Publishers Comments – Page 7 – Rosepoint Publishing

Welcome to My Top Ten Favorite Reads of 2018

My Favorite Reads of 2018

So many wonderful books this year it was near to impossible to narrow down this list to my Top Ten Favorite Reads. Obviously, a heroic effort, as I can list many more than ten at 4.5 stars or better and judging from your likes and comments, were books you recognized and appreciated too! They appear in no particular order below. I am combining the two Dean Koontz’s books as they are part of the same series and came in within several months of each other. (I’m a sucker for the Jane Hawk series.)

Frosty's toy The books wend their way over a broad range of genre’s and once again, I’ve found some amazing books in a genre that stretched the reading chops. Among my favorites are psychological thrillers, literary fiction, humorous novels, cozy mysteries, and (what you say??) doggie stories! (Well, I guess no surprise there.) These are books that feed your soul, provide food for thought or chuckles that are share-worthy. I found so many delightful little passages, I began to share them in my Quick Quotes.

Once again, I leaned heavily on NetGalley for new reads as well as accepted a number of author requests and beta reads. I signed up for the NetGalley Challenge on a platinum level (75 books) and according to my count (and my Reading Challenge page) nailed that one. I fell short on the Alphabet Challenge, however, failing to find an “X”. Found some great new authors that I’ll want to follow as well as continue with a few of my favs which I’d rabidly follow any time they present a new offering.

Follow the link in the title to explore my full review as well as additional links from the books and the link on the cover to the purchase link at Amazon. You’ve probably read your share of these same books and I’d love to hear which ones you also loved that are included in your favorite reads list of the year.

5 stars

A Dog’s Way Home – Literature & Fiction, Family Life It’s a dog story–I’ll love it. And written by acclaimed and sympathetic author of canine narratives, W Bruce Cameron, you know it will be excellent.

The Crooked Staircase – Literature & Fiction, Action & Adventure, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense The Dean Koontz Jane Hawk series has it all and is very popular. I’m dialed in and looking forward to the next (and final?) installment.

The Forbidden Door – See comments above for the Jane Hawk series. If you haven’t checked it out, may want to begin with book 1, but in any case, these can work as standalone gripping thrillers.

Ray vs The Meaning of Life – Literature and fiction This is one of those annoyingly great narratives, full of laughs and outrageous situations, but one that packs quite the moral punch. A new author for me but one I’ll continue to follow!

A Pirate’s Road to Key West – Action/adventure, historical fiction The Hole in the Coral Wall Gang always does the right thing. Fast-paced non-stop action. One of my favorite authors and apparently yours too!

4.5 of five stars 4.5 stars

The Last Homecoming – Literature & Fiction, Contemporary Fiction Christmas-time story of a poignant look at a house that stayed in the hearts of the last four generations of its occupants.

Lethal in Old Lace – Cozy mystery Written by one of my new favorite authors, quirky characters and Old Southern charm and locale.

Dirty Who? – Mystery, thriller and suspense Step back into the crime noir genre and enjoy this Dirty Harry kind of guy as he goes about solving the crime.

The Colonel and the Bee – Literature & Fiction, Literary Fiction, Action & Adventure with more than a little fantasy. What a wild and wonderful ride this was! Fun, fast-paced, amazing characters. (Think Around the World in 80 Days.)

Burning Ridge – Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Written by Margaret Mizushima spotlights our K-9 partners and this one is a solid, riveting tale in this successful canine series.

The Long Paw of the Law – Thriller & Suspense, Cozy, Animals, Police Procedural How can you go wrong with a canine crime-solving companion in a topical well-plotted narrative.

Which of the above did you read? Did I miss something fantastic this year that you’d love to tell me about? Do you have a suggestion (book or author) for my 2019 reads?

Happy New Year!

Have a safe and Happy New Year’s Eve and a healthy, successful 2019!

Book Beginnings and The Friday 56–HELLO Friday!

Book Beginnings on Fridays and The Friday 56

In October I began participating in Book Beginnings who is hosted by Gillian at Rose City Readers. Every Friday you have the opportunity to share the first sentence of the book you are currently reading. Include the title of the book and the author’s name. You may wish to share your impression of the book to date as well. Also please share your post with Mister Linky on her blog site. This week I am spotlighting Oh Holy Fright by Teresa Trent.

