Sugar Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke, pages 380

Sugar Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke, pages 380

The citizens of Lake Eden are having their annual Christmas buffet. The buffet is the final test of the recipes before Hannah puts them in a cookbook. Martin Dubinski comes to the dinner with his new Vegas showgirl wife. Hannah’s mother’s antique cake knife disappears and it is found on the body of the new dead wife. With the help of her sisters and mother Hannah solves the mystery.

I enjoyed this novella, although, I am disappointed on how short it is. I really like some of the recipes in the book.

WWW: Wake

WWW: Wake 

by Robert J. Sawyer

356 pages

Caitlin Decter, a fifteen-year-old math genius, has been blind since birth.  However, Japanese researcher Masayuki Kuroda has developed a device that will allow Caitlin to see.  This device, referred to by Caitlin as an eye-Pod, has an unintentional side-effect--it allows her to SEE the world wide web.  This "websight" allows Caitlin to discover something nobody knew existed.

This is the first book in the WWW trilogy.  There are other storylines aside from the main one, but I'm not quite sure how the others will fit into the sequels.  In fact, one of the storylines seems like it was almost completely dropped in the middle of the book.  I'm not sure I care enough to read the next book to find out what happens.  Overall, I thought this was a good book, but I like the end the way it is.  I don't feel compelled to find out what happens next because I would rather not know.  Sometimes it's nice to leave things up to the imagination.

"When She Woke" by Hillary Jordan

341 pages

The America Hannah Payne lives in can be harsh. The line between church and state has been eradicated, and crime is so out of control that there is no room for all the criminals in the prisons. Therefore, all but the most dangerous offenders are Chromed--their skin color is genetically altered to match the classification of their crime. Chromes have no way to conceal their crimes, so they are often subject to discrimination and persecution. Hannah used to not worry much about that, though, because she was the last person anyone expected to end up being Chromed. She was always obediently devoted to church and her conservative family. But that all changed when she fell in love--with a married man. And not just any married man, either--one of the most high-profile religious leaders in America. When she found out she was pregnant with his child, she felt she has no choice but to have an abortion to protect his identity. Problem was, in this new society abortion is equivalent to murder, and she was caught and convicted. Now she has to set out into the world as a Red, and she's about to find out just how dangerous that can be.

I had trouble putting this book down! I really like dystopian literature in general, and this is one of the best I've read in a while. The world Jordan creates is out-there enough to be interesting but realistic enough that I could totally picture this kind of society developing in the United States. Hannah is a fascinating character. She's struggling with a crisis of faith, trying to reconcile the world she's been brought up in with the things she is experiencing and discovering as a Chrome. I think a lot of readers will relate to her. One thing I didn't like was that the Scarlet Letter references are pretty heavy-handed. I felt like this was a little insulting, like "oh, in case you couldn't tell, this is supposed to be like The Scarlet Letter and this society is bad!" I can already tell, thanks. But still, this is an exciting story that made me think.

Book of Shadows by Cate Tiernan, 176 pages

Candy Cane Murder by Joanne Fluke, Leslie Meier, Laura Levine pages 388

Candy Cane Murder by Joanne Fluke, Leslie Meier, Laura Levine pages 388

This book is a collection of three novellas by Joanne Fluke, Leslie Meier and Laura Levine and they all have candy canes in them.

In the Candy Cane Murder Hannah needs to solve the murder of Santa.

In The Dangers of Candy Canes Janie investigates the death of a construction worker and finds out how hazardous can be candy canes.

In Candy Canes of Christmas Past Lucy and her husband Bill move to a small town in Main to start a new life. Lucy becomes friends with the librarian and is intrigued by the murder of her friend’s mother.

My favorite story was Candy Cane Murder because of the recipes. I was disappointed that it was so short.

The Disappearance at Pere-Lachaise by Claude Izner, pages 306

The Disappearance at Pere-Lachaise by Claude Izner, pages 306

At the end of the 18^th, during the failed attempt by the French government to build the Panama channel, the husband of Odette is presumed dead. Odette disappears and her servant Denise goes to Victor Legris for help. Soon after that Denise is drowned and Odette’s body is found buried in a backyard. Victor starts his investigation and discovers a very sinister plot connected with a mine in Panama.

I like the book because is full of historical references. At the same time the references make the book hard to read. In the near future I will probably read more books by Claude Izner.

Damsel In Distress by Shannon Drake, pages 410

Damsel In Distress by Shannon Drake, pages 410

The setting of the book is in England during one of the Crusades when King Richard fought to free Jerusalem. In his absence his brother Prince Henry plans to take the crown. He wants to marry the spoiled Katherine de Montrain to his supporter. Meanwhile she marries Lord Damian Montjoy.

I did not like that book. Katherine is a spoiled princess who from the beginning of the book dislikes (without a good reason) the main character. At times I almost abandoned the book because the main characters spent too much time arguing about something trivial.