Kate Carlisle – The Hub

Cozy Up to a Good Mystery: Part 3

I enjoy cozy mysteries. The past two years I’ve created posts with some of my favorites—see the round up from 2013 and my list from 2014. Cozies are perfect for teens as most of the violence happens off page. Cozies center around relationships: friends, family, romantic interests, and of course suspects. Many take place in a small town or close-knit communities where everyone knows everyone and their business. Plus most cozies are part of series, so once a year you get to hang out with old friends.

Books that make your mouth water:
Final Sentence by Daryl Wood Gerber
Jenna Hart comes home to launch a new business with her aunt – a cookbook store and cafe. She asks her old roommate and celebrity chef to appear for the grand opening of the store. Unfortunately, her friend is murdered and Jenna is the prime suspect. In order to clear her name, Jenna starts digging around for the truth.

Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander
With her marriage on the rocks, Juliet Capshaw returns home to the family bakery, hoping the trip home will help her answer questions in her personal life. When a community member is killed in the bakery, Juliet teams up with her old high school boyfriend to help catch a killer.

Criminal Confections by Colette London
Hayden Mundy Moore is a chocolate expert. Companies hire her to develop new products and create the best chocolates for their customers. While at a chocolate retreat, her friend ODs on a secret ingredient in a new chocolate line. Her death is ruled an accident, but Hayden isn’t convinced. She pokes around until she realizes that she may have been the target of the attack and not her friend. Hayden vows to uncover the truth as a last gift for her friend. Continue reading Cozy Up to a Good Mystery: Part 3

Wishing Away the Winter Blues with YA Lit

Dreaming Abour #summerreading This is my fourth year living in a city that has an actual winter season and I can say that January and February are the most difficult times of year for me. The magic of first snowfall and all of the holiday celebrations are long gone. Now everything is just grey and cold and dirty. I don’t want to think about getting cozy with a warm beverage and good book like I did back in November. I want to think about warm climates and drinks served in hollowed-out coconuts.

One of the things that gets me through this time of year is planning and daydreaming about my annual summer vacation to my hometown in South Florida. I look at the calendar to determine the best arrival and departure dates. I create spreadsheets with all of the restaurants that I want to visit and all of the supplies and cute clothes I need to buy. I ponder if this is the year that I finally plan a road trip to Orlando to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. And I also begin to plan my vacation reading list.

I know that not everyone considers what they will read four months down the road, but it really is part of the process for me. There is an excitement in deciding what books will be part of my vacation. It is as important as deciding which sandals will be on my feet when I read them. Some of these are titles with well-timed release dates at the start of summer vacation, while others are upcoming releases that I plan to save.

Here is a peek at the start of my summer vacation reading list:

The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi – June 16, 2015
What’s better than reading a Florida author while on vacation in Florida? I’ve been waiting for this debut novel from Gibaldi F-O-R-E-V-E-R and I am so excited that it will be released shortly before my vacation begins so it will be waiting for me when I arrive. You’ll be able to find me on day one reading this one with my feet up.

Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway – June 23, 2015
Benway is an insta-read author for me. Audrey, Wait! is one of my all-time favorite YA titles and I can often be found pushing it to readers interested in fun, contemporary stories. Emmy & Oliver seems to be a much more emotional story, though, and I cannot wait to see how it plays out.

Ripped from the Pages (A Bibliophile Mystery) by Kate Carlisle – June 2, 2015
While not YA lit, I think this series of cozy mysteries does have high teen appeal. This is the ninth release in the series and I’m excited to see what happens when Brooklyn joins her kooky family back on their commune in Wine Country, California.

The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey – April 28, 2015
Thanks to Twitter, The Girl at Midnight hit my radar a long time ago. I am excited to welcome a new fantasy trilogy into my life and the buzz has been fantastic about this debut. Waiting a couple months won’t be as bad as waiting for books two and three (scheduled for release in 2016 and 2017, respectively).

Mosquitoland by Davis Arnold – March 3, 2015
It’s going to be rough to wait on this one because I LOVE road trip stories. They scream vacation, though, so I’m going to do my best and hold out. Mosquitoland sounds like it will have all of the high points and low points that a real road trip has. Throw in a quirky cast of characters along the road and I’m sold.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli – April 7, 2015
The cover of this one demands my attention every time I see it – it’s so great! The story sounds like a fun and charming contemporary romance with some drama related to the not-so-openly gay protagonist’s e-mail correspondence. Many of the reader reviews I have seen relate to the readers’ inability to stop smiling and I cannot imagine anything better for a summer vacation reading list.

Hello, I Love You by Katie M. Stout – May 26, 2015
If a contemporary romance about an American student studying in a Korean wasn’t enough for me, throw in the fact that the love interest in a KPop star and I am all over it. Musically-charged with an adorable love story and some family drama? This sounds amazing!

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia – May 19, 2015
Not going to lie: this one had me at “for fans of Wes Anderson.” The main character struggles to tell the difference between reality and fantasy which in turns requires the reader to work out the difference. It sounds both adorable and funny which are great qualities in a vacation read.

Have you started planning your summer reading? Any upcoming releases that I should consider adding to my list? Leave a comment with your thoughts!

– Jessica Lind, currently reading Batgirl Vol. 2: Knightfall Descends by Gail Simone

Cozy Up to a Good Mystery, Part 2

Last year, I created a post with some of my favorite cozy mysteries with teen appeal. It’s a fact; I love cozy mysteries. I love the relationships in cozy mysteries as many of them are set in small towns or close-knit communities. Everyone seems to know everyone else. Plus, most cozies are part of a series, so once a year you get to hang out with old friends.

If You Want to Own a Store:
Secondhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell
Lily’s a witch who’s been on the run, hiding her true self from the world. Now she’s ready to settle down. She opens a vintage clothing store in San Fransisco and feels at home. Upon visiting a client, she learns about a local legend. When that client dies the next day, Lily wonders if the legend could be real. Can she help without exposing her secret?
The Long Quiche Goodbye by Avery Aames
Charlotte and her cousin open a wine and cheese store. During the grand re-opening, a murder occurs right outside. When the police identify Charlotte’s grandmother as the chief suspect, she starts her own investigation.
Mum’s the Word by Kate Collins
Abby Knight is not having a good day, even though she’s trying to be cheerful. Someone hits her corvette and takes off. Abby’s determined to track down the owner and make him pay, until she realizes that the person driving off might have committed a murder. Going after him seems like a deadly plan, but what if he comes after her?

If You Like Cooking:
State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy
White House Assistant Chef Olivia Paras wants to land the job of her dreams – Executive Chef after her boss and friend retires. When she spies a man out of place in the White House, she takes action. Now she’s the only person to see the assassin, the Chameleon, and he’s not happy about it.
Clammed Up by Barbara Moss
Julia came home to small town Maine to rescue the family business. Unfortunately, a man’s murdered on the island where they host their clam bakes. Now, Julia needs the murder solved ASAP or the business will be turned over to the bank. Can she solve a murder and save her business?
An Appetite for Murder by Lucy Burdette
Hayley dreams of becoming a food critic. When she applies for a job at a Key West magazine, she realizes that her would be boss is the woman she caught with her boyfriend. Crossing that job off her list, Hayley’s stunned to learn that Kristen’s been poisoned by a Key Lime Pie and she’s the chief suspect in the murder.

Continue reading Cozy Up to a Good Mystery, Part 2