Cat Thursday | Too Many Toys (August 28)

Welcome to the weekly meme, hosted by Michelle at The True Book Addict, that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share some pictures of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! (Share your post in the Mr. Linky on The True Book Addict.)

Like Michelle this week, I have a post that is Short and Sweet.  Here is Maxie playing one of our favorite games, Too Many Toys.  

We toss her toys to her, one at a time.  In her frenzied mission to play with all of the toys at the same time, she sometimes looks like she's trying to juggle.  Often, her tail becomes yet another object to play with.

For Everything A Season, by Sharon Pape

I read a really good book recently, y'all — For Everything A Season, by Sharon Pape.  Let me tell you a little about it.  

For Everything A Season, by Sharon Pape, a paranormal mystery with a bit of romance, is a Kindle re-release of her first novel (known then as Ghostfire).  It was originally published by PocketBooks, condensed by Redbook magazine (the first paperback original the magazine had ever condensed), and well reviewed in Publishers' Weekly.

Synopsis, from the author's website:

Not all the witch trials took place in Salem. And there are people in nearby Rachael Crossing who believe the abandoned old house in their midst has roots going back to those awful times. 

Determined not to be spooked by vague rumors, Deborah Colby leases that house for the summer and when she meets Ethan Burke, she's certain she's made the right decision - certain her whole life has been leading her there to him.

Fit to be Dead, by Nancy G. West

I read a good book recently, y'all -- Fit to be Dead, by Nancy G. West.  Let me tell you a little about it.

Synopsis, from publisher Henery Press:

Aggie Mundeen, single and pushing forty, fears nothing but middle age. When she moves from Chicago to San Antonio, she decides she better shape up before anybody discovers she writes the column, “Stay Young with Aggie.” She takes Aspects of Aging at University of the Holy Trinity and plunges into exercise at Fit and Firm.

Rusty at flirting and mechanically inept, she irritates a slew of male exercisers, then stumbles into murder. She’d like to impress the attractive detective with her sleuthing skills. But when the killer comes after her, the health club evacuates semi-clad patrons, and the detective has to stall his investigation to save Aggie’s derriere.    

* A Lefty Award Finalist for Best Humorous Mystery, 2013 *

Mick Abruzzo: The Second Wire, by Nancy Martin

I read a really good book recently, y'all — Mick Abruzzo: The Second Wire, by Nancy Martin.  Let me tell you a little about it.

From the author's website:

Have you wondered what Mick Abruzzo is up to when he's keeping secrets from Nora? Were you hoping to read the scene when Nora breaks the big news to Mick--the scene I left out of LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF MURDER? Then I have a short story for you! It's available as an e-book through all the places that sell e-books. Plus it's the perfect appetizer to read before the August 5 release of A LITTLE NIGHT MURDER. More Mick.  Could that ever be a bad thing?

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Book Synopsis, from Goodreads:

The son of New Jersey's last remaining mob boss, Mick Abruzzo wants to live in the real world with a legitimate job, a wife and happy family. But when his family needs him, Mick feels obligated to help. This time, it's his presumed-dead brother, Little Frankie Abruzzo, who needs help getting out from under a pushy bookie. But the simple job of getting Frankie out of debt soon escalates into bad business that threatens the life Mick wants with his lover, Nora Blackbird.

Obsidian Curse, by Barbra Annino

I read a really good book recently, y'all — Obsidian Curse, book five in the Stacy Justice Mystery series.  Let me tell you a little about it.

Synopsis, from Goodreads:

Reporter Stacy Justice has finally stopped resisting who she really is—a powerfully gifted witch. And now that the Council has appointed her Seeker of Justice, she feels stronger and more attuned to her magic than ever before.

But Samhain—the night when the veil between the worlds thins—is approaching and something strange is brewing. First, a fairy with a sweet tooth appears in town unexpectedly. Then, a mysterious stranger shows up at Stacy’s newspaper, seeking info for a true crime exposé he claims to be writing. But most disturbing of all, a bloodthirsty, sexy demon has escaped the Otherworld, determined to invoke a curse that has plagued Stacy’s family for generations. Fulfilling her role as Seeker and finding out how all these pieces fit together may tear her relationship with her boyfriend apart. But if she doesn’t find answers soon, her love life won’t be the only thing in danger.

This fifth book in the Stacy Justice series offers more of the dazzling magic and heart-stopping thrills that have left readers spellbound.

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Obsidian Curse is another great read from Barbra Annino — # 5 in the Stacy Justice, Reluctant Witch Mysteries.  

Cat Thursday | Cats in Art - 2 (July 24)

Welcome to the weekly meme, hosted by Michelle at The True Book Addict, that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share some pictures of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! (Share your post in the Mr. Linky on The True Book Addict.)

More cat paintings, four by early-20th-century artists — from The Great Cat

Wide Awake Tortoiseshell Cat
Gwen John (1876 - 1936, British)

Diner Impossible by Terri L. Austin | Review and Recipe

I read a really good book recently, y'all — Diner Impossible, by Terri L. Austin, Book 3 in the Rose Strickland Mystery series.  Let me tell you a little about it.

Synopsis, from the author's website:

After shunning her overbearing parents’ wealthy lifestyle, waitress and part-time college student, Rose Strickland, is drawn back into their world when she tries to prove the impossible: the innocence of the town’s crooked police chief. He’s suspected in the gruesome death of Delia Cummings, his secretary and mistress, and all the evidence points to him.

While she tracks down clues with the aid of her anime-loving bestie, Rose’s pal, Axton, and his Klingon gang are feuding with their Starfleet rivals. Things get hairier than a pile of well-fed Tribbles, so Rose gets involved. In between interrogating Trekkies and quizzing socialites at high tea, she discovers the secrets Delia Cummings took to her grave. Suspects abound, but when Chief Mathers threatens to bring down Rose’s criminally mischievous and maybe boyfriend, Sullivan, she makes it her mission to find the real killer before Sullivan finds himself in prison.