Medical Examiner Challenge 2019

Tari Hann

Rick Mills has another fun and unusual challenge. This is his info page about the Medical Examiner Reading Challenge 2019. No sign-up required, just click to submit a Death Certificate for each victim you encounter in your mysteries. I hit the jackpot in the first book I read: there were 3 bodies! The idea is to collect virtual toe tags in the chart you’ll see on the post I linked. Reviews can be included but aren’t necessary.

This was a no-brainer since all I read is mysteries, plus, who wouldn’t want to be Ducky, right? 😉 (or Quincy, my other fave M.E.)

There’s no need to keep track since every time you read a mystery, you’ll submit a Google form from the website linked above–be sure to bookmark it if you join the challenge. When you read the form, you’ll appreciate Rick’s sense of humor too! 😉 Have fun and let me know if you’ll be joining us in the morgue!

Where Are You Reading Challenge 2019

Tari Hann

On that same master list, I was curious about what this challenge was all about, so yup I just had to get in on it. You can read more about it on Book Dragon’s Lair 2019 RC Where Are You Reading post (sign up there too).

The cool part about a location challenge like this is, you get to use the city in the book! It goes A-Z like the other ones out there that have you do just states. Make a list ahead of time, or you can list as you go. I’m going to list as I go and try to use as many cities instead of states as I can, since I’m already doing Literary Escapes which is states by name, then a list of countries as you visit.

Aberdeenshire, Scotland  Death and Daisies–Amanda Flower

Bellmare, Massachusetts–A Ghost of Glaze–Melissa Monroe

Calendar (no state given, just a small US town) Jeopardy in January–Camilla Chafer

Delaware–Secrets in a Bottle–Shelly West

England–Gin & Daggers–Jessica Fletcher/Donald Bain

F.

Georgia–A Juicy Morsel of Jealousy–Christine Zane Thomas

Heart’s Harbor, Maine–In Peppermint Peril–Joy Avon

Indiana–The Body in the Attic–Judi Lynn

Jefferson, Connecticut–The Hidden Corpse–Debra Sennefelder

Kentucky–Decaffeinated Scandal–Tonya Kappes

Little Nectar, Connecticut–Peril at the Pawn Shop–Mel Faye

Massachusetts–A Scandal in Scarlet–Vicki Delany

North Harbor, Michigan–The Novel Art of Murder–V.M. Burns

Oregon–Meet Your Baker–Ellie Alexander

Pine Grove, New York–Candy Apple Killer–Chelsea Thomas

Q.

Rumford, Kentucky–Batter Off Dead–Maymee Bell

Sylvan Creek, Pennsylvania–A Midwinter’s Tail–Bethany Blake

Texas (Bliss)–Pleating for Mercy–Melissa Bourbon

U.

Venice, Florida–Candy, Murder & Me–Carolyn Chambers Clark

Whispering Falls, Kentucky–A Charming Cure–Tonya Kappes

X.

Y.

Zinnia, Mississippi–A Gift of Bones–Carolyn Haines

Sweet Southern Challenge 2019

Tari Hann

UPDATE: 2/13/2019–Since I’m almost at my goal, I’m going to go for A Gallon Glass of Sweet Tea, 13+ books.

I love a good cozy mystery set in the South! Like the last book I posted about, Batter Off Dead, which was set in Kentucky. While scrolling a master list of reading challenges, I found the Sweet Southern Challenge run by Readeropolis blog (sign up in their comments). #SweetSouthernRC  From the Readeropolis blog:

“There are five reading levels for this challenge.

  • One Glass of Sweet Tea: Read 1 – 3 Books
  • Two Glasses of Sweet Tea: Read 4 – 6 Books
  • Three Glasses of Sweet Tea: Read 7 – 9 Books
  • A Pitcher of Sweet Tea: Read 10 – 12 Books
  • A Gallon Glass of Sweet Tea: Read 13 or More Books“

I recommend you use the link above and read the whole post. You don’t need a blog to participate, only a link of where you’ll keep track, like a Goodreads shelf.

