~Book Review~ Strawberry Shortcake Murder

Who and what: Strawberry Shortcake Murder by Joanne Fluke; Hardcover Edition; ISBN: 1-57566-644-8 *Book 2 in the Hannah Swensen Mystery Series*

What it's about: The stakes start rising faster than dough when a judge from the Hartland Flour company's Dessert Bake-Off is found dead in Hannah Swensen's strawberry shortcake. Can she catch the killer before he or she cooks up another recipe -- for murder? (goodreads)


What I thought about it: I really like this series. I'm getting better at picking who the murder is, and I did with this one too - but the motive slipped past me. This was a fun cozy and the recipes included sound heavenly! 


Would I recommend this book? Yes I would - fun, interesting characters and the little town of Lake Eden, MN sounds like a great place to live.


Where I got it: The library


Challenges this book counts towards: 100 Books in a Year Challenge


~ Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book. ~ Author Unknown

~Review~ Blueberry Muffin Murder by Joanne Fluke

What and Who: Blueberry Muffin Murder by Joanne Fluke; Hardcover Edition; ISBN 9781575667072

What it's about: Preparations are underway for Lake Eden, Minnesota's annual Winter Carnival - and Hannah Swensen is set to bake up a storm at her popular shop, The Cookie Jar. Too bad the honour of creating the official Winter Carnival cake went to famous lifestyle maven Connie Mac - a half-baked idea, in Hannah's opinion. She suspects Connie Mac is a lot like the confections she whips up on her cable TV cooking show - sweet, light, and scrumptious-looking, but likely to leave a bitter taste in your mouth.Hannah's suspicions are confirmed when Connie Mac's limo rolls into town. Turns out America's 'cooking sweetheart' is a bossy, bad-tempered, and downright domineering. Things finally boil over when Hannah arrives at The Cookie Jar to find the Winter Carnival cake burnt to a crisp - and Connie Mac lying dead in her pantry, struck down while eating one of Hannah's famous blueberry muffins.Next thing Hannah knows, the police have declared The Cookie Jar's kitchen crime scene off-limits. She's a baker without an oven - and the Carnival is right around the corner. Hannah's only alternative is to cook up a plan to save her business - by finding the killer herself. (goodreads)


What I thought: I really like this series. This one was a little harder to figure out who the killer was and I enjoyed that. Plus there was so much other fun stuff going on that it made the book a very fun read. Bonus for me - there's actually a recipe in here that my husband is willing to try out! I've wanted to try all the recipes because they just sound so good. If you are looking for a fun cozy this is a good choice!


How I rate it: I really liked it - so a 4.5.


Where I got it: my favorite place - the library


Challenges this book counts towards: 2011 Support Your Local Library Challenge; A to Z Reading Challenge; 100 Books in a Year Challenge


~ Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book. ~ Author Unknown

~Review~ Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke

What and Who: Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke; Hardcover Edition; ISBN 978-0-7582-3489-6

What it's about: It's June in Lake Eden, Minnesota, and for Hannah Swensen, that means bridal showers galore, plus a massive fundraising event in need of confections—not to mention a killer who never learned that charity begins at home...

Early summer brings plenty of work for Hannah, even before Mayor Bascomb's wife drops by The Cookie Jar to place an order ...for eleven-hundred cookies! Stephanie Bascomb is organizing an elaborate three-day event to support local charities, and though it's a worthy cause, Hannah almost flips when her business partner, Lisa, suggests setting up an apple turnover stand. Hannah's never made a turnover—but, pushover that she is, she places her faith in Lisa's mother-in-law's recipe and agrees to be a magician's assistant in the fundraiser's talent show...

Dozens of pastries and one hideous purple dress later, Hannah has to admit that stepping out of her comfort zone has been fun as well as profitable. The only snag is the show's host, community college professor Bradford Ramsey. Hannah and her younger sister Michelle each had unfortunate romantic relationships with Ramsey, and when the cad comes sniffing around between acts, Hannah tells him off. But when the curtain doesn't go up, she discovers Ramsey backstage—dead as a doornail with a turnover in his hand...

Now, to protect her reputation and Michelle's, Hannah must get to the bottom of the professor's bitter end. There are plenty of scorned suspects, including an ex-wife who feels cheated in more ways than one, and a prominent local who may have been using Ramsey to avenge her own randy spouse. But who was unstable enough to snuff out Professor Love? A killer who's flakier than puffpastry—and far more dangerous... (goodreads)

What I think: I want to live in Lake Eden Minnesota! I love the characters in these books. I have to say I didn't see it coming this time either. I love that! I thought it wouldn't matter if I read these out of order, but apparently it does to some degree. There were some subjects brought up from previous books that it would have been nice to know what they were talking about. Not completely necessary to the reading overall though. The recipes sound so good too. Too bad I'm the only one who eats sweets in this house or I'd be trying out all the recipes! 

