Book Review: Gem of a Ghost by Sue Ann Jaffarian

Gem of a Ghost by Sue Ann Jaffarian
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

*** Spoiler Alert *** This is the third book in the Ghost of Granny Apples Mysteries featuring Emma Whitecastle and Granny Apples (the ghost). While I enjoyed this book, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the previous books.

The story revolves around the ghost of a young woman who died in the late 1800’s and who did not have an easy life. Since her death, she has haunted a ring, with less than nice intentions. Emma is drawn to the mystery when the ring affects one of the friends of her daughter, Kelly. The mystery takes Emma to Pennsylvania, where the the ghosts of some of the Molly Maguires play a role, albeit a very small role.

This mystery didn’t quite live up to it’s potential and in some ways wasn’t resolved. In fact, the last half of the last chapter seemed to be out of order to me; it just seemed to throw off the flow of the book a bit.

In the previous books, we got to know the ghosts and their story a little more than here. This book introduces a new man, an archeologist, Quinn Keenan. It was almost like a romance competing with a mystery and both suffered from it. While I understand Emma not being sure about whether or not a permanent relationship with the first man she met after her marriage ended, I like Phil and felt like the potential romance with Quinn and Emma’s emotions around the whole thing leaned toward the drama queenish side. It took away a little from the mystery.

The mystery was good and the ending unexpected. However, it was only a partial ending as I hope we’ll know what the true end result of the last act of the ghost in the next book, though I doubt it. While I understand on some level why the end of the mystery was left a little hanging, I found it unsatisfying. I also found the Emma/Quinn ending unsatisfying. And, if I admit it, a little annoying. I read these books for the mystery, but I very much enjoy Emma and Phil’s relationship and I don’t really care to have soap opera elements thrown in. Though I do like Quinn, I hope this potential romance does not continue in future books. Because, yes, while I found this one a bit unsatisfying, I did enjoy the book and do plan to read the next one.


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A Charming Crime by Tonya Kappes

A Charming Crime by Tonya Kappes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was my first Goodreads win and I’m happy to say that, overall, I enjoyed this book.  This is first in the Magical Cures series featuring June Heal, a novice spiritualist.

As the book opens, June is carrying on her mother’s business of selling herbal remedies.  Through her best friend, Oscar Park, she learns of Whispering Falls -- a place full of interesting people.   She is invited to open a shop there for her cures and learns that she will basically be re-opening her Mother’s shop.  Turns out, in her early childhood, June lived with her mother and father in Whispering Falls, a town populated by Spiritualists and with a lengthy and convoluted set of rules on who can run a shop and who can live there.

I will admit that I had gaps in reading this book due to the holidays, but I felt like the characters were introduced at a rapid pace and I had a hard time keeping track of them.  Personally, I didn’t get a really good feel for the people in the town or even the main characters.  At times, the telling of the story felt rushed.  However, as I became more immersed in the book again, I was drawn into the story; the ending was climatic and had a twist.  So, a decent little mystery.

My biggest pet peeves with this book had to do with the formatting and the lack of editing.  The formatting was double spaced throughout, which was a bit distracting to me.  And, while the grammar was fine, the editing left a little to be desired.  There are numerous instances of the wrong words being used.  The words weren’t mis-spelled, they were simply the wrong words.  For the most part, I could figure out the word and move on.  The worst offender was "Freight and share agony pierced my soul.”  I’m pretty sure it was meant to be “Fright and sheer agony pierced my soul,” but it took me a bit to figure out the sheer part.  I will note that this could have been a pre-publication copy and the errors may not be in the final cut.  

One other thing that drove me a little nuts was June’s obsession with Ding Dongs.  I finally got past that, but there was one scene where she fed some to her cat and chocolate is toxic in cats.  As a cat owner, that totally distracted me from the main story, but fortunately it was only the one time.

Other than the pet peeves mentioned above, I thought this was a good mystery with a very interesting premise.  I do plan on reading future books in this series and would recommend it to those who enjoy a bit of the mystical in their mysteries.


