May Day by Jess Lourey

I finished reading May Day by Jess Lourey yesterday and absolutely enjoyed reading every page of this cozy mystery novel. Jess Lourey is a new author to me and May Day is the first novel in Lourey's Murder-by-Month Mysteries series. 

I love Jess Lourey's writing style. She knows how to create a great story that captures and holds your attention from page one. I actually read this book in three days and would have probably finished reading it sooner if I wasn't so busy living life! 

Best of all, the lead character Lourey has created, Mira James, is like a breath of fresh air. Ms. James is smart, witty and different from other leading cozy sleuths I've read of late.

The following is a book description of May Day from Jess Lourey's website for a taste of what this cozy novel is all about:

A hip, humorous, and gripping account of small-town murder, this novel is the first in a series of comic caper mysteries featuring Mira James, an urban woman with rural Minnesota roots.

Minneapolitan Mira James has been taking it easy since college graduation - too easy. Due to a dead-end job and a cheating boyfriend, the Twin Cities have lost their charm, and Mira decides to begin a new life in rural Battle Lake. Right away she is offered jobs as an assistant librarian and part-time reporter, and falls into an unexpected romance with a guy who seems to be the perfect man -- until he turns up dead between the reference stacks her tenth day on the job.

Anxious to learn more about the man who had briefly stolen her heart, Mira delves into the hidden mysteries of Battle Lake, including a old land deed with ancient Ojibwe secrets, an obscure octogenarian crowd with freaky social lives, and a handful of thirty something high school buddies who hold bitter, decades-old grudges. Mira soon discovers that unknown dangers are concealed under the polite exterior of this quirky small town, and revenge is a tator-tot hot dish best served cold.

You may also enjoy reading an excerpt of May Day from the author's website!! Click on the link above to download a pdf excerpt for your reading pleasure.

Until my next post, happy reading!

September Fair by Jess Lourey

eBook Edition

I became a big fan of Jess Lourey's The Murder-By-Month Mysteries series when I read 'May Day' last year. 'May Day' is the first novel in The Murder-By-Month Mysteries series. I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'May Day' and promptly reviewed it on my blog afterward.

Last week, I read September Fair by Jess Lourey, which is the second cozy mystery novel I've read in The Murder-By-Month Mysteries series. I enjoyed reading it every bit as much as I did reading 'May Day'. 

Jess Lourey's writing style is fun and refreshing. The storyline in 'September Fair' is entertaining, the characters are well developed, and there isn't a dull moment found between the covers of this cozy mystery novel. I also found myself laughing out loud several times throughout 'September Fair' at some of scenes presented throughout the novel. The leading character, Mira James, as she is a very likable leading amateur sleuth and is a down to Earth character and someone you can relate to, which makes you like her character all the more.

The following is a book description for 'September Fair' found on the Amazon.com website:

The Minnesota State Fair-the beloved home of 4H exhibits, Midway rides, and everything on a stick. The festival fun is riding high until the recently crowned Milkfed Mary, Queen of the Dairy, a Battle Lake native, is brutally murdered while her regal likeness is carved in butter. Can Mira James, covering the fair for the Battle Lake Recall, expose a deadly State Fair secret and win a blue ribbon for caging a killer? You bet your last deep-fried Nut Goodie!

I look forward to reading the rest of the books in The Murder-By-Month Mysteries series. 

Which book series currently captivates your reading attention these days??

Until my next post, happy reading!!  

My Quarterly Reading Update

Wow, another three months has come and gone! This year has gone by really fast for me. Only three more months left in 2013 and so many book awaiting in my to be read pile! It'll be tough deciding which books to read in the remaining quarter of 2013, but half the fun is discovering which ones I'll end up reading.

I read a few books this past quarter, but my three favorite books were as follows:

'September Fair' by Jess Lourey (cozy mystery novel ebook format)
'Heat & Santa Fe Rules' by Stuart Woods (abridged audio version)
'Life's a Beach Then You Die' by Falafel Jones (mystery ebook)

Mystery and thriller novels were my favorite reads this quarter, which I guess is no surprise as this is one of one of my favorite genres!

Which books were your favorites this past quarter?? Please share your titles!

Top Ten Tuesday - Books I Hope Santa Brings/Bookish Wishes

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Below are ten books I'd enjoy Santa bringing me for Christmas this year!

1. The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
2. Litani by Jess Lourey

3. The Corpse Queen by Heather M. Herrman

4. Last Chance Texaco: Chronicles of an American Troubadour by Rickie Lee Jones
5. The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
6. Mimi Lee Reads Between the Lines by Jennifer J. Chow
7. Mimi Lee Cracks the Code by Jennifer J. Chow
8. In the Line of Fire by R. J. Noonan
9. The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
10. Death at Greenway by Lori Rader-Day

Which books are you hoping for this year's holiday season?

Throwback Thursday - Cozy Mystery Novels I enjoyed reading!

I enjoy a good cozy mystery novel every now and again. How about you? It's amazing how many cozy mystery novels I've read and reviewed here over the lifetime of my blog, Captivated Reader!! 

Below is a small sample of the cozy mystery novels I've enjoyed reading and reviewing since the start of 2012. Each title has been randomly selected and placed in no order of special importance. Click on the links below to read my review for each novel.

