3 Great Reads

Delicious and Suspicious by Riley Adams

As I’m sure it is clear by now, I am obsessed with reading cozy mysteries. I find them funny, amusing, and the characters are usually pretty interesting. This book was no different.

Set in Memphis, this is a story of the Taylor family who run Aunt Pat’s Bar-B-Que. When a Cooking Channel scout is found dead in her hotel room, there is a long list of suspects for the police to sift through, as Rebecca Adrian stepped on many people’s toes before she met her death. With the suspicion looming over her restaurant, Lulu starts investigating on her own so that life in the usually bustling barbeque restaurant can get back to normal.

This story was so much fun and was definitely representative of the stereotypical south. Good food, great characters, and trying to figure out who “dunnit”, it was a read that just ate up my time until the very last page. All that talk about food had my stomach rumbling on more than one occasion! And for those so inclined, there are some recipes for this good southern food in the back of the book. Go on down to Aunt Pats, where the conversation is free and the food is worth every penny!

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/a/riley-adams/delicious-and-suspicious.htm

Tell it to the Trees by Anita Rau Badami

Tell it to the Trees, published by Random House Canada, introduces us to the Dharma family, an Indian family living in northern Canada. The beginning of the story tells the reader that a woman who had been renting from the Dharma family was found frozen to death outside the house, how she end up there a mystery. The story is divided into sections, each one focusing on certain characters and the story is told from their point of view. Reading the story constructed this way makes it easier to get inside the heads of the characters and also makes it easier to see the bigger picture. Can YOU figure out what happened to Anu?

This book was NOTHING like what I was expecting it to be when I read the dust jacket.  Having said that, I really really enjoyed it. From the beginning I was completely sucked in and could not put it down. I liked that it was from different characters point of view, although it would have been nice to see what Vikram had to say. I figured out part of the way through how Anu died, but I was curious to find out how it had been carried out and who all was involved. I found it scary how much Varsha was turning out to be like her father and her possession of people was kind of creepy. I loved Akka, but it bothered me that she just sat by and said nothing while all of this stuff was going on in her house.

I definitely recommend this book. It gives insight into the Indian culture and it also makes you realize that you never know what is going on behind closed doors! Let me know if you read this!!!

Check out this book on the Random House website:

http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780676978933

Eve by Anna Carey

Another one of my obsessions is teen post-apocalyptic novels. So far with this genre, I have not been disappointed. They have all been different enough to keep me interested and make me want to keep reading. Eve was no exception.

Eve is a student at an all-girls school, where they are taught to work hard, excel at your talent, and fear men and boys. All the girls are being prepared to go on to the next level, four years at another school where they will basically become a master of their interest (sound familiar?) When Eve finds out where the girls will really be going when they graduate, she manages to escape with the help of one of her teachers. Eve is a special girl and the King has big plans for her. Now that she’s on the run, everyone is looking for her. Will she make it to Califia, a safe camp for those who are against the Kings wishes and plans?

I absolutely loved this book. I thought it was exciting, interesting, and there were some truly pull-on-your-heartstrings moments. Of course there is a love story, which may make some people roll their eyes, but it is interesting to watch it unfold when Eve has been trained to fear men. This book is the first in a trilogy and the second book, Once, is set to be released in July 2012.

I hope you will check out these 3 books and let me know what you think!  As always, thank you for reading my blog!