Just Desserts
by G.A. McKevett
I have been picking up and putting this book back on the shelf for years at the bookstore. I finally got a copy for my Kindle when it was on sale for $1.00. I am now sorry I didn't buy it all those years ago. Savannah is a great character and I have a feeling she will become a good friend.
Interestingly, this is the fourth book titled Just Desserts I have read, and only one was a cookbook! It's a popular title, so let me make sure you know, this is a review of the first book in G.A. McKevett's Savannah Reid mystery series.
I was a bit worried as the book started darker than I thought it would, and it took a while to reveal itself as a cozy mystery. But sticking with it proved to be well worth it. Savannah and her friends are a fun group and I am looking forward to getting to know them better as I work through the series.
The mystery was complicated enough to keep the reader guessing but not so complicated as to put the reader off. There were a couple of subplots, and one of them I thought wrapped up quickly, but sometimes I find that with books that have multiple sub-plots.
Overall it was a solid first-in-series and I am really glad that I finally went ahead and not only bought this Just Desserts, but read it too.
One Bear's Opinion: Four Cups of Coffee with a big slice of Black Forest Cake.
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Saturday, April 6, 2019
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
One Bear's Opinion on: The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding
The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding
by Agatha Christie
This was a one-off version of this Hercule Poirot short story, not a part of a larger novel-length collection.
I had seen the dramatization of this story starring my favorite Poirot ever, David Suchet, so I knew what was going to happen as I read it, but it was still fun to read the original story. I can report the adaptation was mostly faithful to the story as written, which is always nice when you are reading something after you have seen the dramatization.
It was a quick mystery, that does not actually involve a murder, so it’s a fun, non-violent read. It would be perfect for a waiting room or an airport departure lounge; the kind of story it’s easy enough to get lost in, but not so long that you’ll miss hearing your name/flight called.
Hercule Poirot is always a good read and this one is no different.
One Bear’s Opinion: Five cups of tea with a hearty serving of Christmas pudding, without the ruby
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
by Agatha Christie
This was a one-off version of this Hercule Poirot short story, not a part of a larger novel-length collection.
I had seen the dramatization of this story starring my favorite Poirot ever, David Suchet, so I knew what was going to happen as I read it, but it was still fun to read the original story. I can report the adaptation was mostly faithful to the story as written, which is always nice when you are reading something after you have seen the dramatization.
It was a quick mystery, that does not actually involve a murder, so it’s a fun, non-violent read. It would be perfect for a waiting room or an airport departure lounge; the kind of story it’s easy enough to get lost in, but not so long that you’ll miss hearing your name/flight called.
Hercule Poirot is always a good read and this one is no different.
One Bear’s Opinion: Five cups of tea with a hearty serving of Christmas pudding, without the ruby
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
One Bear's Opinion on: The Knight of Maison-Rouge
The Knight of Maison-Rouge
by Alexandre Dumas
Dumas has been one of my favorite authors since I tore through The Three Musketeers in college when we should have been studying for finals. (Honestly, I think I did better on the finals because of the distraction.) The Knight of Maison-Rouge is one of his lesser-known books, and I am glad I were lucky enough to find a copy when I did.
This book is set during the Reign of Terror, after King Louis XVI was beheaded but before Marie Antoinette suffered the same fate. It’s based on the real “Affair of the Carnation” in which notes were passed to the Queen in captivity through a carnation. Putting notes into the carnation was ingenious, though in the book, as in real life, the attempt failed. One of the best things about Dumas’ fiction to me is the fact that he based it on real-life events, so while it’s not an accurate history lesson, it can at least prompt readers to go find out more about the real story. And weaving real people into the narrative is always fun. Many authors before and since have used this device.
Overall the book was very good. Each time I come back to Dumas’ works, I forget what a good story-teller he was and how the reader gets caught up in the story. I guess in some ways that was necessary because of the serialized way the novels were originally published, but this reader finds it engaging and very easy to be drawn through the story.
While I missed my friends from The Three Musketeers, I was happy to make friends of the characters in this novel. Maurice and Lorin were likable, which made me want to root for them to succeed through the book. The villains were completely unlikable and the reader really does want to kick them all, if not run them through with a sword.
