When last I wrote about what I was reading I mentioned that I was going back in the Miss Julia series by Ann B. Ross to read book five that I had accidentally skipped (Stop You’re Killing Me has the appropriate dates associated to the titles, but book five and six are reversed in their order in the list there). I did so, but was disappointed. Miss Julia Meets Her Match was my least favorite read of the series so far.
I cannot say for sure what contributed to my disappointment in this title. Was it the writing, the fact that I knew what the ultimate ending would be, or was I just simply wasn’t in the best mood to be entertained by it? I do find that to most enjoy this series one should be in the right frame of mind to most appreciate Miss Julia’s attempts at keeping her unusual “family” towing the line of prim and proper Southern living. My lack of enjoyment of this title could have also been attributed to reading it too closely to book six. This is one of those series that has a pretty apparent formula. In such cases I find it best to have plenty of time between readings of the books. I’ll be waiting at least a few months before moving on in the series. Since there are only two other titles in the series already published that isn’t a bad course of action anyway.
Let’s move on to more enjoyable reading experiences, huh? Maybe about 6 weeks ago or so I got an e-mail from Audible.com about an author that was “hand picked by James Patterson.” I still don’t know exactly what that means, but the author they spoke of was Chris Grabenstein and his first novel was Tilt-a-Whirl. I popped on my library’s web site a while later to see if they had it and sure enough they did so I checked it out.
In this first book of a series we are introduced to Danny Boyle, a part-time summer cop at the tourist town of Sea Haven, New Jersey. He carries no weapon and chauffeurs around and ex-MP, John Ceepak. Their regular morning routine is interrupted by a blood sprayed young girl screaming in the street outside their breakfast joint. The story just gets crazier from there, with many twists and turns until the final conclusion. I found it very well paced and liked the point of view chosen. I also greatly appreciated the unexpected turns of events that kept me guessing. I will definitely be reading the other two titles (so far) in the series.
At the end of this week I didn’t get out to the library right away so I pulled out the latest Cleo Coyle Coffeehouse Mystery, Decaffeinated Corpse. Up to this point I’ve checked all the titles out from the library, but this title is not appearing as on order and other books have come out since this release that are on the shelves so I went ahead and bought it a few weeks back and I’ll donate it and hopefully it’ll end up on the shelves. I don’t know if perhaps someone else has been buying the others rather than the library purchasing them?
That said, this series is improving with time. While somewhat formulaic in nature, Coyle has really mixed up her formula in this book. Clare Cosi, manager of Village Blend is back to NYC after a summer in the Hamptons. Despite the concerns of her ex-husband, Matt, and her NYPD detective friend, Mike, Clare is back to her usual sleuthing. How can she resist when the ultimate outcome could damage the 100 year reputation of Village Blend? I don’t want to say too much though. There are the usual tips and recipes in the back as well as fun facts about coffee sprinkled throughout the book. I’ll be excited to read the next installment which I’m guessing will be in about a year or so.
There were also two titles I forgot to record and mention. They are no longer very fresh in mind so I don’t have too much to say about either. I picked them up used at Anthology in Loveland when Chris was visiting back in June. They are both the introductory books in series and I will be eventually reading at least a few more titles in both series as I enjoyed them. I’m pretty sure they were both really quick reads. I think I read them back in early-ish July but am not certain of the dates. The titles were Aunt Dimity’s Death by Nancy Atherton. I know I devoured that one, I think in less than 24 hours. The second book was Thyme of Death by Susan Wittig Albert and while I don’t think I went through that one quite as quickly I really enjoyed it as well.
Remember, I’m fiberfool at Shelfari. On recommendation from others I’m also trying out LibraryThing and am also fiberfool there, though I haven’t completed rating or tagging my catalog there. Look me up if you are on either of those!
With just the two of us we have taken to making our herb sauces by hand chopping rather than using the food processor. It give the sauce that touch of rustic and just has a nice mouthfeel since it isn’t turned into a cohesive paste. I made pesto using mostly the traditional sweet basil, but I tossed in a bit of the spicier globe basil. I’ve also become enamored with the chimichurri sauce that was posted at Tea & Cookies not too long ago. Those who are unfamiliar with chimichurri, it is a blend of parsley and cilantro that has some cayenne, white vinegar or citrus juice and olive oil. While it is traditionally a sauce that is served with steak, it is like summer in a bowl on top of pasta. It also made a wonderful polenta topping and paired especially well with the avocado.