“What would possess Joe Nelson to give the Christmas solo to a woman who sings like a washing machine full of rocks?”

(And because there is a natural tie-in to The Friday 56, it is common to combine the two.)

The only rules are for participation in The Friday 56 is to grab a book, any book or the one you are #currentlyreading, turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader, and find a sentence (or a few, but don’t spoil it!), post it, and then add your post URL to the Linky on the host site Freda’s Voice – there yah go! How’s that for easy!

Friday 56:

Ruby spun around in front of me. “I know you’re looking at my jacket, Betsy. Like it?”

The white fur of the jacket was lustrous. I would never have bought it for myself, and I also thought it was more suited for a woman much younger than Ruby. She was running the risk of looking like the famous abominable snowman from the claymation version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. “Very nice,” was all I could manage to say.

So what am I thinking?

Nice to get into a slightly unusual scenario for a cozy mystery! I can relate to a choir member hurting your ears since I was part of several choirs for more than fifteen years. And there is always one…

This review is scheduled for Christmas Day. Don’t you just love that cover?

2019 NetGalley-Edelweiss Reading Challenge – It’s Time to Sign Up!

Reading Challenges

It’s time to sign up for the 2019 NetGalley-Edelweiss Reading Challenge.

You’ll remember there was a host change mid-year and it was moved to Tina at Reading Between The Pages. Take a look at the Challenge Guidelines (don’t worry–they are simple!) and pick your Level (see below). I think I’ll make my challenge this year but it will be tight. Last year I chose Platinum (75 books) and it’s been a struggle, but will sign up for Platinum again! (Wish me luck!!)

The challenge runs from January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019. There is no deadline to signup.

Everyone is welcome to participate – you do not need to have a blog.
Any genre, release date, length, etc. counts, it just needs to be a book from NetGalley or Edelweiss.
Books can count for more than one challenge that you are participating in.
If you want to move up or down a level – go for it!
The first day of each month I will post a monthly “link-up” for you to link your reviews. If you forget one month, no worries, just catch up the next month.

The Levels…

Bronze – 10 Books

Silver – 25 Books

Gold – 50 Books

Platinum – 75 Books

Diamond – 100 Books

You can see my 2018 progress on my Reading Challenges page. For complete information and your sign up instructions, be sure to join everyone at Reading Between the Pages.

And don’t forget to use the hashtag #NGEW2019 and use Tina’s Mr. Linky!

V Williams

The Naughty Or Nice Tag

Internet connection woes have set me back and I missed my usual Tuesday post, but I did see this tag on Abigail’s blog post and thought I’d plug it in. Hoping then to clear my backlog, catch up with everyone, and get back to posting reviews on schedule!

The Naughty or Nice Tag

Thank you, Abigail, and here are the questions. You’ll have to read to the bottom to see my score.

Received an ARC and not reviewed it

Nope! If I’ve gotten an ARC, I’ve read and reviewed it! Score one for me!

Have less than 60% feedback rating on NetGalley

My (current) score is at 93%. Once I got it back above 80%, I’ve been very, very careful with it.

Rated a book on Goodreads and promised a full review was to come on your blog (and never did)

Actually, I think it’s more closely the opposite. If I get the blog review done, I reduce the word count and post on Goodreads, Amazon, and NetGalley the following day.

Folded down the page of a book

Not since I started reading on my Kindle and cell phone and it doesn’t say “ever.” I have received a few printed books, but have bookmarks for those.

Accidentally spilled on a book

NOPE! Am very careful around my cell phone–pretty much my entire life is on it.

DNF a book this year

√ Oops, I have had to do this. I usually try to get through it, but would rather level with the author privately that I cannot.

Bought a book purely because it was pretty with no intention of reading it

Nope.

Read whilst you were meant to be doing something else (like homework)

√ Absolutely! All the time. It’s either that or Words With Friends2.

Skim read a book

√ Unfortunately, I have had to resort to this solution to finish a book on deadline, or when it is really dragging and I’m trying not to DNF it!

Completely missed your Goodreads goal

Have my Goodreads goal met. Now if I could just likewise meet the NetGalley Challenge and the Alphabet Challenge!

