What I Read - September 2013

Here's my monthly reading summary.

All ratings are on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (great).

A SPOONFUL OF MURDER by Connie Archer (Soup Lovers Mysteries #1) - 2

Lucky Jamieson is trying to figure out what to do with the soup restaurant she inherited from her parents.  But when the cook is arrested for murder, she has to figure out who really did it before she loses everything.

I liked the characters and I wanted to like this book.  But overall it just felt like it moved very slowly.  It needed more clues, red herrings, and twists along the way.

DEADWEATHER AND SUNRISE by Geoff Rodkey (Chronicles of Egg #1) - 4

When Egbert "Egg" Masterson leaves the family island unexpectedly, he never expects to find himself on his own and fighting to stay alive.  Can he evade those who are after him long enough to find out why they want him dead?

This is an inventive middle grade series.  It's not our world but not fantasy either, and I had no problem jumping into that world.  There's lots of action for guys with Egg always on the run from killers and pirates.  Definitely planning on reading the next one myself soon.

FIRST-DEGREE FUDGE by Christine DeSmet (Fudge Shop Mysteries #1) - 2

Ava Oosterling is setting up a fudge shop in part of her grandfather's tackle store.  But when a visiting actress is found dead with a piece of Ava's fudge in her mouth, she's got to find the killer before she is arrested for murder.

The book was going along okay, although Ava could be a bit annoying.  But then at the half way point, there was a twist that made no sense, and Ava went off the deep end.  I wanted to like this debut, but it was another disappointment.

ATTACK OF THE BULLIES by Michael Buckley (NERDS #5) - 5

Now that Miss Information has entered the scene, the kids in NERDS are over worked trying to stop her many schemes.  But when she creates her own team, the BULLIES, will Ruby be able to leads the NERDS to stop them?

This is the final book in the series, and it goes out in fine form.  There's action.  There's laughs.  And Ruby gets her turn in the spotlight as well.  The book does a good job of wrapping things up in a way that will satisfy fans.  It certainly did for me.

DEARLY DEPOTTED by Kate Collins (Flower Shop Mysteries #3) - 4

Abby is not only doing the flowers for her cousin's wedding, but she's in the wedding as a bridesmaid.  But when someone crashes the wedding and then turns up dead, Abby has to set aside the flowers to help clear a friend of the crime.

It's been a couple years since I read this series, and I don't know why I let this book sit for so long.  It was fun, and I really like the characters.  The plot could use a few more twists and the characters could use a bit more development, but overall it was well worth reading.

MRS. PIGGLE-WIGGLE by Betty MacDonald (Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle #1) - 4

Meet Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle.  All the kids love hanging out at her house since she serves tea and cookies and is lots of fun.  And the parents love her, too, because she has cures that will get kids to take baths or stop being selfish or fighting or not putting toys away….

This book is filled with fun short stories as the kids quickly realize why they wouldn't want to have their own way all the time.  These cures are a bit more realistic than some in later books, so I love the later books better.  Still, this is a fun introduction to a charming character.

MAMA RIDES SHOTGUN by Deborah Sharp (Mace Bauer #2) - 4

Mace and Mama are taking a trip on the historic Florida Cracker Trail, living (almost) as the cowboys did centuries ago.  But when one of Mama's high school boyfriends is murdered when the group stops at his ranch, danger seems to be stalking Mace and her family.

I enjoyed this light mystery and am wondering why I didn't get back to this series sooner.  The characters are charming and Mace shows some real growth here.  The plot could have been a bit better developed, but the book was always entertaining.