My revised level will be A Gallon Glass of Sweet Tea, and I’ll list the books here, starting with one I just finished and blogged about.

  1. Batter Off Dead, #2 Southern Cake Baker–Maymee Bell–KY
  2. A Charming Cure, #2 Magical Cures–Tonya Kappes–KY
  3. Pleating for Mercy, #1 Magical Dressmaking–Melissa Bourbon–TX
  4. The Whispered Word, #2 The Secret, Book & Scone Society–Ellery Adams–NC
  5. Decaffeinated Scandal, #5 Killer Coffee–Tonya Kappes–KY
  6. A Tiny Bite of Murder, #1 Monkey’s Eyebrow Tearoom–Constance Barker–KY
  7. A Juicy Morsel of Jealousy, #3 Foodie Files–Christine Zane Thomas–GA
  8. Deal Gone Dead, #1 Lily Sprayberry–Carolyn Ridder Aspenson–GA
  9. Dead as a Door Knocker, #1 House-Flipper Mystery–Diane Kelly–TN
  10. A Gift of Bones, #19 Sarah Booth Delaney–Carolyn Haines–MS
  11. Candy, Murder & Me, #1 Cookie Berelli–Carolyn Chambers Clark–FL
  12. The Puppy Who Knew Too Much, #2 Dog Club–V.M. Burns–TN
  13. The St. Valentine’s Day Cookie Massacre, #1 Hatter’s Cove–Elisabeth Crabtree–FL
  14. Forests, Fishing & Forgery, #3 Campers and Criminals–Tonya Kappes–KY
  15. Past Due for Murder, #3 Blue Ridge Library–Victoria Gilbert–VA
  16. Live and Let Chai, #1 Seaside Cafe–Bree Baker–NC
  17. No Good Tea Goes Unpunished, #2 Seaside Cafe–Bree Baker–NC
  18. A Murder Moist Foul, #1 Frosted Love–Summer Prescott–LA
  19. Glitter Bomb, #15 Scrapbooking Mystery–Laura Childs and Terrie Farley Moran–LA
  20. One Taste Too Many, #1 Sarah Blair–Debra H. Goldstein–AL
  21. Decluttered and Dead, #2 Lily Sprayberry–Carolyn Ridder Aspenson–GA
  22. A Killer Plot, #1 Books by the Bay–Ellery Adams–NC
  23. A Slice of Murder, #1 Pizza Lover’s Mystery–Chris Cavender–NC
  24. A Fitting End, #2 Magical Dressmaking–Melissa Bourbon–TX
  25. Something Read, Something Dead, #5 Lighthouse Library–Eva Gates–NC
  26. Purebred Murder 1, #1 Quirky Puppy–E.Z. Pennington–TX
  27. Purebred Murder 2, #2 Quirky Puppy–E.Z. Pennington–TX
  28. Cat Got Your Crown, #4 Kitty Couture–Julie Chase
  29. Murder Once Removed, #1 Ancestry Detective–S.C. Perkins–TX
  30. Basket Case, #1 Silver Six Crafting–Nancy Haddock–AR
  31. Paint the Town Dead, #2 Silver Six Crafting–Nancy Haddock–AR
  32. The Diva Sweetens the Pie, #12 Domestic Diva–Krista Davis–VA
  33. Them Bones, #1 Sarah Booth Delaney–Carolyn Haines–MS
  34. Fixin’ to Die, #1 Kenni Lowry–Tonya Kappes–KY

Six Shooter Challenge 2019

Tari Hann

Ok, I gotta admit when I first saw this title on Bev’s My Reader’s Block blog, I thought you had to read Western books, but then I didn’t think I remembered her reading that genre. As I read on in her post, I found out that it was very different and something I’d like to do. Rick Mills is running the challenge on this page, 2019 Six Shooter Mystery Reading Challenge, but you don’t need to do anything there until you read your first book.

