Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Retired Witches series by Joyce and Jim Lavene


I first discovered Joyce and Jim Lavene’s books when I read A Touch of Gold from their Missing Pieces mysteries.  I hadn’t read any of their other series until after their untimely deaths.  When the Save Our Cozies Facebook group posted the idea for an online “book tour” to celebrate their posthumously published upcoming release, Putting on the Witch, I knew I had to be involved.
To prepare for the new book, I had to get my hands on the first two books in the series, Spell Booked and Looking for Mr. Good Witch. So, off to the Kindle store I went to download the books.

From the first sentence of Spell Booked, Candle flame burning bright, With your flame on this night, Trap the evil, seal it well, in this stone, make it remain. Never to be free again, I was hooked.

Olivia, Molly, and Elise realize that they are aging and their powers are waning. They are working to recruit younger witches to strengthen their coven so they may retire “to Boca”, when Olivia is murdered and their spell book goes missing.  It is up to Molly and Elise to figure out the culprit and get their spell book back. They need more than their waning magic powers to do so.  I really enjoyed this look into the everyday life of “normal” witches.

In Looking for Mr. Good Witch, Molly, Elise and Olivia’s ghost are up against a sea witch who is going up and down the coast of the Carolina’s in search of the perfect mate, leaving young male witches who don’t measure up, dead in her wake. With the help of a selkie (a mythical creature that resembles a seal while in the water and a human while on land) and a mermaid that loves crème puffs, they are determined to keep their friend Brian out of the sea witch’s clutches. The more I read this series the more I like the main characters. Molly and Elise are so interesting and the fact that Olivia’s ghost is involved is wonderful.

I saved the best for last…

Putting on the Witch was released on October 4, 2016.  I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy from NetGalley and the publisher, in return for my honest review.

The coven’s spell book is still missing. Molly, Elise, Olivia’s ghost and Dorothy are excited to be invited to the exclusive Witches Ball.  When a member of the Grand Council of Witches is murdered at the ball, the castle is on lock down.  The ladies, and Dorothy’s boyfriend Brian, are determined to figure out who did it, all while trying to hide Oliva’s ghost from the Grand Council of Witches.  Was it Dorothy under her father, Drago's influence?  Was it Drago? Was it another Council member?

I absolutely loved this series and I can’t believe that, along with Joyce and Jim, they are gone.  One can only imagine what other creative characters and worlds they would have come up with together.

If you want to learn more about Joyce and Jim Lavene and their writing, please visit their website.

For a list of their cozy mysteries, please go to Joyce and Jim Lavene's Cozy Mysteries.

Thanks for reading

This blog post is part of the Putting on the Witch Great Escapes Book Tour.  You can see more about the book tour HERE.  To participate in the rafflecopter giveaway go HERE.

Friday, October 7, 2016

2016 Goodreads Reading Challenge

Each year, I join in on the Goodreads Reading Challenge.  

I recently hit my goal of reading 80 books during 2016.  I have read 86 books from 1/1/16 to 10/7/16. And I’m wondering why I’m so tired!!!  I must say that I’ve even impressed myself.  I had actually started out trying to read a book each month by an author I’ve avoided.  I made it through several months before I gave up.  Some of those books are on this list.  Here is the list of the varied and interesting books that I have read, so far, during 2016.

