A Wytch's Book Review Blog

Murder in the Secret Garden (Book Retreat Mysteries #3) by Ellery Adams

There is a hidden garden bordering the grounds of Jane Steward’s book-themed resort—a garden filled with beautiful but deadly plants such as mandrake and nightshade. Tucked away behind ivy-covered walls and accessible only through a single locked door, as described in the pages of Frances Hodges Burnett's classic novel, the garden is of special interest to Jane’s current group of guests, The Medieval Herbalists. But when one of them turns up dead, Jane must discover whether a member of the group has come to Storyton Hall to celebrate their passion for plant lore or to implement a particularly cruel means for murder.
 
With thousands of books at her disposal, Jane believes she has the proper materials to solve this deadly problem. If she’s wrong, however, she may lose something far more precious than the contents of Storyton’s secret library...

There is a group of plant lovers staying at Storyton Hall - The Medieval Herbalists and there is a wedding happening (the sister of one of the Herbalists wants to get married at the Hall and have a Medieval themed wedding), as well as this there is a new shop in the town - and for the grand opening they are doing a rubber duck race down the river! It all seems to be joyous, until Jane Steward discovers one of the Medieval Herbalists dead in the river - but she didn't drown,

It is up to Jane and the Fins to find out what happened so that an innocent person doesn't get accused of poison.

The Vegetarian Low Carb Diet by Rose Elliot

Finally, the diet vegetarians have been waiting for. Have you been feeling left out lately? Many is the vegetarian or vegan who has watched their meat-eating friends with envy as they followed the Atkins diet and the pounds dropped off. There's no doubt about it: a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet really does work. But what about vegetarians and vegans? Is it possible to follow a high-protein diet without the fry-ups or the meat? And can it really be a healthy way of life? The answer to all these questions is a resounding 'yes'. Top vegetarian cookery writer Rose Elliot has devised an easy to follow, meat-free answer to the Atkins diet. Scientifically formulated to make your metabolism stop burning carbs and start burning fat, her diet helps you to lose weight and make carb cravings, mood swings and energy lows a thing of the past. With over 80 delicious, mouth-watering recipes, top tips for losing weight and staying slim, carbohydrate counters, menu plans and an explanation of why the diet works, this is the must-have book for any vegetarian or vegan who wants to lose weight.

An interesting book that seems to fit in with the low carb ideals (although for me I wouldn't be able to eat everything she suggests as I have a nut allergy and a lot of the bread subs have almonds in them) but some of the recipes are worth trying out and the general idea seems good! (I would be interested to find out if there is an updated version as I am sure that some of the things she says you need to order from abroad are now available.)

Rotten to the Core (Orchard #2) by Sheila Connolly

Orchard owner Meg Corey must clear her name of murder after the discovery of a pesticide-poisoned body in her springhouse.

Meg is settling into the house and farm, her new Orchard Manager is starting to move in (slowly as she still has classes to attend until the end of the academic year), and Meg has been adopted by an abandoned cat - so everything in the orchard is rosy, until Meg does a walk through and smells something rotten, which turns out to be a dead body! All of a sudden Detective Marcus is sniffing around again and Meg and Seth need to put their heads together to find out why the young man died there.

 

Purring around the Christmas Tree (Pawsitively Organic Mysteries #6) by Liz Mugavero

In the New England town of Frog’s Ledge, the Holiday Light Festival is a Christmas tradition. Killing Santa is not. To bring joy back to the season, organic pet patisserie owner Kristan “Stan” Connor will have to find another Santa before it’s too late . . .

To the townspeople’s delight, the annual lighting of the tree is a spectacular success. Unfortunately, Santa pulled up in his sleigh, DOA. At first Stan is sure it’s Seamus, her boyfriend’s uncle, inside the red suit. But the victim turns out to be an employee from the town’s Christmas tree farm. Rumor has it the deceased was a mean drunk with a soft spot for feral cats. Stan has no idea why he was dressed as St. Nick—or why he’s dead.