See his link for full instructions, but basically you will shoot (pun intended) to read six books by one author. When you read the first book, you’ll go to his page, click where he indicates and fill out that Google form when it comes up. Then he’ll add you to the lineup. He’s got a good example in his post about what it’ll look like. One cool thing is that their pen names count (see my first author below)

I’m shooting for reading two authors for right now. I might add more as I go through the year.

Tonya Kappes aka Maymee Bell

  1. Batter Off Dead, #2 Southern Cake Baker–Maymee Bell
  2. A Charming Cure, #2 Magical Cures–Tonya Kappes
  3. Decaffeinated Scandal, #5 Killer Coffee–Tonya Kappes
  4. Forests, Fishing & Forgery, #3 Campers and Criminals–Tonya Kappes
  5. Fixin’ to Die, #1 Kenni Lowry–Tonya Kappes

 

Ellery Adams

  1. The Whispered Word, #2 Secret, Book & Scone Society–Ellery Adams
  2. A Killer Plot, #1 Books by the Bay–Ellery Adams

 

 

Batter Off Dead–review

Tari Hann

This is the second book in the Southern Cake Baker series by Maymee Bell, who is actually many-times-published cozy mystery author, Tonya Kappes. I love reading any book by this author. The characters are always so fun and down-home. There’s always some humor (especially with the sleuth’s Southern mama!) and a great mystery! This one really had me stumped! Then at the end of the book, they had a celebration, and I didn’t want to leave!

Even though the kitty in the picture isn’t blue-eyed, I thought maybe Duchess in the book might look something like this. It was the best free-for-use picture I found.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher through NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

My Goodreads review:

Batter Off Dead (A Southern Cake Baker Mystery, #2)Batter Off Dead by Maymee Bell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really loved the first book in this series when I read it last year, so I knew the second book wouldn’t disappoint, and it sure didn’t! I didn’t want my visit to Rumford, KY to end!

Sophia was hired to do the dessert catering at a library and winery event. When she found the former benefactor to the library dead by the vineyard and one of her best friends was the prime suspect in the murder, Sophia knew she’d never be able to leave this one alone. It’s a good thing Carter loves her so much, or he’d have been furious at her a few times. He did continue to give her warnings. There was a little side story of Sophia wanting to make the famous donut recipe that the bakery before she bought it was known for. After that, her house was broken into, and someone threw a rock through the bakery window. Could it be the killer wanting her to back off investigating?

I get such a kick out of Bitsy, Sophia’s Southern mama. She even got into the whole investigating this time and went as far as calling it Operation Merlot. I love how fiercely loyal Sophia is, not only to to her close friends, but the entire town. I had absolutely no clue who the killer was until the last minute at the showdown, which was excellent. The library got a happy ending as did everyone else, but I especially love it when a library gets a happy ending! I can’t wait for the next book!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

View all my reviews

Jeopardy in January–review

Tari Hann

This was a fun book to read as we begin the month of January. It takes place in a small town called Calendar. I’m thinking it wasn’t placed in an actual state on purpose–can’t use this for my Literary Escapes challenge! 😉 But it’ll fit in for a few of them. I love discovering books like this that I’ve had on the Kindle for awhile.

My Goodreads review:

Jeopardy in January (Calendar Mysteries #1)Jeopardy in January by Camilla Chafer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I chose this book for one book challenge I’m doing, but realized it will probably work for a few others as well. On top of all that, I enjoyed it so much! I can’t believe I waited this long to read it. I really loved all the main characters, but from reading the upcoming blurbs for other books in the series, I’m not sure if these characters will appear or not. It seems like they are all free-standing, but at least this book had a very nice ending!

