 

Fiction.  1st in her Bed and Breakfast series about a woman who turns her family home into a bed and breakfast and the odd family who descends on her for a night while their home is being fumigated.  Judith might have to have the bed and breakfast fumigated after the weekend is over following  the murder of one of her guests.

Dams, Jeanne M.

• Shadows of Death

Fiction.  14th in the cozy mystery series starring Dorothy Martin, an American woman in her 60’s married to an English ex-policeman, and their adventures in solving mysteries.

Hunter, Maddy

• Bonnie of Evidence

Fiction.  8th in the cozy mystery series about an Iowan tour guide who leads senior on trips around the world, some of whom end up as murder victims.  The group is traveling through Scotland in this book, as the bodies start to stack up.

Jaffarian, Sue Ann

• Gem of A Ghost 

Fiction.  Emma Whitecastle is contacted by an old acquaintance who needs her help in getting rid of the woman’s ex-husband.  The problem is...he’s dead.  Emma’s daughter, Kelly, is good friends with the woman’s daughter, Lainey, and calls Emma one night to tell her that Lainey has attempted suicide and needs her help.  Is her dearly departed father to blame for the girl’s suicide attempt, or is there another force at work?

Linn, Denise

• Altars: Bringing Sacred Shrines into Your Everyday Life

Non-fiction.  Wonderfully inclusive book about the history, creative, uses and care of altars in the home.

Riggs, Ransom

• Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

Fiction.  Odd and haunting tale of a teenager who struggles with nightmares after the mysterious death of his grandfather, and his journey to a small island off the coast of Wales to fulfill his grandfather’s last wish.

Reading Challenges 2014

Total books for the year

2011 - 156/150 completed
2012 - 104/100 completed
2013 - 134/100 completed
2014 - 206/100 completed

*****

Non-fiction 2014

Read at least 1 non-fiction book per month.

Jan - Altars: Bringing Sacred Shrines into Your Everyday Life by Denise Linn
Feb - Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg
Mar - Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell; Writing the Cozy Mystery by Nancy J. Cohen
Apr - Dialogue by Gloria Kempton
May - Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint by Nancy Kress; Cold Steel by John J. Styers
Jun - Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
Jul - Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Cat Did What? by Amy Newmark
Aug - Practical Prosperity Magick by Ellen Dugan
Sep - Madame Pele: True Encounters with Hawai'i's Fire Goddess by Rick Carroll
Oct - The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Nov - Walking on Eggshells: Discovering Strength and Courage Amid Chaos by Lyssa Chapman
Dec - Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success by K.M. Weiland; Outlining Your Novel Workbook by K.M. Weiland; Copyediting & Proofreading for Dummies by Suzanne Gilad

*****

Alphabet Titles & Character Names 2014

Alphabet Titles

Read one book with titles starting with each of the letters of the alphabet.

A - Altars: Bringing Sacred Shrines into Your Everyday Life by Denise Linn
B - Books, Cooks and Crooks by Lucy Arlington
C - Crimson Veil by Yasmine Galenorn
D - Disembodied Bones by C.L. Bevill
E - Bonnie of Evidence by Maddy Hunter
F - Beltane Fires by Erzabet Bishop
G - The Good, the Bad and the Witchy by Heather Blake
H - Haunted on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase
I - Murder on Ice by Alina Adams
J - Just Desserts by Mary Daheim
K - Living with Your Kids is Murder by Mike Befeler
L - Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen
M - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
N - Night's End by Yasmine Galenorn
O - Optical Delusions in Deadwood by Ann Charles
P - Pecan Pies and Homicides by Ellery Adams
Q - Quidditch Through the Ages by J.K. Rowling
R - The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry
S - Shadows of Death by Jeanne M. Dams
T - Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith
U - The Under Dog and Other Stories by Agatha Christie
V - Vintage Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
W - The Sheep Walker's Daughter by Sydney Avey
X - Xtabentum: A Novel of the Yucatan by Rosy & Carl Hugener
Y - You Slay Me by Katie MacAllister
Z - Zero Day by David Baldacci

Character Names

Read one book with a character whose first or last names begin with each letter of the alphabet.