Meanwhile, Seamus, a jolly Irishman who comes to America every December to visit his pub-owner nephew, is nowhere to be found. Could he just be off on a Boston bar crawl? Or is something more sinister under the tree? Seamus was supposed to be dressing up and posing for pet pictures with Santa at the shop, but the dogs and cats might have to find another lap to curl up in if Stan doesn’t solve two mysteries soon. Or murder might be the only thing under the mistletoe this holiday . . .

Stan's shop is finally open just in time for Christmas (at least a soft opening - they plan on having the official opening the next day), just before they open up there is time to watch Santa turn up and turn on the lights of the main Christmas tree, but for some reason that is all rushed and then they discover that the Santa is dead, and the main inside the Santa suit isn't the main who should be playing Santa! So the official opening is pushed back whilst the murder is investigated - oh and a couple of people are missing - so it isn't so much Ho Ho Ho and no no no!

Custom Baked Murder (Pawsitively Organic Mysteries #5) by Liz Mugavero

Kristan “Stan” Connor gladly turned tail on her high-flying job and moved to a quaint New England town to sell organic pet treats. But with her nose for solving murders, there’s no such thing as a quiet life…

Summer is winding down in Frog Ledge, Connecticut, but Stan’s love life and career are both heating up nicely. In between planning her new pet patisserie and café, Stan is settling into living-in-bliss with sexy pub owner Jake McGee. Love’s on the menu for Stan’s mom, Patricia, too, who’s engaged to Frog Ledge’s mayor, Tony Falco.

Mayor Falco’s dogged ambition isn’t popular among locals, but it’s his executive coach, Eleanor Chang, who’s inspired a dangerous grudge. When Eleanor is found dead, there’s a whole pack of suspects to choose from. Stan has first-hand experience of Eleanor’s unsavory business tactics. But finding out who forced her to take a fatal plunge off the corporate ladder means unearthing some shady secrets…and a killer who’s too close for comfort.

Another humdinger of a book by Liz Mugavero, Stan is now living with Jake (4 dogs and 2 cats), the plans for the new shop are going well (although as an investor Stan's mother seems to think that she should have input a LOT of input into the planning), oh and as it is the time for the official engagement party for Patricia and Tony Stan's sister and niece have turned up.  There are a lot of people at the party, some of them Stan is happy to see others not so much, ex co workers and her ex boyfriend and then the evening takes a turn for the worse with no potential groom and a dead body!

Low-GI Vegetarian Cookbook by Rose Elliot

Ahead of its time, the hardback of this book (titled Fast, Fresh and Fabulous) was much more than a collection of recipes from Britain's most respected vegetarian author. It offered inspiring, mouth-watering dishes that also had a low GI rating.

Now available in an updated paperback format, Rose shares the secrets of healthy vegetarian and low-GI living. She gives essential information on living as a healthy vegetarian or vegan, whether you want to lose weight, feed your baby or start eating well to look younger and live longer.

Inspired in particular by Mediterranean and Far Eastern cuisine, she combines an abundance of organic vegetables with fresh herbs, exotic spices, beans and grains to produce simple, delicious, energizing dishes. Rose also gives ideas for menu-planning, whether it's for fast, afterwork meals, or celebratory dinner parties.

Beautifully illustrated with over 50 stunning recipe shots, this cookbook will inspire and delight vegetarians, non-vegetarians, and those wanting to follow a low-GI diet.

As my hubby needs to eat low GI and I am a Vegetarian this is the perfect book! Some of the stuff she writes I am not too sure about scientifically but the recipes sound delicious and I already have a few mentally flagged to try!