Sara Cutler, head librarian of the Calendar library was working to save the library from demolition. When she found her assistant murdered in that library and realized how very little she really knew about her, it made her wonder just what Bree had been up to that had gotten her killed. As Sara dug into the investigation more and more, the local detective warned her that her own life could be in dangers if the people that killed Bree thought Sara knew something. Add to that mix the fact that Sara felt herself falling for Jason who worked for the firm that was going to build over where the library was to be demolished. Can Sara save the library and find out who killed her assistant?

Of course she can, because this was an awesome cozy mystery! I gotta confess I realized who the killer was early on, but it was a lot of fun to read and see just when it would dawn on other people. The showdown was great and the book ending was very sweet. I do eventually want to read more in this series, especially if the mysteries are as good as this was.

View all my reviews

In Peppermint Peril–review

Tari Hann

My first review of 2019, and it was a super enjoyable book! I can always enjoy a good Christmas mystery. I loved how throughout the book Callie was stressing that the mystery needed solved by Christmas so that families could be together. That and the way it ended was just really heartwarming to me! I don’t know if this author’s name is a pen name or what, but she writes like someone well-established and I am very anxious to read the next book in this series!

I just loved the little brown and white Boston terrier, Daisy! She was being cared for by Callie who worked as a tour guide. Daisy always seemed to know when someone needed a dog to comfort them. And even Daisy got a happily ever after ending! The picture is the best one licensed for free use that I thought Daisy might look like.

Disclaimer: I was provided a hardcover copy of this book from the publisher via a group I belong to, but I voluntarily read and reviewed it. Being given the book had no bearing on what type of review I would give.

My Goodreads review:

In Peppermint Peril (A Tea and Read Mystery, #1)In Peppermint Peril by Joy Avon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a good mystery that turned out to be a heartwarming Christmas story! I really enjoyed getting to know all the characters, and I can’t wait to read the next book! In the very back, the author said it would take place in July. This book was really well-written and plotted. I have no idea if the author is someone’s pen name who is already established, but if not, it sure seems that way, like they aren’t just a beginning writer.

Callie Aspen, who worked as a travel tour guide, was home over Christmas helping her aunt Iphy with her shop called Book Tea. Iphy made cakes with book clues in them for people. At the big tea party she’d made a large winter cake for, the body of the gardener was found in the conservatory. The whole thing had purposely been given an Agatha Christie feel, since the lady of the house, 90-something Dorothea Finster had announced her will was going to be changed. Everyone invited was hoping for a cut of it, but instead, they ended up with a murder.

I liked how Callie and Deputy Falk got along. They were just a little rocky at first, but she wasn’t like some sleuths who seem to take offense at everything the police officer says or does. They worked well together and he seemed pretty charmed and won over by her as well. There was no shortage of suspects, until they started producing alibis. I loved the web of deceit that made it seem like everyone had secrets. I had randomly named the person as the killer, but the author seemed to steer away from anyone that I had suspected. I loved the stake-out type take down at the end!

The ending was incredibly Christmasy with family being reunited–which was basically all Dorothea had wanted. Callie had to make an important decision for herself and the little dog she’d temporarily adopted. I enjoyed the side story of Falk’s sister Peggy and her two small sons. Falk naturally was very protective of her, but Callie helped him realize that maybe Peggy just wanted a little credit for trying to be a good single mom–she was widowed when her Coast Guard husband went on a rescue mission. I’m really anxious for the next book to come out!

Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of this book by the publisher, but I voluntarily chose to read and review it. My opinions are my own.

View all my reviews

Foodies Read 2019

Tari Hann

I just had to add this one when I saw Mark at Carstairs Considers talking about it. It’s sponsored by Heather at Spirit Blog (sign up here). There doesn’t seem to be a minimum or levels to worry about, you link up then it sounds like there’s a drawing every month. But if you win once, you have to wait six months to try and win again, which sounds fair. Be sure to go to Heather’s blog that I linked to read all the details and link up with her.

Cozy mysteries have tons of foodie themes, so this should be a pretty easy one to do. Anyone else going to do this?

