
Hilarious Halloween Treat from Sci Fi Master Roger Zelazny
A Night in Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny Farrago Humor, Sci Fi & Fantasy Pub Date 01 October 2016 Review Hilarious and utterly original, A Night in Lonesome October reminds readers of Zelazny's unique genius. Told from the perspective of Snuff - a guard dog of unusual perception and intellect, it describes a game of magic where competitors of vastly different natures prepare to do battle on one fateful night. No one knows who is on which side or what will be brought fort

Caturday Reads: Superstition overwhelms Unlucky Charms
Unlucky Charms by Linda O. Johnston Midnight Ink Mystery & Thrillers, General Fiction (Adult) Pub Date 08 Oct 2016 Review Pet cozies are one of my favorite types of mystery, and Linda O Johnston is a very good author. For this reason, I was surprised that I didn’t enjoy Unlucky Charms as much as I expected. The “luck” aspect of the book went well overboard. I understand that Destiny, California is a town that prides itself on being “lucky” and survives off tourists looking

Bigfoot Stole His Wife But Hess Steals the Show
Big Foot Stole My Wife And Other Stories by Joan Hess Open Road Integrated Media Mystery & Thrillers Pub Date 20 May 2016 Review When it comes to blending humor and mystery, few do it quite as well as Joan Hess. Her Arly Hanks mysteries set in quirky backwater Maggody as well as her Claire Malloy cozies have long been favorites. Fortunately for readers, many of the novels are now available in ebook form. Big Foot Stole My Wife and Other Stories gives readers a sampling of J

Dresden Files meets Neverwhere in A City Dreaming
A City Dreaming A Novel by Daniel Polansky Regan Arts Sci Fi & Fantasy Pub Date 04 Oct 2016 Review Dresden Files meets Gaiman’s Neverwhere - A City Dreaming amazes readers with its rich world that is just a shade beyond our everyday reality. A City Dreaming is composed of a series of dreamlike vignettes where M, an ageless drifter who subtly manipulates reality, encounters friends, enemies, lovers, and more than a few challenges all while trying to exert as little effort as

Supernova a major disappointment after Lightless
Supernova By C A Higgins Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Del Rey Sci Fi & Fantasy Pub Date 26 Jul 2016 Review Lightless is a captivating novel, imaginative and thought provoking. Thus, I was stunned to find its followup Supernova as unappealing as Lightless was appealing. It is never a good sign when I feel the need to put down a novel to read something else - especially if this happens several times. Supernova is a bleak tale, featuring alternately on Constance'

The Queen's Accomplice is as engrossing as it is troubling
The Queen's Accomplice A Maggie Hope Mystery by Susan Elia MacNeal Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Bantam Mystery & Thrillers Pub Date 04 Oct 2016 Review The Queen's Accomplice is no light historical mystery that is easily read and forgotten. It is a chilling thriller that is pertinent today, despite being set during WWII. We would like to think we live in a more enlightened age, but the reality is that violence against women is all too prevalent. Sadly the spee

Caturday Reads: By Familiar Means is a cozy paranormal treat
By Familiar Means by Delia James Berkley Publishing Group Mystery & Thrillers Pub Date 20 Sep 2016 Review By Familiar Means is a solid, well written paranormal cozy with likable characters. While it isn't groundbreaking, it is an entertaining read perfect for a relaxing afternoon. What more could a reader want? In By Familiar Means, coffee shop owners Jake and Mirabelle ask Annabelle to uncover whether there is a ghost haunting the location of their planned expansion. Desp

What connects a witch, a woodcarver, and a children’s book author?
Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd A Flavia de Luce Novel by Alan Bradley Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Delacorte Press Mystery & Thrillers Pub Date 20 Sep 2016 Review Flavia de Luce is an unforgettable heroine. At 12, Flavia possesses the brutal honesty of youth, along with perceptiveness and intellect. Her precocious nature and her unique perspective make her a one-of-a-kind investigator. Despite her youth, Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew’d is not a children’s

Murdered for religion or more personal reasons
FOR HER SINS A gripping detective mystery by MAYNARD SIMS Joffe Books Mystery & Thrillers Pub Date 02 Aug 2016 Review The newest DCI Jack Callum mystery easily meets the high standards set by Maynard Sims’s previous novels. Once again, Sims offers readers a complex mystery where surprises abound set within a vibrantly depicted 1950s Britain. Sims’s attention to detail brings the era and its issues to life making it easy to immerse oneself in the mystery. In For Her Sins, DC

Classic German Baking makes authentic treats easy to create
Classic German Baking The Very Best Recipes for Traditional Favorites, from Pfeffernüsse to Streuselkuchen by Luisa Weiss Ten Speed Press Cooking, Food & Wine Pub Date 18 Oct 2016 Review My husband's family is German and have definite opinions on how baked goods should taste. When the opportunity arose to review Classic German Baking, I jumped at the chance to try the recipes with hopes of surprising my in-laws. The first recipe I tried was the almond crescent with edges dip