A - Adelynn Parker - Optical Delusions in Deadwood by Ann Charles
B - Barry Hickey - The Sink Trap by Christy Evans
C - Sam Cole - Zero Day by David Baldacci
D - Dorothy Martin - Shadows of Death by Jeanne M. Dams
E - Ella Mae LeFaye - Pecan Pies and Homicides by Ellery Adams
F - Freya Beauchamp - Diary of the White Witch by Melissa de la Cruz
G - Georg Roed - The Orange Girl by Jostein Gaarder
H - Hannah Swensen - Blackberry Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
I - Ida Mae Simpson - Vintage Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
J - Jade Calhoun - Haunted on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase
K - Kelly Whitecastle - Gem of a Ghost by Sue Ann Jaffarian
L - Miles Lord - The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry
M - Menolly D'Artigo - Crimson Veil by Yasmine Galenorn
N - Nate Fisher - Living with Your Kids is Murder by Mike Befeler
O - Otto Brodie - Just Desserts by Mary Daheim
P - Miss Peregrine - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Q - Timmy Quinn - The Hides by Kealan Patrick Burke
R - Precious Ramotswe - Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith
S - Leonie Simoneaud - Disembodied Bones by C.L. Bevill
T - Tricia Miles - Chapter & Hearse by Lorna Barrett
U - Ulf - Mistress in the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin
V - Valerie Moraga Carter - The Sheep Walker's Daughter by Sydney Avey
W - Win Morgan - The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
X - Xenia Trubin - Murder on Ice by Alina Adams
Y - Ysabeau de Clermont - A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Z - Bernice Zwerg - Bonnie of Evidence by Maddy Hunter

*****

Geography 2014

Around the USA

Read one book based in each of the 50 states plus the District of Columbia.

Alabama - Murder on a Bad Hair Day by Anne George
Alaska - Dead in the Water by Dana Stabenow
Arizona - Dance of the Winnebagos by Ann Charles
Arkansas - Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris
California - Just Desserts by Mary Daheim
Colorado - Living with Your Kids is Murder by Mike Befeler
Connecticut - A Clue for the Puzzle Lady by Parnell Hall
Delaware - Hawkes Harbor by S.E. Hinton
District of Columbia - Roses Are Red by James Patterson
Florida - Murder Buys a T-Shirt by Christy Fifield
Georgia - Pecan Pies and Homicides by Ellery Adams
Hawai'i - The Knowing by L.J. Charles
Idaho - The Memory Keeper by Lisa Stowe
Illinois - Loose Ends by Terri Reid
Indiana - The Money Bird by Sheila Webster Boneham
Iowa - Antiques Roadkill by Barbara Allan
Kansas - Murder Gone A-Rye by Nancy J. Parra
Kentucky - Death of a Winter Shaker by Deborah Woodworth
Louisiana - Haunted on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase
Maine - The Girl in the Lighthouse by Roxane Tepfer Sanford
Maryland - On the Nickel by Maggie Toussaint
Massachusetts - The Good, the Bad and the Witchy by Heather Blake
Michigan - The Chocolate Cat Caper by JoAnna Carl
Minnesota - Blackberry Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Mississippi - Out of Circulation by Miranda James
Missouri - In Plain Sight by Lorena McClendon
Montana - The Bluejay Shaman by Lise McClendon
Nebraska - Dying to Decorate by Cyndy Salzmann
Nevada - The Missing Ink by Karen E. Olsen
New Hampshire - Chapter & Hearse by Lorna Barrett
New Jersey - Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich
New Mexico - Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman
New York - Diary of the White Witch by Melissa de la Cruz
North Carolina - Books, Cooks and Crooks by Lucy Arlington
North Dakota - Family Matters by Joel Rosenberg
Ohio - The Hides by Kealan Patrick Burke
Oklahoma - Merry, Merry Ghost by Carolyn Hart
Oregon - The Sink Trap by Christy Evans
Pennsylvania - Gem of a Ghost by Sue Ann Jaffarian
Rhode Island - The Ghost in the Dead Man's Library by Alice Kimberly
South Carolina - Petals in The Wind by V.C. Andrews
South Dakota - Optical Delusions in Deadwood by Ann Charles
Tennessee - Eggs in A Casket by Laura Childs
Texas - Disembodied Bones by C.L. Bevill
Utah - Skeleton Picnic by Michael Norman
Vermont - A Murderous Glaze by Melissa Glazer
Virginia - Vintage Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
Washington - Crimson Veil by Yasmine Galenorn
West Virginia - Zero Day by David Baldacci
Wisconsin - Bean There, Done That by Sandra Balzo
Wyoming - Death Without Company by Craig Johnson

Around the World

Read one book set in each of the 13 regions.

