Christmas Book Review: Sugar Cookie Murder

Hey Cuppajoes!

It’s only a couple weeks till Christmas, and I am absolutely pumped! Only a few weeks till I burst too! I’m actually more excited about that than anything else. Anyhoo, on my previous post I said I was thinking about reading and blogging at least 3 books with a Christmas theme. As much as possible I will do just that. So this here’s my first Christmas themed book review post. So, I’ve got here Sugar Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke. It’s a Hannah Swensen mystery book. And you get a bonus with this book because it comes with recipes! It basically combines two, well, three things I like most: reading, food and a mystery. I just got a few downsides for this book but to rate it I’d still give it a good solid 7/10. It’s a real shame I wasn’t able to find the other Hannah Swensen books. I liked this one, I’m pretty sure I’d like all the others. It’s definitely a holiday treat.

I’ll start off with the synopsis from the back cover, ‘cause it’s hilarious:


“ When it comes to holidays, Minnesotans rise to the occasion --- and the little town of Eden Lake is baking up a storm with Hannah Swensen leading the way. The annual Christmas Buffet is the final test of the recipes Hannah has collected for the Lake Eden Holiday Buffet Cookbook.

The recently divorced Martin Dubinski arrives at the buffet with his new Vegas showgirl wife ---- all wrapped up in glitter and fur. His ex-wife, however, seems as cool as chilled eggnog. And when Hannah’s mother’s antique Christmas cake knife disappears, its discovery in the decolletage of the new ---- and now late ---- Mrs. Dubinsky puts the festivities on ice.

With everyone stranded at the community center by a blizzard, Hannah puts her investigative skills to the test, using the ingredients at hand: half the town of Lake Eden ----- and a killer. Now, as the snowdrifts get higher, it’s up to Hannah to dig out all the clues ---- and make sure that this white Christmas doesn’t bring any more deadly tidings…”

Alright! Let me just say, I love books with little bonuses in them. It’s like you got a bargain (especially from just a cheap price! Lol.) The story fills up half the book and the other half is for the recipes. Its just too bad though, cause it felt like the ending was rushed. Or it felt like it was just left at that so the recipes could fit into the book and all. But it’s still a good mystery though. So let’s talk about that. Basically, you got your classic whodunnit story. The heroine here’s Hannah, who’s hosting the Christmas Buffet. Also ‘cause she’s the one in charge of which recipes go into the Lake Eden Holiday Cookbook and everyone’s coming to taste the recipes. She also has a knack for solving mysteries by the way. Now, this would’ve had a better impact on me if I had read the other books in the series and got to know Hannah better. Only ‘cause it was a bit unrealistic for me that the protagonist solved the mystery merely through chit chatting up the guests at the buffet. I mean who could be that good, right?

This is one book which is a better read (for me) if you’ve read the other books. It’s not so much as for reference sake, but merely to get to know the characters better. Not just Hannah too, her sisters are also good characters and so are a couple of others, who would’ve been better (IMO) if fleshed out in the story. Plus, the story only takes up half the book so there’s really not much character development in it Also, I really wanna know whicn guy would Hannah choose; would it be Mike, the sexy policeman who I think doesn't really think that much of her or Norman, the friendly photographer who’s always there for her. What? I can’t help it! Im a girl! Love problems are always juicy for me! Even in a mystery novel. I hope she does choose Norman though, he's more the boyfriend material. But that's just me! Moving on, a murder happens in the middle of a blizzard. And since everyone’s pretty much trapped inside, Hannah eventually solves the mystery before the blizzard blows over.

I don’t know about you guys but it’s a pretty convenient setup for me. I mean, c’mon! The murder happens during an event where everyone’s there, trapped indoors due to a blizzard and where pretty much everyone, knows everyone. (‘cause apparently that’s how it always is in little towns.) And also, the protagonist happens to just be able to piece everything just by talking to the guests. Not much evidence except for the murder weapon and a bunch of hearsays at first. But in the end, she solves it. Without the help of the popo, at that. And everyone is back to having a merry Christmas! I mean it was going at a great pace at first, but then just felt rushed by the end.

The mystery was a good one for me at first, but in the end kind of mellowed out to a meh degree. I mean, it’s not really that thrilling when you’re all just stuck inside the gym due to a natural calamity and I didn’t even notice the climax already happened. I liked the book sure enough, I guess it was just that the characters were not so fleshed out that I was not able to relate to them in a way that I wasn’t gripped by what they were going through. It’s probably ‘cause I wasn’t able to read the other books. It just didn’t feel like I was sucked in or moved by the characters at all. It just felt like going through the motions and all that. So, on a final note: good on the recipes! A cute little bonus. But would have had a better ending if the story dragged on just a tad little bit. Plus, have a more exciting climax too. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend it for readers who love a good thrilling mystery. But If you’re like me who likes food and reading a light novella here and there. I’d get this one.