1.           365 Days of Clean Eating Recipes - Emma Katie
2.           A Shadow from Within – C.A. Eroh
3.           A Tine to Live, A Tine – Edith Maxwell
4.           Apocolypsis – Elle Casey
5.           Becoming Human -  Eliza Green
6.           Best Boy – Eli Gottleib
7.           Bitter is the New Black – Jen Lancaster
8.           Britt-Marie Was Here – Frederick Blackman
9.           Brooklyn – Colm Toibin
10.       Buffalo Jump Blues – Keith McCafferty
11.       Butterfly Boy – Mary Hiker
12.       Cappucinos, Cupcakes, and a Corpse – Harper Lin
13.       Cavendon Hall – Barbara Taylor Bradford
14.       Cavendon Luck – Barbara Taylor Bradford
15.       Cavendon Women – Barbara Taylor Bradford
16.       Cuckoo’s Calling – Robert Gailbraith
17.       Curious Minds – Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton
18.       Dad is Fat – Jim Gaffigan
19.       Don’t You Cry – Mary Kubica
20.       Echo – Pam Munoz Ryan
21.       Eight Hundred Grapes – Laura Dave
22.       EMP – Orion Enzo Gaudio
23.       Farmhouse Rules – Nancy Fuller
24.       Feather Brained – Bob Tarte
25.       Feta Attraction – Suzannah Hardy
26.       Food, Gift, Love – Maggie Battista
27.       Ghost in the Polka Dot Bikini – Sue Ann Jaffarian
28.       Going Home – A. American
29.       Granny Dan – Danielle Steele
30.       Hidden Bodies – Caroline Kepnes
31.       Hood – Evan Pickering
32.       Into the Mist – Lee Murray
33.       Kinesiology Taping: Your Guide to the Best Methods and Techniques – Alex Karr
34.       Looking for Mr. Good Witch – Joyce and Jim Lavene
35.       Misty Manor – Linda Rawlins
36.       Murder by the Pint – Belle Knudson
37.       Murder to Go - Chloe Kendrick
38.       Nightfall – Roger Hardin
39.       Ordinary Grace – William Kent Krueger
40.       Oryx and the Crake – Margaret Atwood
41.       Peter Reinhart’s Whole Grain Breads
42.       Pinterest for Dummies – Kelby Carr
43.       Private – James Patterson
44.       Putting on the Witch – Joyce and Jim Lavene
45.       Reinventing Mona – Jennifer Coburn
46.       Rhythm & Clues – Sue Ann Jaffarian
47.       Spell Booked - Joyce and Jim Lavene
48.       Superfood Salads – Alissa noel Grey
49.       Thank you for Not Smoking – Christopher Buckley
50.       That Night – Chevy Stevens
51.       The Age of Daredevils – Michael Clarkson
52.       The Age of Reinvention – Karine Tuil
53.       The All Together Unexpected Disappearance of Atticus Craftsman – Mamen Sanchez
54.       The Art of Racing in the Rain – Garth Stein
55.       The Beach House – Mary Alice Monroe
56.       The Bette Davis Club – Jane Lotter
57.       The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper - Phaedra Patrick
58.       The Girl From the Sea – Shalini Boland
59.       The Girl You Lost – Kathryn Croft
60.       The Goldfinch – Donna Tarte
61.       The Guest Room – Chris Bohjalian
62.       The Jane Austin Book Club – Karen Joy Fowler
63.       The Korean Word for Butterfly – James Zerndt
64.       The Last Girl – Joe Hart
65.       The Last Librarian – Brandt Legg
66.       The Nightingale – Kristin Hannah
67.       The Passenger – Lisa Lutz
68.       The Plan Cookbook – Lyn-Genet Recitas
69.       The Prince of Tides – Pat Conroy
70.       The Question of the Felonious Friend - E. J. Copperman and Jeff Cohen
71.       The Question of the Missing Head - E. J. Copperman and Jeff Cohen
72.       The Question of the Unfamiliar Husband - E. J. Copperman and Jeff Cohen
73.       The Rejected Writers Book Club – Suzanne Kelman
74.       The Secret History – Donna Tarte
75.       The Sisters of St. Croix – Diney Casteloe
76.       The Water Knife – Paulo Bacigalupi
77.       The Witch of Painted Sorrows – M.J. Rose
78.       The Woman With a Secret – Sophie Hannah
79.       Thirteen Reasons Why – Jay Asher
80.       Truly Madly Guilty – Liane Moriarty
81.       Tucker – Louis L’Amour
82.       Vinegar Girl – Anne Tyler
83.       Watching Edie – Camilla Way
84.       What to Eat – Marion Nestle
85.       Woof – Spencer Quinn
86.       Zoo – James Patterson

I think I just might make 100 books for 2016.  Do you have any recommendations?

Thanks for reading...


Retiring this blog

I am retiring my Blogger blogs.  Starting today, June 16, 2018 my blog posts will be found at  https://thislife225879410.wordpress.com