US/Canada - 
Central America/Mexico/Caribbean - Xtabentum: A Novel of the Yucatan by Rosy & Carl Hugener
South America - Peru - Deadly Deception by Susan Polonus Mucha
British Isles/Ireland - Scotland - Shadows of Death by Jeanne M. Dams
Polar Regions/Scandinavia - Norway - The Orange Girl by Jostein Gaarder
Western Europe - Euskadi - The Sheep Walker's Daughter by Sydney Avey
Eastern Europe - Russia - The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry
Middle East/North Africa - Israel - The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva
Sub-Saharan Africa - Botswana - Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith
East Asia - China - The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan
South Asia - Afghanistan - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Australia/Oceania - Australia - The Purrfect Plan by Angela Castle
Islands/Bodies of Water - Orkney Islands, Scotland - Bonnie of Evidence by Maddy Hunter

*****

Seasons 2013-2014

Read one book with words in the title or the first letters of the authors' names that begin with the letters of each season.

Dec 22 - Mar 19
W - A Witch Before Dying by Heather Blake
I - Identity by Ted Dekker
N - Ghost Night by Heather Graham
T - Trouble in Mudbug by Jana DeLeon
E - Eyes Wide Open by Ted Dekker
R - Retirement Homes are Murder by Mike Befeler

Mar 20 - Jun 20
S - The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
P - Skeleton Picnic by Michael Norman
R - Murder Gone A-Rye by Nancy J. Parra
I - Murder on Ice by Alina Adams
N - Xtabentum: A Novel of the Yucatan by Rosy & Carl Hugener
G - The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

Jun 21 - Sep 22
S - Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris
U - The Under Dog and Other Stories by Agatha Christie
M - A Murderous Glaze by Melissa Glazer
M - Shifter Made by Jennifer Ashley
E - Steeped in Evil by Laura Childs
R - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Sep 23 - Dec 20
A - Watership Down by Richard Adams
U - Destination Unknown by Agatha Christie
T - The Gold of Thrace by Aileen G. Baron
U - Unfinished Portrait by Mary Westmacott
M - Merry, Merry Ghost by Carolyn Hart
N - On the Nickel by Maggie Toussaint

F - Family Matters by Joel Rosenberg
A - Antiques Roadkill by Barbara Allan
L - Loose Ends by Terri Reid
L - Still Life by Louise Penny

*****

Cozy Mystery Themes 2014

Read one book in each theme.

1. British - Bonnie of Evidence by Maddy Hunter
2. Historical/Period (prior 1940) - The Vanishing Thief by Kate Parker
3. Animals - The Money Bird by Sheila Webster Boneham
4. Culinary - Pecan Pies and Homicides by Ellery Adams
5. Paranormal - Haunted on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase
6. Vacation/Exotic Locations - Bonnie of Evidence by Maddy Hunter
7. Holidays - Valentine Murder by Leslie Meier
8. Hobbies - Booked to Die by John Dunning
9. Professions - Just Desserts by Mary Daheim
10. Senior Sleuths - Shadows of Death by Jeanne M. Dams
11. Humorous - Optical Delusions in Deadwood by Ann Charles
12. Romance - Vintage Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball

*****

Non-Cozy Mystery Themes 2014

Read one book in each theme.

1. Goodreads' Crime Shelf - Sleep Tight by Rachel Abbott
2. Masters of Murder - Roses Are Red by James Patterson
3. Watching the Detectives - Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman
4. Outside the Law - Mistress in the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin
5. From Page to Screen - The Green Mile by Stephen King
6. Serial Killers/New Series - Zero Day by David Baldacci
7. International Intrigue - Deadly Deception by Susan Polonus Mucha
8. Famous Detectives - The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie

*****

Read and Donate 2014

Read and donate at least one book per month.  

Jan - 22
Feb - 1
Mar - 15
Apr - 5
May - 3
Jun - 2
Jul - 2
Aug - 3
Sep - 7
Oct - 0
Nov - 0
Dec - 5

*****

2013 State of My Life Address

Yes, I realize I'm not the President.  Yet.  No, I really wouldn't ever want that job!  Have you see how quickly our President's age during their terms in office?  No, thank you.

It's been a productive year, and I'm really looking forward to an even better year in 2014.