Borrowed a book and not returned it to the library

They’ve all gone back. My library alerts me when it’s expired and updates it for me, usually another two weeks. Talk about accommodating!

Broke a book buying ban

My books fortunately come via NetGalley, author requests, or BookBub free to me for an honest review. So, no.

Started a review, left it for ages then forgot what the book was about

√ Unfortunately, yes, but usually read and not reviewed right away, rather than started and not finished.

Wrote in a book you were reading

√ That’s the neat part about reading on my cell phone (or Kindle). I can mark stuff up and color code it depending on whether it is an edit problem, something I want to remember, or a comment I can use as a quote. Does that count?

Finished a book and not added it to your Goodreads

My books are usually added to my tbr on Goodreads as soon as I get it.

Borrowed a book and not returned it to a friend

I don’t borrow books, unless from the library, and they always go back.

Dodged someone asking if they can borrow a book

Broke the spine of someone else’s book

Hope NOT!

Took the jacket off a book to protect it and ended up making it more damaged

The jackets can be a pain when you are actively reading the book. I may remove it, but hope it isn’t “more damaged.”

Sat on a book accidentally

Final Score: 5/20 I think that puts me in the “nice” category. Please feel free to use this tag. I’d love to see your answers!

The Kooky Kids’ Club by Robbie Yates

Title: The Kooky Kids’ Club by Robbie Yates

Publication Date: November 10, 2018

Source: @Shalini_G26 at Digital Reads Blog Tours

What a delightful invitation!

My Invitation - The Kooky Kids' Club by Robbie Yates

I am now an honorary member of The Kooky Kids’ Club and as such, it is suggested, or requested, that I divulge any kooky quirks I might have. As a book blogger, however, you know that I wouldn’t have any of those–quirks? Nah. But there are just a couple idiosyncrasies (among the others) that I might disclose.

First, years ago I began a collection of frogs. Yes, frogs. There is a long story behind that, one that included “live” frogs. Needless to say, I won’t go into detail, but it soon got around (you know how those things happen!) and soon I was getting frogs for my birthdays, Christmases, and for any little celebration between. Big ones (giant sized, concrete garden frogs), little ones, collectibles, and even one from both our French exchange students and our Croatian exchange student who soon became our Croatian “son.” Here are just a few that are left.

Froggies from collection

Then if you’ve followed my blog for any period of time know that I took up riding a motorcycle at 55 years of age. Not the brightest thing I’ve ever done, but certainly one of the most fun. It so happened at the time that I had an ever-growing Victorian Christmas Village. You’ve seen those? Beautiful little snowy miniatures of old-time snowy Christmas village scenes. My daughter found a Harley-Davidson building. Didn’t exactly fit the Victorian time frame but of all the churches, libraries, homes, and theatres, quickly became my favorite piece and the one building I still have after winters in an RV and several moves. (And no, I didn’t ride a Harley. I rode a BMW. You know what they say about BMW motorcycles? “I didn’t know they also made cars until I passed one!”)

HD Christmas

But are those actually quirks? Maybe, but we all have collections. What are some of your most treasured collections? Is there a quirky story tied to that collection? I know they probably have a heart connection, right?

The Kooky Kids' Club by Robbie Yates

The Kooky Kids’ Club. A children’s book. Really? Isn’t there a lesson in there for all of us?

Coming Friday, my review of The Kooky Kids’ Club and as you may have guessed, this has been a fun one!

Rosepoint #BookReviews – Welcome December – November Recap

Welcome December-November Recap

Oh my gosh! I got SOOO busy I totally spaced on getting out the recap for October. I got in some great reads in October and November, however, including cozies, crime fiction, paranormal, psychological thrillers, and even some sci-fi! I posted a total of twelve reviews for the November–as well a couple spotlights. Definitely ramped up the book tours and have greatly benefited by utilizing NetGalley almost exclusively as I achieved my 100 Reviews Badge!

Still learning whatever I can about Instagram and bookstagram, though obviously have a long way to go. Since I pretty much shoot from the hip, there is little in the way of actual scheduling other than the night before (wink, wink). It’s not a business–it’s for fun. And it is. I’ve seen some amazing technology and would love to pass it on, but “regramming” is also something I’ve yet to learn. (Another app download? — not when my poor ole Galaxy 5 is already maxxed.)