A Man Lay Dead (Roderick Alleyn #1) by Ngaio Marsh

Sir Hubert Handesley's extravagant weekend house-parties are deservedly famous for his exciting Murder Game. But when the lights go up this time, there is a real corpse with a real dagger in the back. All seven suspects have skilful alibis - so Chief Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn has to figure out the whodunit…

Nigel Bathgate has been invited to a weekend house party at Frantock, Sir Hubert Handesley's house, the other members of the party are Nigel's cousin Charles Rankin, a married couple the Wilde's, a young lady by the name of Rosemund Grant, a Russian Dr Tokaroff and Sir Hubert's niece Angela North.  The theme for the weekend will be the Murder Game but no one expects a real corpse in the form of Charles Rankin, Inspector Alleyn needs to dig deep to get past the lies and misdirections to find out whodunnit.

Carbs and Cadavers (A Supper Club Mystery #1) by J.B. Stanley, Ellery Adams

James "Professor Puff" Henry may as well have "loser" stamped on his forehead. Divorced, overweight, shy, and living at home, he relies on books and his favorite snack -- cheese puffs -- for sweet relief from his problems. A former English lit professor at William and Mary, he moves back to Quincy's Gap, a small Virginia town in the Shenandoah Valley, to take care of his recently-widowed father. To improve his social life and waistline, he joins a supper club for dieters who lovingly call themselves the "Flab Five." Avoiding carbs is nearly impossible in this deep-fried potato-loving land, so a mysterious death in their small burg provides an effective, if disturbing, distraction. While dodging delectable temptations, Professor Henry and his fellow dieters work together to shed pounds and find the killer who has struck fear in this tight-knit community.

James Henry has come home to look after his father after the sudden death of his mother, he is lucky enough to get a job at the local library (and he has two wonderful assistants in the form of the Fitzgerald twins), about a month after starting at the job an attractive, but overweight, woman asks if she can put up a flier for a weight loss group and seeing as James is overweight he decides to join.  There turns out to be 5 of them so they call themselves the Flab Five and settle down to shifting pounds!  As well as avoiding temptation though the five of them get dragged into a murder case, the local Football hero is killed and it seems he wasn't as well liked as he would have liked to have thought!

Lilabean: A Storybook about Simplicity for Grown-Up Girls by Kate Carpenter

Accompany Lilabean on her journey to self-discovery, where she is FINALLY able to leave behind all the physical, mental, and emotional clutter that has been burying her alive. Easy to read, simple to understand, but life-changing in the complexity of its message. A VERY good use of your valuable time!

Hmm I read it but I was glad it was only a short book, pithy poetry is not for me!

The Other Wind (Earthsea Cycle #6) by Ursula K. Le Guin

The wizard Alder comes from Roke to the island of Gont in search of the Archmage, Lord Sparrowhawk, once known as Ged. The man who was once the most powerful wizard in the Islands now lives with his wife Tenar and their adopted daughter Tehanu. Alder needs help: his beloved wife died and in his dreams she calls him to the land of the dead - and now the dead are haunting him, begging for release. He can no longer sleep, and the Wizards of Earthsea are worried.
But there is more at stake than the unquiet rest of one minor wizard: for the dragons of Earthsea have arisen, to reclaim the lands that were once theirs. Only Tehanu, herself daughter of a dragon, can talk to them; it may be that Alder's dreams hold the key to the salvation of Earthsea and all the peoples who live there.

Ged is currently on his own, as Tenar and Tehanu have gone to Havnor at the request of Lebannen the new King, when Alder comes begging for help, he has been to Roke Island and they suggested Sparrowhark may be able to ease his dreams of The Dry Lands (the place where the dead are trapped).  Although he can't help directly he writes to Lebannen and sends Alder, a grey kitten (who seems to be able to keep the dreams at bay) and the letter to the king.

From this point on the circle starts to close with everything coming to it's rightful end and we have a lot of the characters from the books and novella's coming together to save Earthsea and save Mankind and Dragonkind.

This I believe will be the last Earthsea book and I am wondering what took me so long to read them!