I far surpassed my Goodreads Reading Challenges and have been introduced to some new and interesting authors and series along the way.  Read a few clinkers, though, too.  I've been prepping for the new year's challenges and have come up with a list of books that will be both familiar and new and still have room for books I don't know of yet.

Library donations have gone well, and I hope to donate many more books this coming year.  I'm learning to let go of things that I don't need to hang on to, not only books but in other areas of my life, as well.

I did submit several stories to contests and publishers.  None of them were picked up, but I'm heading in the right direction, and that was more than I did the year before.  I'm hopeful that this new year will find my writing career advancing successfully.  Our little Writing Circle has been an absolute blessing.  We started as writing buddies and have become close and dear friends.  We're now coming up with writing challenges to keep each other writing, enthused and productive.  Short stories seem to be easier for me to deal with at this time, as they not only challenge me to come up with many different plots in different genres, but they'll also help me to get things out in the market faster, improve my writing skills and confidence, keep me from being burned out on writing novel-length fiction, and also help me figure out which genres I'm most attracted to writing in.  During both NaNo Camps, I'll probably continue with the shorter pieces and save November for a lengthier prose.

Moving forward toward moving onward with my life is coming along slowly, but steadily.  Just a little while ago, it was something that I envisioned doing somewhere in the great future, but now I'm aiming toward moving within the next two years (sooner, rather than later).  It's just a matter of getting the financing AND going through all my stored boxes to donate books I no longer need and lightening my load.  

I come from a family of pack rats, something we never realized while I was growing up, because we had to move every two years for the military, and we were constantly jettisoning extraneous belongings along the way.  Now, we're in a scary situation, where our belongings are taking over our living space, and the next major move is going to be an extremely stressful and lengthy process.  Hopefully, I can get my things out before then!

My dreamwork has been coming along wonderfully, and I have a few wonderful people who help me in that endeavor.  I'm finding that the older I get, the more happy I am with myself, and the less I worry about what other people think, though I am human, and some of that will probably always be with me.  Your values change, your focus changes, the more pono you become with yourself.  For all ya'll haoles out there, being pono means being right with yourself :)

My genealogy adventure continues.  I keep finding more and more cousins of varying degrees through my research and through the DNA tests that I've taken.  It's fascinating how many people you really are connected to, even in just a couple of generations.  

I've lost 40 pounds this year, which I'm very happy about.  Still have a long way to go, but it's slowly coming off in a healthy way, and all of my blood tests have shown great improvement.  That's a total of 90 pounds that I've lost over the past three years, so YAY ME!  The progress, itself, is a great motivator.

Did get out and about a bit more this year and am looking forward to doing more of that in 2014.

And I FINALLY got to meet a dear friend in person!  We had a lovely chat fueled by ice cream.  We met several years ago in an online game and have become fast friends.  I lean on her a lot, we share our lives, woes and triumphs with each other, and I am truly blessed to have her in my life.

About five more hours until the year turns.  Here's to a happy and safe New Year!

Books Read December 2013

Allen, Sarah Addison

• Waking Kate 

Fiction.  A prequel to her next book, Lost Lake.  A woman begins to wonder at what point did she give her life up for her husband, and if she’ll regret it years from now.  An elderly man tells her a story that might help her answer that question.

Ball, Donna

• Christmas on Ladybug Farm 

Fiction.  The extended family at Ladybug Farm prepares for Christmas, a holiday they’ve always reveled in, however this year they’re facing Christmas in the high 80’s, hardly winter weather in Virginia.  As they consider canceling Christmas for this year, they reflect back on Christmases past and find a new reason to celebrate.

Befeler, Mike

• Retirement Homes Are Murder

Fiction.  Paul Jacobson wakes up to find himself in an unfamiliar setting.  Unfortunately, it happens to him everyday.  With chronic short-term memory loss, each day brings new experiences and new friends.  But on this second day of living at the Kani Nani Retirement Home, he comes across something even more surprising, a dead body stuffed in the trash chute.

Blackwell, Juliet et al.

• Love on Main Street: A Snow Creek Christmas 

Fiction.  Seven short romance stories each written by a different author and that all take place in the small town of Snow Creek.

Blake, Heather

• A Witch Before Dying 

Fiction.  Second in the paranormal cozy mystery series set in a small village in Salem, Massachusetts, where many of the villagers are Crafters of varying sorts, and murders abide. 