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Year in Review ... 2012

Tomorrow we'll welcome 2013.  This has made me a bit reflective.  It's been quite a year for me, both good and bad.

The good -- I accepted what has turned out to be a good job opportunity.  I attended not one, but two, very good professional conferences, one in Austin, one in Anaheim (which made me a bit nostalgic for the days I lived in central CA).  I got to make one more trip make to tiny town in Illinois, and stay one last time in my father's childhood home, before we sold it.  I'm still a little sad about that and will miss my summer visit there, but it was totally the right thing to do.  Christmas in Louisiana was particularly good this year (especially the food), even if the weather was bit dreary and rainy. 

I'm cooking more, which I'm finding I enjoy.  For a variety of reasons, I've been experimenting with dairy free cooking, which has led to some vegan cooking, and vegetarian cooking and I've found I like it.  I've gotten a couple of cookbooks and found some blogs and have made some changes that have turned out very positive.  I'm trying to blog my adventures in cooking and I'm trying to ramp up my food photography as well, though not always with my anticipated results.

The bad -- well, on some levels, the job hits both lists.  Wonderful opportunity and every day I know why I took it.  However, the organization, not so good.  It could be worse and I'm super grateful I have a job, especially in today's economy, but unfortunately, it's not a job I want to keep till I retire.  And, while I'm getting used to my new town, it isn't where I want to live forever either.  Sometimes you just connect with a city and sometimes you don't.  I've been blessed.  In all of my moves, this is only the second time I haven't really connected with a city.  So, I guess that's a positive of sorts.

The other huge negative is my apartment, which is fixable.  I had only two days to find a place to live (I will never not take a house hunting trip again).  I actually like the apartment itself, however, it's the poorest built place I've ever lived and the noise from above is just something I'm not going to be able to handle long term.  I don't really blame my neighbors -- they are young and they have a puppy and well, the apartment building is not well built.  I hear every bump and thump and they make a lot of bumps and thumps; it's more than just walking - it's not uncommon for the ceiling to shake due to one of their bumps or thumps.  So, I've been looking and have just about decided on a place.  I have a couple of things to ask the property management company and am not sure it will work out.  But, I have seen a few places that would work.  The thought of moving again makes my teeth itch, but the lure of quietness is too much.  Oh, and a solid surface for working out and doing yoga.

All in all, while this has been a somewhat disconnected year for me, I can't say it's been a bad one.  Just one full of learning  about me and what makes me tick.  I'm looking forward to what will come in 2013.

Best wishes to everyone for all good things in the coming year.

I leave you with a picture of kitty enjoying the mild weather:

Book Review: The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the fourth book I’ve read by Sarah Addison Allen and it did not disappoint.  I could tell from the description that it was a bit different from her other novels, as magic played less of a role.  It wasn’t as obvious as in other stories, but it was there in the background.

This is a novel of friendship and somewhat of family as well as moving forward with life.  The main character is Willa, but other characters play a prominent role - Paxton, her twin brother Colin, Sebastion, and Willa and Paxton’s grandmothers, Georgie and Agatha.  The house, the Blue Ridge Madam, is also a presence of it’s own in the story.

Willa and Paxton aren’t friends.  They are two different people, each trying to find her spot in life and to move forward.  Paxton is re-doing Willa’s family’s old home, one that hasn’t been in her family for years.  During the renovations, a skeleton is found.  By visiting their grandmothers and digging out old photo albums and a little bit of investigation, Willa and Paxton learn the story of the skeleton and in so doing, they learn about friendship, namely that shared by their grandmothers.   And, they find out they aren’t so different and a friendship of sorts develop.

But, it’s not just about Willa and Paxton.  It’s also about Sebastion and Colin.  It’s about friendships that last a lifetime.  They are all looking for something and in the end, it turns out that what they are looking for might just be right in front of them.

The mystery didn’t take center stage in this story, it was the catalyst for the relationships, both for family and new and old friends.  As with her other books, this one left me wishing for just a bit more.  It’s hard to describe everything.  It isn’t a “deep” book, but it’s a highly enjoyable read.  Definitely recommended.


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