And that’s that CuppaJoes! Hope you liked my Christmas themed review. I got another one coming up. Hopefully I won’t be too busy that I won’t be able to fill my quota this season. But I’ll definitely do my best. Hopefully ya’ll can comment on what ya think about it as well. Would always appreciate the criticism!

Happy Holidays!

Book Review: Wicked Intentions

Hello there Cuppajoes!

How's your day been? Had your hot beverage yet? I always prefer mine in the morning. It's the very first thing I need when I wake up. I cannot function clearly without a hot cup of coffee or choco, for when I'm trying to watch my health. Trying to steer clear of heart palpitations when I can.
Anyway, I'm just trying to put up yet another book review before Christmas. I was thinking of going for Christmas themed books, or book set during Christmas the next time. You know, 'cause it's Christmas an all that. So it's a season thing. I'm planning to review at least 3 books before the season ends. I probably might need to buy new books, or I might reread my old ones. You never know.

Well enough with the chitchat for now, let's get on with the review!

Wicked Intentions is the true crime story of the Sheila Labarre murders written by Kevin Flynn. Flynn was a reporter back then who covered the case. Right off the bat we get a disclaimer saying that what goes on in the book is to the best of his knowledge, taken from his interviews and experiences from the witnesses. The book is in the form of a documentary but the writer made it somewhat into a novel. So basically you get mostly facts, and a little bit of some fiction here and there. (If you wanna read up on the actual murder cases I added the link above.) Now, there has been a lot of editions to the book I bet because I saw a lot of covers over the internet which is different from my copy. My copy includes pictures of sheila and the victims.

So this here's my copy, although I've seen different covers for this book.

These are just a couple of the pics in the book.

Set in Silver Leopard Farm around march 2006. It recounts the gruesome events of the murder of Kenneth Countie at the hands of famed black widow, Sheila Labarre. Then soon after, tales of all the other men that Sheila has victimized also crop up. (see what I did there? Farm? Crop? Hehe you get it.) Sheila is made up as this kind of murderer who pegs herself as an angel who gets rid of pedophiles. She was under the delusion that her victims were such and that was why she killed them. Facts, however seem to say otherwise. In the book, her actions deem her, a manipulative, mean lady who gets off bullying and taking advantage of men who have a mental disability. In the end when she got caught of course she plead insanity, but the evidence made it clear out that she was in her right mind when she did what she did. Was she really crazy as her actions portrayed her to be? Or was she just a sadistic and evil person capable of murder? Well, you gotta read the book (or google it, whichever you prefer) to find out.

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So, what can I say about WI? Well, this book was a bit of a half and half for me. The good thing I like about it mainly was because it’s a true crime story. The bulk of the story was of course, Sheila being caught for the murder of Kenneth Countie (who was allegedly missing at the time). Trying to evade arrest and then eventually her being convicted for the crime and for the murders of the other men in her life. I liked how the writer wrote the scenarios as if he were there. The only downside is, it kinda feels more novelized so, you might think “did this really happen or not” granted the writer himself was present during the whole case and trials and inevitable conviction. But, there was a disclaimer in the beginning of the book that he wrote it to the best of his knowledge, and he did collate interviews from witnesses and recounted as much as he could. Anyway, you get to sort of imagine what it was like living with sheila. Picture what her victims have gone through and all that. So, I don't know 'bout you, because for other people it might throw 'em off thinking that some of the scenes in the book might not be real; but for me, it was nice to have some background (even  if imagined).

The one thing that I really didn't like about the book was how the writer portrayed Sheila as  this evil person throughout the whole thing but he himself wanted to sympathize with her. I mean, c'mon! You make her out to be such a villain but when you wrote yourself in the book you wanted to understand her and sh*t? Like, what the hell? (pardon the french). I really got frustrated with the end part during the trials because that's when he got in contact with Sheila. I don't really know if those were even true but it really grinds my gears. Sorry, if that's gonna spoil the book for ya folks. Oh! and one more pet peeve I got with the book, it jumps from present to past without any notice so that also takes you away from the moment of sorts. Oh and there was way unnecessary descriptions on it for me as well. It's like when you got stumped in writing an essay but you gotta pass on the deadline so you just over describe pretty much everything. That was a bit funny for me. I don't really have a lot to say about the book. I wouldn't really recommend it, except for true crime buffs who love stories like this. And well that's that.