Cates, Bailey

• Charms and Chocolate Chips 

Fiction.  Katie Lightfoot is busy baking treats to sell in her bakery and weaving her spells into each pastry.  In the very little spare time she has, she’s been volunteering at Georgia Wild, a non-profit organization trying to protect the environment.  When she shows up at the office one evening, to her horror, she finds that the head of Georgia Wild has been murdered.

Copperman, E.J.

• Chance of a Ghost 

Fiction.  Fourth in the Haunted Guesthouse series.  Alison Kerby juggles the running of a guesthouse with her fledgling business as a private investigator, as well as being a mom to a precocious young girl and housemate to two ghosts who assist her in solving cases.

Dekker, Ted

• Eyes Wide Open 

Fiction.  All four episodes in a psychological journey through madness, as two young people find themselves questioning their very sanity.

• Identity 

Fiction.  First episode in a 4-episode story of a young woman and young man caught in madness.

DeLeon, Jana

• Trouble in Mudbug 

Fiction.  First in a paranormal cozy mystery series taking place in Mudbug, Louisiana, a small bayou town.  Maryse spends her days out in the swamp studying plants and her evenings at her small cabin with her cat.  Her dull life is about to take a turn on the wild side, when her newly-dead mother-in-law bursts out of her casket at the funeral.

Evanovich, Janet

• Pros and Cons 

Fiction.  Novella introducing FBI agent, Kate O’Hare in a new series. 

• Takedown Twenty

Fiction.  Stephanie, Lula and the gang are up to it again, as they try to apprehend various criminals in The Burg.  Stephanie’s car insurance must be raising their rates in each book, as she just can’t seem to hang onto them very well.  Lula is besotted with a random giraffe that only she and Stephanie can see running around downtown Trenton, and Grandma Mazur finds herself in deep trouble in this episode.

Galenorn, Yasmine

- Autumn Whispers 

Fiction.  14th in the Otherworld series, told from Delilah’s point of view.  Everything from a missing person to a war in the Otherworld to a daemon bent on taking over corporate America, the girls and their extended family are kept busy trying to keep their heads above water.  In the midst of all the tragedy and darkness, the birth of three new babes bring hope into the world.

• Ice Shards

Fiction.  Novella starring Iris Kuusi, the Talon-Haltija and Priestess of Undutar.  She must return to the Northlands temple to find the truth of what happen 600-years ago and hopefully have the High Priestess remove a curse preventing Iris from ever bearing children.

• The Shadow of Mist 

Fiction.  Selkie Siobhan Morgan is loving her life with a wonderful man at her side, and a new baby in her tummy.  Suddenly, a voice from the past shatters her peace, and she must fight to sever the ties that keep her bound to a man who won’t take “no” for an answer.

Grafton, Sue

• W is for Wasted

Fiction.  Kinsey finds new relatives after one of them, a homeless man, dies on the beach.  With them help of an old acquaintance, she is able to unravel the threads of his story and reveal the circumstances of his death.

Graham, Heather

• Ghost Night

Fiction.  Second in this paranormal mystery series set in Key West.  Sean O’Hara is captivated by a new woman in his life who witnessed the aftermath of a brutal murder two years before he met her.  Psychological or real ghosts have led her to him in her search for closure, help she needs before another murder can take place.  

Herr, Michael

• The Kauai Obake Bar 

Fiction.  Parody of Hawaiian ghost stories involving ghosts, Madame Pele, the Night Marchers, a menehune, a ho’omano and others.

Johnson, Craig

• The Cold Dish 

Fiction.  First in the Walt Longmire series set in Wyoming that was made into a TV series.  Sheriff Longmire receives a call that a young man has been killed.  There are quite a number of possible suspects that Longmire must consider, including his own best friend, bar owner Henry Standing Bear.  And too, he must consider whether or not this crime is related to a viscous sexual assault that took place several years ago.

Rowling, J.K.

• The Casual Vacancy

Fiction.  Boring story of a community’s reactions to their “mayor” dying suddenly.

Smith, Deborah

• Mossy Creek 

Fiction.  The small town of Mossy Creek, Georgia is the home to some of the strangest group of residents.  Eccentric is a mild term for them, from a shotgun toting female mayor to a flying chihuahua, getting to know them is heart-warming fun.

Toronto, Suzy

• The Sacred Sisterhood of Wonderful Wacky Women Book Two 

Non-fiction.  Suzy introduces us to more of the wonderfully wacky women in her life, as she tells their inspiring stories and slips in a few recipes.