My book reviews for November (many of which included Giveaways):

A Different Kind of Reunion by Joanne Guidoccio

If you missed any of my full reviews, just click the link below.

Nov 2 – A Different Kind of Reunion by Joann Guidoccio (Spotlight)

Nov 4 – Yeast of Eden by Sarah Fox

Nov 6 – Thread Herrings by Lea Wait

Nov 7 – Harvest of Secrets by Ellen Crosby

Nov 9 – House of Ashes by Loretta Marion

Nov 11- Murder in Her Stocking by G. A. McKevett

Nov 13- A Vintage Death by Mary Ellen Hughes

Nov 15- The Darkness Prequel Tour by C. S. Duffy (Spotlight)

Nov 16- A Cold Brew Killing by Lena Gregory

Nov 18- Murder at Harbor Village by G. P. Gardner

Nov 20- Purls and Poison by Anne Canedeo

Nov 23- Zephyr by Andrew Cooke

Nov 25- Love You Gone by Rona Halsall

Nov 27- The Body in the Attic by Judi Lynn

At this point, I’ve achieved my personal goal for Goodreads of 100 reviews. I’ll need one more for the NetGalley Challenge of 75 reviews, but missing Q (currently reading Quantum Marlowe), J, W, and X for the Alphabet Challenge. There are three books scheduled so far for December and none of those will fill the missing letters. If you fail to add the #NGEW2018 tag for the reviews, are they still included in the tally?

How are you doing on your challenges? Anyone have a J, W, or X book for me?

A big thank to all my new followers and as always so appreciate you who continue to read and comment! Thank you!

Happy Thanksgiving! How Did I Get Here?

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving (Thursday) to all my U.S. blogger friends and to those around the world!

We in the U.S. are indeed made up all of “your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” and many have done very well for themselves (not quite so for my own family). While you who are outside of America may be able to point with pride to your five times removed grandfathers, we’ve been on a long quest to discover just who we are and where we came from. For many of us–that’s a mystery!

I started that search as a girl after my grandfather (Patrick J Rose aka Stanley McShane) passed away, for whom I’ve since published his manuscripts. It was after he was gone that I realized I knew nothing about his history, nor did my mother really, and the only hints to his origins were buried in his books. Unfortunately, they contain so many contradictions, it’s impossible to nail down exactly where he did originate and how he came to be in the United States. (However, I do remember his rich Irish brogue and the beautiful way he pronounced my name.) But I hit one wall after the other and gave up.

Now my son has taken up the torch and has found some amazing connections! First, I can say one of us may have come over on the original three ships–if not the Nina, Pinta, or Santa Maria, one very soon after and was then in both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War (some interesting history there as well). The grandmother I remember on my dad’s side was born on the Chippewa Reservation of the Cherokee Reservation of OK (Oklahoma) in Indian Territory. It was her husband, William (left), that is our link to early America.

The grandmother on my mother’s side was 100% Swedish (standing on the left), first generation to be born in America. Anders’ sons have been traced back to Sweden, the family living approximately six miles from the North Sea. She had beautiful red hair and along with my husband’s father’s red hair contributed to my grandson’s red hair.

Tangled with what we believe may originally have been German (and Swedish) are French, Irish and English.

We are a melting pot of many tribes, perhaps made stronger for it, but the wonder of it all is that we are here and celebrating our thanks today. Not just for our current blessings, but for all those brave souls who crossed the pond in unkindly conditions seeking a better life. We are truly blessed. Have you been on an ancestor quest? What delightful mysteries have you discovered?

Purls and Poison by Anne Canadeo #BlogTour #BookReview #Giveaway

I am so delighted today to provide a review for you at my blog stop for Purls and Poison (A Black Sheep & Co. Mystery) by Anne Canadeo on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour. Scroll down to enter your chance to win the Giveaway!

Book Details

Purls and Poison (A Black Sheep & Co. Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Kensington (October 30, 2018)
Hardcover: 320 pages
ISBN-10: 1496708636
ISBN-13: 978-1496708632
Digital ASIN: B079KT54BW

When a fellow Black Sheep Knitter is suspected of poisoning her coworker, the group puts down their needles and takes up their friend’s defense . . .

