Monet Talks by Tamar Myers

I finished reading Monet Talks by Tamar Myers this past weekend. It's another cozy mystery novel part of Tamar Myers's Den of Antiquity Series and is the sixth novel I've read in this particular cozy mystery series so far. 

I was thrilled that Monet Talks was so much more entertaining to read than the previous Tamar Myers novel I read, which was titled So Faux, So Good. 

Monet Talks was funny, the storyline and characters were good for the most part. Plus, Monet Talks was a fast novel to read, mainly due to the storyline and fun characters this time around. The following is a description of Monet Talks from the author's website:

Charleston antiques dealer Abigail Timberlake Washburn is thrilled by her recent estate auction purchase of a spectacular bejeweled birdcage from India, but not so much by its occupant, a mouthy mynah named Monet. Still, her customers at the Den of Antiquity seem charmed by the insufferable birdbrain, so Abby figures she's stuck with him. That is, until she finds a stuffed starling resting on his usual perch with a ransom note demanding a real Monet (the painted variety) in exchange for her purloined pet.

Since she doesn't happen to have a priceless masterpiece on hand--and since a mynahless existence isn't all that distasteful a prospect--Abby figures she'll let the thief keep the annoying avian. But when her mama Mozella is abducted by the craven birdnapper, Abby must leap into the fray to rescue mater and mynah alike ... before the feathers really start to fly!

The only complaint I have about this novel is that I was surprised by whodunit. I would have never guessed the person whodunit to be the one who did. I suppose this is a good thing in some regards, but the guilty person seemed to come out of nowhere. Other than that, I'd recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys reading cozy mystery novels.

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

"My stories run up and bite me on the leg -- I respond by writing down everything that goes on during the bite. When I finish, the idea lets go and runs off." Ray Bradbury

Fictional Character Dinner Party

My post yesterday had me thinking about all of the wonderful characters from novels I've read over the years and what it would be like to met some of them (if it were possible) in real life.

I found the following characters to be interesting, different, likeable, unique, intriguing and/or simply fun. 

1) Hercule Poirot, the Belgium detective found in several of Agatha Christie's novels.

2) Miss Marple from Agatha Christie's novels and short stories.

3) Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp Randall Fraser & James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser from Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. I found them both to be fun and interesting characters. Jamie is sexier than hell!

4) Susan "Stargirl" Caraway from Jerry Spinelli's novel Stargirl. I liked her nonconformist attitude and individuality!!

5) Behemoth from Mikhail Bulgalov's The Master & Margarita. Who wouldn't want to meet an enormous black cat, capable of standing on two legs and talking as well as his love of chess, vodka and pistols? Talk about unique characters!

6) Captain Nemo from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea... The best antiheroes ever!

7) Great-Uncle Magnus Pringle from Ultra-Violet Catastrophe! Or, The Unexpected Walk with Great-Uncle Magnus Pringle by Margaret Mahy. Wouldn't it have been to have him as an uncle?


8) Chiyo/Nitta Sayuri the lead character from Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden... I enjoyed reading this book and liked the leading character.

9) Samuel Hamilton and Lee from Steinbeck's East of Eden. Both were my favorite characters from East of Eden.

 

Which fictional characters do you think would make interesting dinner guests at a dinner party?

Author Dinner Party --- Who would you invite?

If you could host a dinner party and invite any number of authors from the past or present, who would they be and why would you choose these authors to attend your dinner party?

I'd select the following writers to attend my dinner party:

1) William Shakespeare as he's endured the test of time and is cherished by many fans around the world. Besides who wouldn't be curious as to what he'd be like as a person in real life?

2) Agatha Christie because she's the grand dame of mystery writing and I love her novels!

3) Mikhail Bulgakov because I loved reading his satirical novel the Master & Margarita... When you read something like Master & Margarita, one can't help but wonder what the author was really like in real life!

4) John Steinbeck because he's a brilliant writer!