1. Lye in Wait (Home Crafting Mystery #1) by Cricket McRae

2. Louisiana Longshot: A Miss Fortune Mystery (Volume 1) by Jana Deleon

3. A Killer Kebab by Susannah Hardy

4. Deadly Readings by Laura Bradford

5. Death at Wentwater Court (Daisy Dalrymple #1) by Carola Dunn

6. Mimi Gets A Clue by Jennifer J. Chow

7. Assault and Pepper by Leslie Budewitz

8. The St. Valentine's Day Cookie Massacre by Elisabeth Crabtree

9. Playing At Murder by Gillian Larkin

10. May Day by Jess Lourey

Have you read any of the above cozy mystery novels? Are there any cozy mystery series or novels you have really enjoyed reading over the years?

My Favorite Books of 2012

Surprisingly enough, I've read 102 books this year alone, which is an impressive number of books read for me as I usually don't read that many in any given year.

Fifty-two books read annually is usually the goal I've set for myself to read each year since 2009. 

This year though, I pushed the envelope and surprised myself with the number of books I could read.

Here's the list of books I enjoyed reading the most this year:
 
Grayson by Lynne Cox
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

May Day by Jess Lourey 

Paris, My Sweet: A Year in the City of Light (and Dark Chocolate) by Amy Thomas

Incantation by Alice Hoffman

Wicked Bugs by Amy Stewart

Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli 

Flashy Fiction and Other Insane Tales by Jen Wylie & Sean Hayden

The Forty Fathom Bank by Les Galloway

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie 

Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Hatchet by Gary Paulsen 

Aromatherapy For Everyone by P. J. Pierson and Mary Shipley

Share some of your favorite 2012 reads with me!

Top Ten Tuesday - FREEBIE - Book Series I'd Like To Catch Up On

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Below are the top ten book series I'd enjoy catching up on in the future!

1. The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon

2. The Lord John Grey Series by Diana Gabaldon

3. The Blood Destiny Series by Connie Suttle

4. Miss Fortune Mystery Series by Jana DeLeon

5. Tenzing Norbu Mystery Series by Gay Hendricks & Tinker Lindsay

6. A Flower Shop Mystery Series by Kate Collins

7. A Mira James Mystery Series by Jess Lourey

8. The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry

9. The Coffee House Mystery Series by Cleo Coyle

10. A Hangman's Daughter Tale Series by Oliver Pötzsch

Top Ten Tuesday - The First Ten Books I Reviewed On My Blog

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

It was fun going down memory lane and rediscovering the first ten books I reviewed here on my book blog. I had a very different review writing style my first year of blogging than I do now, which goes to show how we all evolve as bloggers.

Below is my list of ten books I reviewed when I first started blogging on January 1, 2012. Click on the links below to read my review of each book.

1. Death In The Cards by Sharon Short (cozy mystery)
2. Grayson by Lynne Cox (nonfiction)
3. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay (fiction)
4. Murder Of A Bookstore Babe by Denise Swanson (cozy mystery)
5. So Faux, So Good by Tamar Myers (cozy mystery)
6. Murder On The Rocks by Karen MacInerney (cozy mystery)
7. Paris, My Sweet by Amy Thomas (nonfiction)
8. May Day by Jess Lourey (cozy mystery)
9. The Dead Beat by Marilyn Johnson (nonfiction)
10. Monet Talks by Tamar Myers (cozy mystery)

Have you read any of the books on my list?

Top Ten Tuesday - Books I Really Liked, but Can’t Remember Anything/Much About - FREEBIE

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Below is a random list of books I've read and reviewed here on my blog over the years

1. Where the Lost Girls Go by R. J. Noonan

2. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

3. Nothing More Dangerous by Allen Eskens

4. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

5. I Am Livia by Phyllis T. Smith

6. Flight by Sherman Alexie

7. The Good Traitor by Ryan Quinn

8. Deadly Readings by Laura Bradford

9. May Day by Jess Lourey

10. The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

Have you read any of the above books?

Share Your Reading Stats

Wow, it's difficult to believe we're halfway through 2012. Time has flown by so swiftly! How is your year in reading going so far for 2012?

After encountering a reading slump earlier this year, my reading has increased and I've hit my reading stride once again! So far, I've managed to read a combined total of 46 books, novellas and short stories this year.

My favorite reads to date have been the following books:

Grayson by Lynne Cox
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

May Day by Jess Lourey

Paris, My Sweet: A Year in the City of Light (and Dark Chocolate) by Amy Thomas

Incantation by Alice Hoffman

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

I've blogged about each of the above books here on my blog during the past six months & you can find my reviews of each them by browsing the sidebar.

 So, which books have struck your fancy this year?

Top Twelve Tuesday - Thanksgiving/Thankful Freebie -- Mystery Novels I Read That Were Better Than Expected!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

I like reading mystery novels quite a bit. It's always risky business trying out new to me authors from the mystery genre. Below are some mystery novels that surprised me in a good way from mystery authors I took a chance on!

1.The Woman on the Orient Express by Lindsay Jayne Ashford
2. Louisiana LongShot by Jana DeLeon
3. Deadly Readings by Laura Bradford
4. Murder and Moonflowers by Leslie Leigh
5. Lye in Wait by Cricket McRae
6. The Beekeeper by Juliet Moore
7. Wanna Get Lucky? by Deborah Coonts
8. Maids of Misfortune by M. Louisa Locke
9. Swan Song by Lee Hanson
10. The St. Valentine's Day Cookie Massacre by Elisabeth Crabtree
11. Life's A Beach And Then You Die by Falafel Jones
12. May Day by Jess Lourey