How I rate it: I'm going to give it a 5 - I finished it in under 12 hours - that must mean I loved it enough to not want to put it down.

Where I got it: My library (of course). You all know how much I {heart} my library.

Challenges this book counts towards: 2011 Support Your Local Library Challenge; 100 Book in a Year Reading Challenge

~ Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book. ~ Author Unknown

Library Thursday

Time for Library Hop Thursday with Lazy Girl Reads. 

I visited two libraries this week. The Sumter Main and the Westmark Branch. What did I pick up?

Another Hannah Swensen Mystery

I've never read a Carolyn Hart

But.. it's a cozy and I 

needed a 'Y' book

Because I love these cats on the cover.

Really - that's it

and the books aren't too bad either!

I have this one and
his new one and I'll
have read everything Steve Berry
has written!

What did you check out from your library this week?

~ Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book. ~ Author Unknown

Library Thursday

Lazy Girl reads host this fun hop on Thursdays. It's easy - just say what you checked out from the library. Didn't go to the library this week? Share a picture of a library. Easy going folks!

Obviously I can't follow my rule about using the drop box to return books. But in my defense I couldn't drop the audiobook in the drop box - so I had to go it - and check out books!

I did control myself though - I only walked out with two!

I was in the mood for some Hannah!

I picked up another audiobook

this one is short though!

~ Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book. ~ Author Unknown

My First Audio Book

I decided to try an audiobook from the library. I don't listen to much music in the car and it seems like I spend a lot of time there, so I figured why not?

So, I checked out this number, thinking I like Leslie Meier and Joanne Fluke, so it should be OK And you know what, it is! Of course my son and husband don't quite "get" the whole listening to book thing. But that's all right - they aren't really readers (which makes me sad).

Today I finished listening to the first story - Gingerbread Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke. It was good - but I'm not sure if I liked the reader (is that what they're called?) all that much. The second one (Laura Levine's The Dangers of Gingerbread Cookies) started, and I like the reader much better on that one. Also, having never read anything by her before I am definitely interested in looking into her books. A cozy with a cat named Prozac - yeah, my kind of book for sure!

So, I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of my audiobooks and maybe checking out something else later. The selection is rather thin in town, but I could always use the interlibrary loans, right?


~ Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book. ~ Author Unknown

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder ~ Joanne Fluke

Synopsis and photo from GoodReads:  No one cooks up a delectable, suspense-filled mystery quite like Hannah Swensen, Joanne Fluke s dessert-baking, red-haired heroine whose gingersnaps are as tart as her comebacks, and whose penchant for solving crimes one delicious clue at a time has made her a bestselling favorite. And it all began on these pages, with a bakery, a murder, and some suddenly scandalous chocolate-chip crunchies. Featuring a bonus short story and brand new, mouthwatering recipes, this limited edition of the very first Hannah Swensen mystery is sure to have readers coming back for seconds.

Hannah Swenson already has her hands full trying to dodge her mother's attempts to marry her off while running The Cookie Jar, Lake Eden, Minnesota's most popular bakery. But once Ron LaSalle, the beloved delivery man from the Cozy Cow Dairy, is found murdered behind her bakery with Hannah's famous Chocolate Chip Crunchies scattered around him, her life just can't get any worse. Determined not to let her cookies get a bad reputation, she sets out to track down a killer. 

Who would have the sheer audacity and the motive to kill the most punctual delivery man Hannah ever had? Topping the list is the high school football coach. What exactly was his wife doing, making the rounds with the milkman? Could Max Turner, owner of Cozy Cow Dairy, have had a secret he didn't want to share with his top employee? The more Hannah snoops, the more suspects turn up. Why has Lake Eden s most prominent prodigal son, Benton Woodley, just resurfaced? And what about the mysterious Mr. Harris who seemed interested in buying the property next to the dairy, but then disappeared? This is one murder that's starting to leave a very bad taste in Hannah's mouth. And if she doesn't watch her back, Hannah's sweet life may get burned to a crisp.

Filled with a healthy sprinkling of humor and a delightful assortment of nuts, CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE MURDER serves up a great new mystery series and introduces a delicious, down-home sleuth that mystery readers will surely savor for years to come.

What I have to say:  I haven't read a 'cozy' in months and dang, I really missed them!  This is my first Joanne Fluke Mystery.  I love Hannah Swensen.  I really enjoyed how the characters were fleshed out and how great it was that most of them are incredibly likable.  

The recipes that were included all sounded so delish!  Too bad I'm the only cookie eater in this house or I would give them a shot.  I'm looking forward to reading more of these and getting to know Hannah and her small town a lot better.

I give it a 4 - loved it!

~ Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book. ~ Author Unknown