5) Margaret Atwood because she's my favorite female novelist and always has interesting themes in her books.

6) Maya Angelou is an engaging speaker, writer and poet. I've seen her speak before a live audience twice in the past & she is always interesting and entertaining. She'll recite poetry, sing, and speak about a wide variety of topics in an intelligent manner... She'd make an excellent dinner party guest.

Official Bookcrossing Zones!!!

I am an avid Bookcrosser!! I enjoy sharing my love of reading with other like minded readers by exchanging books and also meeting new people when the opportunity presents itself. 

Last weekend, I was in San Diego County celebrating my stepdad's birthday with my mom and my husband. On our return drive home, my husband and I stopped off in Vista, California to specifically visit Panera Bread, which contains an active Official Bookcrossing Zone inside (OBCZ).

An Official Bookcrossing Zone is a place where active members of the Bookcrossing community as well as other members of the community may leave and/or take books from a designated location within a particular establishment. In this case, there is a small bookcase inside Panera Bread filled with a fabulous selection of books that have been registered on Bookcrossing by the many wonderful Bookcrossing members at large.

This was my first visit to this particular Panera Bread location and the fourth OBCZ I've visited over the years. I ended up releasing three books during our brief visit and taking three additional novels home with me --- The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht,  Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris, and A Penny Urned by Tamar Myers were the books I've added to my current and ever growing to be read pile. All three novels were in almost pristine condition, but, the most exciting part was that two of the three novels were ones that had been on wishlist for quite awhile. 

Needless to say I left Panera Bread a happy camper last Sunday afternoon! I plan to stop by the Vista Panera Bread location during future visits to see my parents. It'll be fun to release books there again and find other wonderful books to read as well!

Have you visited an OBCZ before? If so, which ones?

Mysteries to Die For Bookstore

Last Friday afternoon I visited the Mysteries to Die For bookstore in Thousand Oaks, California. What a fabulous little specialty bookstore devoted to the mystery and thriller genres! 

Mysteries to Die For is a charming book bookstore in a cute strip mall and is easy to find. The staff is friendly and helpful, which makes visiting bookstores fun.

I purchased a bargain hardback edition of Leslie Meier's Christmas Cookie Murder, while visiting Mysteries To Die For. I look forward to reading this novel closer to the holiday season.

Mysteries to Die For offers many author signing events, they have many autographed books on hand, a newsletter and a monthly book club that meets the first Thursday of each month at 7:00pm. 

Please visit their website for upcoming author events, to join their mailing list, store hours and more!! Or you may call them at (805) 374-0084.

An Igloo Made From Books?!

Whoa, check out this cool igloo like structure that I discovered on the Dutton Publishing Blog!

The books used in this structure are "from a 'defunct U.S. Navy base library' form Colombian artist Miler Lagos’s impressive, self-supporting igloo-like sculpture. (via A Dome of Books | Colossal)".

Happy World Book Night to All!!

I had a fabulous time being a volunteer book giver for the first annual 2012 World Book Night here in the USA!! I finished distributing all twenty copies of Maya Angelou's autobiography I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by 4:30pm this afternoon. I gave away about two-thirds of the books in downtown Carpinteria and the remaining amount of books to people in my neighborhood and a couple copies of I Know Why The Cage Bird Sings went to family members I want to encourage to read.

I am so looking forward to signing up next year to be a 2013 World Night Book volunteer book giver!! I love sharing the joy of reading with others.  Becoming lost in a book is a wonderful thing!

If you signed up to be a 2012 World Book Night volunteer book giver, please share your experience with us here!!

Anyone else having this problem on Blogger??

I was away from home for a few days, so I scheduled blog posts to automatically post on their own while I was gone.... Only to find out that they didn't post at the scheduled date and time. 

I've used this feature plenty of times in the past without incident and have know idea why it's not working now?? Anyone else having this issue too on Blogger?

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

"Some women have a weakness for shoes... I can go barefoot if necessary. I have a weakness for books." Oprah Winfrey