I’ll list my books here:

  1. In Peppermint Peril–Joy Avon  In Peppermint Peril by Joy Avon (#1 Book Tea Shop)
  2. Batter Off Dead–Maymee Bell Batter Off Dead (A Southern Cake Baker Mystery, #2) (#2 Southern Cake Baker)
  3. Candy Apple Killer–Chelsea Thomas Candy Apple Killer (#3 Apple Orchard)
  4. A Ghost of Glaze–Melissa Monroe A Ghost of Glaze: A Vampire & Baking Cozy Mystery (Priscilla Pratt Mystery Book 6) (#6 Priscilla Pratt)
  5. Iced Under–Barbara Ross Iced Under (A Maine Clambake Mystery, #5) (#5 Maine Clambake)
  6. Decaffeinated Scandal–Tonya Kappes Decaffeinated Scandal by Tonya Kappes (#5 Killer Coffee)
  7. A Tiny Bite of Murder–Constance BarkerA Tiny Bite of Murder by Constance Barker (#1 Monkey’s Eyebrow Tea Room)
  8. A Juicy Morsel of Jealousy–Christine Zane Thomas A Juicy Morsel of Jealousy by Christine Zane Thomas (#3 Foodie Files)
  9. Meet Your Baker–Ellie Alexander Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander (#1 Bakeshop Mysteries)
  10. Death by Chocolate Malted Milkshake–Sarah GravesDeath by Chocolate Malted Milkshake by Sarah Graves (#2 Death by Chocolate)
  11. Candy, Murder & Me–Carolyn Chambers Clark Candy, Murder & Me by Carolyn Chambers Clark (#1 Cookie Berelli)
  12. Chocolate Cream Pie Murder–Joanne Fluke Chocolate Cream Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke (#24, Hannah Swenson)
  13. The St. Valentine’s Day Cookie Massacre–Elisabeth Crabtree The St. Valentine's Day Cookie Massacre by Elisabeth Crabtree (#1, Hatter’s Cove)
  14. Long Paw of the Law Book 6–Laurie Ann Marie Long Paw of the Law 6 by Laurie Anne Marie (#6, Long Paw of the Law)
  15. A Murder Moist Foul–Summer Prescott A Murder Moist Foul by Carol Durand (#1, Frosted Love)
  16. A Pinch of Murder–Summer Prescott A Pinch of Murder by Carol Durand (#2, Frosted Love)
  17. Restaurant Weeks Are Murder–Libby Klein Restaurant Weeks Are Murder by Libby Klein (#3, Poppy McAllister)
  18. Drawn and Buttered–Shari Randall Drawn and Buttered by Shari Randall (#3, Lobster Shack)
  19. One Taste Too Many–Debra H. Goldstein One Taste Too Many by Debra H. Goldstein (#1, Sarah Blair)
  20. A Catered St. Patrick’s Day–Isis Crawford A Catered St. Patrick's Day by Isis Crawford (#8, Mysteries w/Recipes)
  21. A Slice of Murder–Chris Cavender A Slice of Murder by Chris Cavender (#1, Pizza Lover’s Mystery)
  22. Lemon Meringue Pie Murder–Joanne Fluke Lemon Meringue Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke (#4, Hannah Swenson)
  23. The Hidden Corpse–Debra Sennefelder The Hidden Corpse by Debra Sennefelder (#2, Food Blogger)
  24. Kernel of Truth–Kristi Abbott Kernel of Truth by Kristi Abbott (#1, Popcorn Shop)
  25. Murder from Scratch by Leslie Karst Murder from Scratch–Leslie Karst (#4, Sally Solari)
  26. Allergic to Death by Peg Cochran Allergic to Death–Peg Cochran (#1, Gourmet De-Lite)
  27. Sweet Revenge by Morgana Best Sweet Revenge–Morgana Best (#1, Cocoa Narel Chocolate Shop)
  28. The Diva Sweetens the Pie by Krista Davis The Diva Sweetens the Pie–Krista Davis (#12, Domestic Diva)
  29. Sifting Through Clues by Daryl Wood Gerber Sifting Through Clues–Daryl Wood Gerber (#8, Cookbook Nook)

 

New Year Greetings for 2019!