I am not sure this qualifies as “great literature,” and I am not sure this should be the Dumas work chosen for required reading, if in fact one is at all, but it’s well worth the read and a galloping good journey through a vicious period in France’s history.
One Bear’s Opinion: Five glasses of wine, followed by another five — just trust me
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
by Alexandre Dumas
Dumas has been one of my favorite authors since I tore through The Three Musketeers in college when we should have been studying for finals. (Honestly, I think I did better on the finals because of the distraction.) The Knight of Maison-Rouge is one of his lesser-known books, and I am glad I were lucky enough to find a copy when I did.
This book is set during the Reign of Terror, after King Louis XVI was beheaded but before Marie Antoinette suffered the same fate. It’s based on the real “Affair of the Carnation” in which notes were passed to the Queen in captivity through a carnation. Putting notes into the carnation was ingenious, though in the book, as in real life, the attempt failed. One of the best things about Dumas’ fiction to me is the fact that he based it on real-life events, so while it’s not an accurate history lesson, it can at least prompt readers to go find out more about the real story. And weaving real people into the narrative is always fun. Many authors before and since have used this device.
Overall the book was very good. Each time I come back to Dumas’ works, I forget what a good story-teller he was and how the reader gets caught up in the story. I guess in some ways that was necessary because of the serialized way the novels were originally published, but this reader finds it engaging and very easy to be drawn through the story.
While I missed my friends from The Three Musketeers, I was happy to make friends of the characters in this novel. Maurice and Lorin were likable, which made me want to root for them to succeed through the book. The villains were completely unlikable and the reader really does want to kick them all, if not run them through with a sword.
I am not sure this qualifies as “great literature,” and I am not sure this should be the Dumas work chosen for required reading, if in fact one is at all, but it’s well worth the read and a galloping good journey through a vicious period in France’s history.
One Bear’s Opinion: Five glasses of wine, followed by another five — just trust me
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Thursday, March 7, 2019
One Bear's Opinion on: The Inheritance and Gone Before Christmas
The Inheritance
Gone Before Christmas
by Charles Finch
I'm combining the reviews of The Inheritance and Gone Before Christmas together because I read them back-to-back and the stories follow each other in the timeline of the Charles Lenox series.
The Inheritance is a bit of a disjointed mystery in which the subplots feel like them may come together at the end of the book but never intersect beyond involving the characters in the book. As far as the mysteries go, the main one was interesting and did keep me guessing as a reader, though it was not nearly as interesting as the subplot. The subplot was treated as a secondary or even tertiary storyline, but was the far more interesting plot in the book. I do hope the author comes back to that story to wrap it up a bit better, as we felt there were some loose ends.
I liked learning more about Charles and his early life, and perhaps this book was to set the reader up for the next-in-series which are actually prequels to the current story rather than a continuation of the timeline in this book. I have no objection to the prequels, but I do hope the overarching story is brought back to the current timeline soon, as I said it felt like there were some loose ends, not exactly a cliffhanger ending, but definitely some unfinished threads.
Gone Before Christmas was an easy to read short story following on from The Inheritance. It was a fairly easy to solve mystery, but it was fun to read. I was pleased with the story, though I found faults with it as well. Carrying on from the events in The Inheritance, it seemed the author had completely forgotten a bit of the story in The Inheritance which impacted one character greatly. I was disappointed by that. It was a big point in the subplot of the previous novel, and should not have been either forgotten or easily glossed over without mention.
Overall they were fun books, and quite enjoyable visits with friends, which is what I want in series books. And maybe I am being too picky a reader; maybe I just pick out things others miss. I am looking forward to the next-in-series prequels and learning more about Charles Lenox in his early days as a detective.
One Bear's Opinion: Four Cups of Tea with a plate of Christmas Seed Cakes
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Gone Before Christmas
by Charles Finch
I'm combining the reviews of The Inheritance and Gone Before Christmas together because I read them back-to-back and the stories follow each other in the timeline of the Charles Lenox series.