Okay! So Halloween season's over. Move over pumpkin spice and scares and say hello to eggnogs and cheers! Can't wait for Christmas this year, 2016 is almost ending! And what better way to end the year than with the season of giving (what with everything else that's been going on). Nah, I'm just rambling on.

Book Review: Mischief in Mudbug

Hey fellow Cuppajoes!

'Tis almost the most wonderful season of the year. You guessed it. Christmas! Now, I don't know 'bout you, but Christmas is pretty much my most favorite season of the year. Not because it's cold and boy do I love to read and drink because of the cold, but because there's a sense of just pure happines around that time. I also love looking at the snow. Mind you, just looking at it. Like at pictures or on TV or the internet, that's cause we don'e have snow here in the Philippines. Just plain cold weather, sunny weather and a little bit of thunderstorms here and there. Anyway, back to the post.

Now, before Christmas there is one event that highlights my year too. My most favorite celebration is Halloween!! That's  when all the ghouls and ghosts and vampires and all the other supernatural creatures get to be in the limelight for the year. Just a few more days till that special day arrives and in lieu to  that event, I'm reviewing Mischief in Mudbug by Jana Deleon. It's not a horror story, mind you. But it's got elements of the supernatural (like a ghost) and a little bit of a thrilling side (there's murder!) to it. So there ya go.

Now, I've already written a small review about this book on Goodreads.com which can be read here.
But on this post I'm gonna give out a more detailed review.

Mischief in Mudbug is the second book in the Ghost-in-law series. I haven't read the first book yet, which is: Trouble in Mudbug. There are 8 books in the whole series if you'd like to read em all. I should seriously start collecting series books, cause so far I've always been reading books as stand alone ones, if ya know what I mean. So anyway, I read this book on its own, not knowing of its background and what not. And I was entertained. It could go for a stand alone book by itself. I mean, I haven't read any of the other books in the series, so I really can't compare. But all in all I really liked the book. And because of it, If I could find any of the other books in the series I would definitely buy them.

Alright, so on with the review. The story of MIM focuses on one Sabine LeVeche. The bestfriend of
Maryse Robicheaux, who was the protagonist of the first book. Now, Sabine just found out that she has leukemia and that she needs a donor fast! Also, she's starting to see the ghost of Helena Henry who is Maryse's late mother-in-law, whom she believes means that she doesn't have much time left. Quick back story: In the first book, Sabine has this theory that whenever you saw helena henry then death is coming for you. Pretty grim eh? Alright, so back to her present predicament of having this very fatal disease, she needed to find her family so she could get a donor. And she hires this really good looking detective, Beau Velenueve, a former FBI agent whom she is immediately attracted to. And so on her quest to find her family. It soon becomes apparent that someone has it out for her. Her shop gets burgled into in the middle of the day; she gets shot at; car chases ensue and all the hijinks galore! Eventually, she finds her family, but soon regrets that. Not to mention she hooks up with the detective in the process. I wouldn't wanna spoil the ending, so I'm just gonna say it was a very nice twist at the end. Seemed like it was a bit rushed, and that all of a sudden the focus shifts, but the climax gets you going and the ending pretty much gave it closure at least.


Okay, So that's it for my review! writing any more than that would spoil the fun. I always think people should read for themselves first to try and see if they would like it rather than read the reviews first. Who knows, their cup of tea might be different from yours, eh? So, enjoy the cold breeze in the air that comes with the ber months and savour that warm cup of joe and Happy Halloween folks!

First Up! Book Review: Coffin Knows The Answer

Hello there Cuppa Joes!

What a fine day to be reading a book while enjoying a hot mug of coffee!
This here's my first book review. Please bear with me as I've only done book reports for school and this would be the very first book I've reviewed after a long, and I mean long time. I know, lame right? But hey, I gotta start somewhere. And I know I'm gonna be lacking in some, if not a lot of aspects about book reviewing (if there are any); so comments and suggestions are very much appreciated.
Hey, I'm here to learn! What better way to do that than by knowing what the readers wanna read right? So here goes.

This here's my copy and two cuppa joes

Picture yourself on the humid and rainy streets of London's Second City. People crowded around the sidewalk where you could see police tape stretching all around the block. A body of a young woman has been found! Question is: who is the killer?