Tari Hann

Hey wow, it’s 2019, did you party like it was still 1999? Well, I hope everyone is able to get some much-needed rest after a busy Christmas season. I wish all of you the very best that 2019 has to offer, especially peace and many blessings and good health.

I’m just writing today about a couple of cool apps I recently added. Yes, I’m probably the last person on the planet to discover them. I always wondered what was so darn great about WordPress reader until I found the WordPress app! Light bulb moment! I can immediately approve posts here and write a nearly-immediate reply. I could even post on the fly if I wanted to.

But…I can only follow people who, like me, have WordPress blogs. What about all those others that I want to follow but not have to always bother with checking emails or going on a clunky website to look at other blogs?

Enter Blog Lovin’ app! I had deleted all the blogs I followed there sometime ago, because I never remembered to go to the website. Some blogs never have had the ability to be followed by email, and I feel like I was missing out on some good ones…until I found the Blog Lovin’ app. You can follow just about any blog, no matter what the platform is. My personal preference for platforms is WordPress (well, I haven’t used the new editor yet, so maybe the jury is still out?), but Blogspot does have some good features too. I only have a presence on Blogspot that is my ID for commenting on Blogspot blogs. I don’t actually write any posts there.

Here’s my little snippet for Blog Lovin’ so that I can claim my blog through there: Follow my blog with Bloglovin. If you want to, go for it! I appreciate any and all followers. I do love comments, but please remember they’re moderated. I’m fairly sure I’d be okay if I ever set it to non-moderated, but since I can approve comments quickly now with the WordPress app, I think I’ll leave it moderated so I can keep all of us safe from not-nice comments.

Did you guys all set a Goodreads challenge for 2019? If you would like to share yours, feel free to comment. Or if you want even more challenges, go to my Challenges list. If you check out My Reader’s Block blog run by Bev, that lady is the champion of lots of challenges. You won’t believe the awesome list she has!

Have fun reading this year and let the 2019 Challenges begin!

TBR Pile Challenge 2019

Tari Hann

This TBR Challenge is sponsored by Adam at Roof Beam Reader. You can sign up at his blog’s page Announcing the 2019 TBR Pile Challenge! (sign up here).

I’d first read about it on Tina’s Reading Between the Pages blog post.

The goal is to read just twelve books from your TBR pile. This shouldn’t be a huge issue if anyone is also doing the Mount TBR Challenge. From the way this blog is worded, I would say these books definitely need to be physical books from your shelves, pile or wherever you keep what you’re wanting to read. Audio books do count, however. Two alternates may be picked just on the off-chance that there’s a book you won’t make it through (that’s pretty rare for me, but I’ll pick two anyway).

You don’t have to read your list in any particular order. See Adam’s sign up page for all the details and to link up if you have a blog. Good luck if you’re doing this challenge!

My 2019 Roof Beam Reader TBR Pile Challenge List (reading in no particular order):

Lending a Paw—Laurie Cass–finished 4/8/19

Meet Your Baker—Ellie Alexander–finished 2/4/19

Pleating for Mercy—Melissa Bourbon–finished 1/16/19

Dire Threads—Janet Bolin

The Big Kitty—Claire Donally

Last Wool and Testament—Molly MacRae

A Killer Plot—Ellery Adams–finished 3/18/19

By Cook or by Crook—Maya Corrigan

Knit One, Purl Two—Maggie Sefton

Buried in a Book—Lucy Arlington

Murder Takes the Cake—Gayle Trent

Toasting Up Trouble—Linda Wiken

Alternates:

Bran New Death—Victoria Hamilton

Kernel of Truth—Kristi Abbott–finished 4/17/19