The Inheritance is a bit of a disjointed mystery in which the subplots feel like them may come together at the end of the book but never intersect beyond involving the characters in the book. As far as the mysteries go, the main one was interesting and did keep me guessing as a reader, though it was not nearly as interesting as the subplot. The subplot was treated as a secondary or even tertiary storyline, but was the far more interesting plot in the book. I do hope the author comes back to that story to wrap it up a bit better, as we felt there were some loose ends.
I liked learning more about Charles and his early life, and perhaps this book was to set the reader up for the next-in-series which are actually prequels to the current story rather than a continuation of the timeline in this book. I have no objection to the prequels, but I do hope the overarching story is brought back to the current timeline soon, as I said it felt like there were some loose ends, not exactly a cliffhanger ending, but definitely some unfinished threads.
Gone Before Christmas was an easy to read short story following on from The Inheritance. It was a fairly easy to solve mystery, but it was fun to read. I was pleased with the story, though I found faults with it as well. Carrying on from the events in The Inheritance, it seemed the author had completely forgotten a bit of the story in The Inheritance which impacted one character greatly. I was disappointed by that. It was a big point in the subplot of the previous novel, and should not have been either forgotten or easily glossed over without mention.
Overall they were fun books, and quite enjoyable visits with friends, which is what I want in series books. And maybe I am being too picky a reader; maybe I just pick out things others miss. I am looking forward to the next-in-series prequels and learning more about Charles Lenox in his early days as a detective.
One Bear's Opinion: Four Cups of Tea with a plate of Christmas Seed Cakes
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Sunday, February 24, 2019
One Bear's Opinion on: The Last Chance Olive Ranch
The Last Chance Olive Ranch
by Susan Wittig Albert
The Last Chance Olive Ranch was an interesting read, if only for the tidbits and trivia about olives and olive oils. I enjoys the visit with friends, but felt the book was unfinished somehow. The mysteries were wrapped up and solved, but because the book dealt with two very different plots, it felt disjointed and incomplete.
The idea of two different storylines and two different leading characters was good, but both fell flat in the execution. Neither storyline felt worthy of their own full books, but they didn't feel like they worked well together. All through the book, I kept waiting for the storylines to be tied together by more than just the characters talking about their adventures to each other. I felt until almost the end that the author really should have woven the stories together rather than running them as independent stories simultaneously.
This is not to say that I did not enjoy the book, I did. It's always fun to visit with China and Ruby, but this one did feel like a rushed visit where the people are distracted, instead of a nice visit with old friends.
Overall the book was good, but there was something missing.
One Bear's Opinion: Four glasses of Shiraz and a hearty slice of Olive Oil Cake
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
by Susan Wittig Albert
The Last Chance Olive Ranch was an interesting read, if only for the tidbits and trivia about olives and olive oils. I enjoys the visit with friends, but felt the book was unfinished somehow. The mysteries were wrapped up and solved, but because the book dealt with two very different plots, it felt disjointed and incomplete.
The idea of two different storylines and two different leading characters was good, but both fell flat in the execution. Neither storyline felt worthy of their own full books, but they didn't feel like they worked well together. All through the book, I kept waiting for the storylines to be tied together by more than just the characters talking about their adventures to each other. I felt until almost the end that the author really should have woven the stories together rather than running them as independent stories simultaneously.
This is not to say that I did not enjoy the book, I did. It's always fun to visit with China and Ruby, but this one did feel like a rushed visit where the people are distracted, instead of a nice visit with old friends.
Overall the book was good, but there was something missing.
One Bear's Opinion: Four glasses of Shiraz and a hearty slice of Olive Oil Cake
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Sunday, February 17, 2019
One Bear's Opinion on: Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder
by Joanne Fluke
I had seen and heard about Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen mysteries for a while. Not everything I had heard was good, so it was harder for me to go into the series with an open mind.
I have only read the first book in the series, but that was a good introduction and I am happy to continue with the series, which is good because I have a fair number of them on my Kindle (picked up when they were on sale for $1.99) and I would hate to waste space on terrible books. I am trying not to be influenced by things I have read about the way the author takes the series. I really want to learn that for myself and see if I agree with the comments.
