Good Morning, my fellow bookworms! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and a happy Fathers Day! I apologize for being M.I.A on the blog for the last week or so. I was actually taking some much needed time off and decided to unplug for a little bit. My boyfriend and I went up to Asheville, North Carolina for a couple of days for my 27th birthday. We ate, drank, and got to go to some VERY awesome places but I will be doing a full trip re-cap in my upcoming bookish travel guide blog post coming soon!
However, I did want to share my full list of books that I picked up during our travels.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Goodreads rating: 3.71 Stars
Description: Take one amateur sleuth. Mix in some eccentric Minnesota locals. Add a generous dollop of crackling suspense, and you’ve got the recipe for this delicious new mystery series featuring Hannah Swensen, the red-haired, cookie-baking heroine whose gingersnaps are almost as tart as her mouth and whose penchant for solving crime is definitely stirring things up.
Hannah already has her hands full trying to dodge her mother’s attempts to marry her off while running The Cookie Jar, Lake Eden’s most popular bakery. But once Ron LaSalle, the beloved delivery man from the Cozy Cow Dairy, is found murdered behind her bakery with Hannah’s famous Chocolate Chip Crunchies scattered around him, her life just can’t get any worse. Determined not to let her cookies get a bad reputation, she sets out to track down a killer. But if she doesn’t watch her back, Hannah’s sweet life may get burned to a crisp.
This book was actually recommended to me by my friend Julie who is also a book blogger and aspiring author! Recently I just started getting into cozy mysteries and wanted to pick up something that was going to be good, I highly trust Julie’s opinion since she is a mystery expert!
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
Goodreads rating: 3.62 Stars
Description: When Cora Seaborne’s brilliant, domineering husband dies, she steps into her new life as a widow with as much relief as sadness: her marriage was not a happy one. Wed at nineteen, this woman of exceptional intelligence and curiosity was ill-suited for the role of society wife. Seeking refuge in fresh air and open space in the wake of the funeral, Cora leaves London for a visit to coastal Essex, accompanied by her inquisitive and obsessive eleven-year old son, Francis, and the boy’s nanny, Martha, her fiercely protective friend.
While admiring the sites, Cora learns of an intriguing rumor that has arisen further up the estuary, of a fearsome creature said to roam the marshes claiming human lives. After nearly 300 years, the mythical Essex Serpent is said to have returned, taking the life of a young man on New Year’s Eve. A keen amateur naturalist with no patience for religion or superstition, Cora is immediately enthralled, and certain that what the local people think is a magical sea beast may be a previously undiscovered species. Eager to investigate, she is introduced to local vicar William Ransome. Will, too, is suspicious of the rumors. But unlike Cora, this man of faith is convinced the rumors are caused by moral panic, a flight from true belief.
These seeming opposites who agree on nothing soon find themselves inexorably drawn together and torn apart—an intense relationship that will change both of their lives in ways entirely unexpected.
So this book was actually a “Blind Date With A Book”, you can check out my Instagram post with all the details HERE I absolutely love this concept and hope that my local bookshop will incorporate it into their store soon because it is just too much fun!
Into The Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo (ARC)
Goodreads rating: 3.97 Stars
Description:
The streets of Creije are for the deadly and the dreamers, and four crooks in particular know just how much magic they need up their sleeve to survive.
Tavia, a busker ready to pack up her dark-magic wares and turn her back on Creije for good. She’ll do anything to put her crimes behind her.
Wesley, the closest thing Creije has to a gangster. After growing up on streets hungry enough to swallow the weak whole, he won’t stop until he has brought the entire realm to kneel before him.
Karam, a warrior who spends her days watching over the city’s worst criminals and her nights in the fighting rings, making a deadly name for herself.
And Saxony, a resistance fighter hiding from the very people who destroyed her family, and willing to do whatever it takes to get her revenge.
Everything in their lives is going to plan, until Tavia makes a crucial mistake: she delivers a vial of dark magic—a weapon she didn’t know she had—to someone she cares about, sparking the greatest conflict in decades. Now these four magical outsiders must come together to save their home and the world, before it’s too late. But with enemies at all sides, they can trust nobody. Least of all each other.
This one is actually an ARC that doesn’t come out until October 8th 2019, I was able to pick it up at Malaprops Bookshop for free because I had spent over $50 and they have a designated bookshelf filled with ARCS for people to pick out their own. Such a brilliant idea!
Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Goodreads rating: 4.53 Stars
Description: For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life–until the unthinkable happens.
I know, I know! I am so late to the game on this book. It has been recommended to me so many times I can’t keep track and I have had it on my TBR list for months. I was finally able to pick it up and I can’t wait to dive into it!
Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide by Georgia Hardstark and Karen Gilgariff
Goodreads rating: 4.44 Stars
Description: Sharing never-before-heard stories ranging from their struggles with depression, eating disorders, and addiction, Karen and Georgia irreverently recount their biggest mistakes and deepest fears, reflecting on the formative life events that shaped them into two of the most followed voices in the nation.
In Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered, Karen and Georgia focus on the importance of self-advocating and valuing personal safety over being ‘nice’ or ‘helpful.’ They delve into their own pasts, true crime stories, and beyond to discuss meaningful cultural and societal issues with fierce empathy and unapologetic frankness.
As a longtime murderino I just had to pick this one up. I had pre-ordered the audiobook and could not wait to get my hands on a physical copy! I plan on doing a full review and comparing both formats here on the blog very soon.
Well that wraps it up!! What did you think of my selection? Have you read any of these books before? If so, please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.
Always,
Alicia
thebookishpuff.com 