Coffin Knows the Answer is a crime mystery novel by Gwendolyn Butler. It's part of a series of novels called the John Coffin mysteries. It's kind of like your Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys mystery but aimed more at the adult audience. (of course!) So we start with a gruesome murder. When I first saw this book at a discount book store (which is where I almost always buy my books.) and read the back flap I thought ooh! looks promising! But I actually found it hard to finish. I don't know. I'ts probably just me; cause I got used to the thrilling CSI episodes and all that action and also I've read a lot of other crime and mystery novels which had gripping storylines which were such page turners. (All the pretty girls by J.T. Ellison, and Innocent Graves by Peter Robinson to name a few.) Some of which I might be reviewing later on. 

Anyway, back to the book at hand. CKA is an ok mystery read by my standards. It has your typical serial killer plot, the dashing protagonist and the beautiful damsel in distress. A couple of other murder happens before they actually find out who the killer is and surprise! surprise! there's the inevitable twist at the end. I won't go into a lot of details so as not to spoil anyone. Who knows? You might read this blog post and want to read it for yourself just to prove me wrong. Or something like that.

Okay, so lemme just break it down for a bit. The good and the bad. Alright. Let's start with the bad bits: there's not much character development for one. I'm guessing you can only get some sort of character development if you've read the rest of the books from the series. So, reading the book as a one-off doesn't really cut it, know what I mean? Well, duh me, it's a series? Well, if I ever find all the other books in the series I'll read em and letcha know. Anyway, another would be, again, predictable plot/storyline. It's in the same format as most other stories, hero, damsel in distress, hero saves the day. I understand everyone loves a happy ending, and really I can't complain; it's just that there's not much that happens in the middle to really pull you into the story up until the very end. It's more like blah in the middle, instead of the climax you were waiting for that gets the reader going like "oh my gosh! so that's why ---" and all that and so you hastily read on to know how the hero bravely saves the day. I don't know. I just didn't feel it. 

Okay, so now on to the good bits. I like how it gives details on how procedure works when it comes to investigation. lol. Honestly, it's not the typical go directly to the field interviewing witnesses and trying to get confessions and all that you read some crime novels or see on tv series (again, CSI.) Which I think makes it more realistic because there's not much drama going on. It's actually quite interesting for me. Another good bit for me is, although you know there's the twist at the end, I wasn't able to figure out who it was. Cause whenever I read a mystery or crime novel I always want to guess who the killer is. And not to brag, but I almost always get it right. So that was a little fun too. The reveal at the end was sorta predictable still, but it goes with the novel. 

So all in all, if I were to rate Coffin Knows the Answer: I'd give it a solid 5/10. Predictable yes, but still a solid read. Good for when you're just out in your patio relaxing or some light reading before bed, accompanied with a hot beverage. 

Introductory Post

Hey!

So my first post for this blog is an introduction of me and what's this blog gonna be about.

Okay. So, I'm Xian. And I made this blog to practice my writing skills so I could land a writing job soon. Hopefully! (fiingers crossed!) I'm your regular kinda gal. Part nerdy, feeling gangsta, part geeky kinda gal. So that's how I'm gonna sound in this blog. I don't have a writing style anyway. Call it freestyle if you want.  I used to have a blog back then, just my usual rants about anything and my experiences in daily life, but it came with pics, so that was sorta something. But I got busy with my priorities: school, landing a job, getting paid and all that so I forgot posting for a while. Okay so maybe a VERY long while. Let's say ages. But I recently got unemployed, cause right now I'm taking care of my almost one year old kid. So I sorta got a lotta free time on my hands.(a little perk about being a stay at home mom an all.) So here I am, writing this blog.

Alright! So again, I'm made this blog to practice my writing skills. I didn't want to but, I researched on how best I can practice my skills on google and a lot of the searches came out as blogging so best give it another shot right? So yeah, I mean I know this isn't gonna be like tumblr, which by  the way is an awesome website!, so I figured I gotta write about something. And it's gotta be something I'm passionate about cause if not, then I can't be as commited to it as much and this blog's gonna end up like just any random blog.

So, for this blog: I'm gonna be writing my own book reviews on the books I own and read and of course like. I'm also gonna write some film reviews on some movies that I've seen and liked and not liked. You know, whatever floats my boat. By reviews I'ts just basically my opinion whether I liked it or not. So that's what "Cuppa Joe in the Morning's" gonna be all about. Cause' who doesn't like reading a book or watching a movie drinking or sipping on their favorite drink right?

I know I do.