Anyway, to this book, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder. It was a fun mystery, and the amateur detective has a job, which she seems to actually do more than she investigates. That's very good, as in a lot of amateur detective series, the sleuth spends far more time sleuthing than working at the job they hold. It was refreshing to see the sleuth spend time at work...and more than just popping in to check on how the employees are managing.
The mystery was interesting and while I had the motive picked fairly early, I was surprised by the murderer. It was a fun read, and the cookie recipes were a nice bonus. I may even try one or two.
One Bear's Opinion: Four plates of Chocolate Chip Crunch Cookies and a cup of good coffee (not tea!)
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
by Joanne Fluke
I had seen and heard about Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen mysteries for a while. Not everything I had heard was good, so it was harder for me to go into the series with an open mind.
I have only read the first book in the series, but that was a good introduction and I am happy to continue with the series, which is good because I have a fair number of them on my Kindle (picked up when they were on sale for $1.99) and I would hate to waste space on terrible books. I am trying not to be influenced by things I have read about the way the author takes the series. I really want to learn that for myself and see if I agree with the comments.
Anyway, to this book, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder. It was a fun mystery, and the amateur detective has a job, which she seems to actually do more than she investigates. That's very good, as in a lot of amateur detective series, the sleuth spends far more time sleuthing than working at the job they hold. It was refreshing to see the sleuth spend time at work...and more than just popping in to check on how the employees are managing.
The mystery was interesting and while I had the motive picked fairly early, I was surprised by the murderer. It was a fun read, and the cookie recipes were a nice bonus. I may even try one or two.
One Bear's Opinion: Four plates of Chocolate Chip Crunch Cookies and a cup of good coffee (not tea!)
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
One Bear's Opinion on: Blood Orange
Blood Orange
by Susan Wittig Albert
It's time for an adventure with China Bayles. Blood Orange was a very good mystery, and I enjoyed it very much. I thought I had the murderer pegged pretty early on, but that guess was incorrect. My second guess was closer, but still not the murderer, so it was fun to read through to the.
I do have to admit to flipping to the end of the book about a third of the way through, because one of the subplots was making me quite nervous about the characters. Even having read the last chapter, I was still in the dark about the murderer, which made it both reassuring and fun to read to the end.
I always enjoy the information at the opening of the chapters about plants. The author, and China Bayles, take great care to research the plants mentioned in the books. I also appreciate the warning at the end to do your own research into using the plants mentioned, particularly in the case of herbs mentioned for medicinal uses.
Overall it was a fun read, but not quite as good as others in the series. I am a bit worried about the paranormal element that has been introduced going forward in the series. I am not a fan of the current trend toward magical/ghost mysteries and I hope that my favorite series are not jumping on the bandwagon, especially when the ongoing series already have their own, unique, draws.
One Bear's Opinion: Three Glasses of Strawberry Shrub with a plate of shortbread cookies
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
by Susan Wittig Albert
It's time for an adventure with China Bayles. Blood Orange was a very good mystery, and I enjoyed it very much. I thought I had the murderer pegged pretty early on, but that guess was incorrect. My second guess was closer, but still not the murderer, so it was fun to read through to the.
I do have to admit to flipping to the end of the book about a third of the way through, because one of the subplots was making me quite nervous about the characters. Even having read the last chapter, I was still in the dark about the murderer, which made it both reassuring and fun to read to the end.
I always enjoy the information at the opening of the chapters about plants. The author, and China Bayles, take great care to research the plants mentioned in the books. I also appreciate the warning at the end to do your own research into using the plants mentioned, particularly in the case of herbs mentioned for medicinal uses.
Overall it was a fun read, but not quite as good as others in the series. I am a bit worried about the paranormal element that has been introduced going forward in the series. I am not a fan of the current trend toward magical/ghost mysteries and I hope that my favorite series are not jumping on the bandwagon, especially when the ongoing series already have their own, unique, draws.
One Bear's Opinion: Three Glasses of Strawberry Shrub with a plate of shortbread cookies
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
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