Suzanne Cavanaugh has just about had it with her office rival at Prestige Properties. It’s bad enough that Liza Devereaux is constantly needling her at work, but when she shows up at one of Suzanne’s open houses to poach potential buyers, it’s the last straw. No one in the office fails to hear the two snarling at each other.

When Liza is later found dead in her office cubicle—poisoned by a diet shake—Suzanne becomes the prime suspect. It’s soon discovered, though, that Liza had double-crossed so many around town and stashed their dark secrets in her designer handbags that anyone could be the culprit.

The Black Sheep Knitters have no doubt their friend has been framed—but they need to prove it. Stirred to action, they get together to catch a sneaky killer who’s trying to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes . . .

My Review

I’m a big knitter at heart, so seeing the title and blurb sold me on signing up for the opportunity to read this little cozy. (Well, I must confess to messing with some crocheting as well, but knitting is my fav.) The idea of a group of lady knitters, best friends, sitting around with a glass of vino, trying to solve a murder mystery definitely piques the interest, huh? Well, obviously, these are not the ladies you’d normally imagine in a knitting group.

This particular entry to the series has Suzanne as a prominent character, although Maggie imparts some wisdom as well. The group consists of Suzanne, Maggie, Dana, Lucy, and Phoebe. Each has their own backgrounds, stories to tell, and fields of expertise. Suzanne is an upper-level real estate agent, dealing in better homes, and apparently has some serious office competition in Liza Devereaux. Liza is very good at what she does and manages to take a client and a sale from Suzanne that would have earned her a douzy commission. They fight, publicly, big time.

After meeting with her Black Sheep Knitting group (and mellowing out some), she is ready to offer an apology only to be the one who discovers Liza’s body. Suzanne is naive and easily admits to having the big fight with Liza. Suzanne has an amazingly sweet, understanding, and patient hubby in Kevin, and Maggie has a significant other in Detective Charles Mossbacher. It is Charles along with his partner Frank who take the emotional Suzanne in for questioning. She is also her own worst enemy and opens her mouth one too many times until one of her group finds her an attorney.

I particularly appreciated Maggie, the owner of the knitting shop. She has attained an easy-going manner in life and created a successful business with a good head on her shoulders. I also liked Lucy. Charles is a good guy just trying to do his job. The ladies are trying to do theirs–not for the first time apparently.

The well-plotted storyline moves along at an even pace. The knitters do an impressive job of creating donated baby and toddler items. The group enjoys each other’s company and exchange ideas and offer encouragement and backing to Suzanne and it’s a pleasure to partake, even if vicariously, in their get-togethers. There are red herrings, diversion of possible perps, investigated and dismissed or pursued. The dialogue is easy and natural and the conclusion swings in unexpectedly, though not wholly a surprise.

(Unfortunately, once again, I’ve come in at the second in the series* and get the feeling I may have missed some important developing going on in the first of the series. So you might wish to begin with the first.)

I was given this ebook download by the publisher and NetGalley for this book tour and greatly appreciated the opportunity to read and review. Recommended for those who enjoy cozy mysteries, crafting hobbies including knitting, and women sleuths.

*[Goodreads note: Starting with book #9, the series changed publishers and are published with a slightly different series name of “A Black Sheep & Company Mystery,” but they are a continuation of the Black Sheep Knitting Mysteries series.]

Giveaway

Sign up for your chance to win one of (3) Autographed Copy of Purls and Poison (A Black Sheep & Co. Mystery) by Anne Canadeo (U.S. Only) in this Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

Anne Canadeo is the best-selling author of more than 30 books, including the Black Sheep & Company Mysteries, and as Katherine Spencer, the Cape Light and Angel Island series. She somehow manages to write a lot, despite many and much-loved distractions — such as digging up the garden, hanging out with her dog, trying new recipes, drinking copious amounts of mint tea, eating chocolate and volunteer work in the community. She lives in Northport, NY, a village on the Long Island Sound very much like the settings of her stories. Anne loves to hear from readers. Answering their messages is definitely another favorite distraction in her day.