Old City Hall by Robert Rotenberg

Book Description
The murder of a Toronto radio host's wife engulfs the lives of cops, lawyers, and a journalist in this sprawling legal thriller.

It should be an open–and–shut case. Canada’s leading radio-show host, Kevin Brace, has confessed to killing his young wife. The trouble is, after muttering his last incriminating words --“I killed her”-- he now refuses to talk to anyone, including his own lawyer.

With the discovery of strange fingerprints at the crime scene, and a revealing courtroom cross-examination, the seemingly simple case begins to take on all the complexities of a hotly contested murder trial.

In the tradition of defense lawyers-turned-authors such as Scott Turow and John Grisham, Toronto-based defense counsel Robert Rotenberg delivers a debut legal thriller.

My thoughts
Old City Hall by Robert Rotenberg is an impressive first novel. His in-depth descriptions of Toronto, City Hall and the people are first-rate. The plot deals with the murder of a radio-show host’s wife and his confession. He then refuses to speak another word after the confession. This makes for an intriguing interaction between client and attorney, to say the least. The story is well written and holds the reader’s attention with surprises and enough action to not slow down the story.


Disclosure: I received this book for review from the publisher. I received no compensation for my thoughts.

The Host by Stephanie Meyer Book Giveaway

Thanks to Valerie at the Hachette Book Group, I am offering one paperback edition of The Host by Stephanie Meyer.

This contest is open to U.S. and Canada residents only.

No Post Office Boxes.

For one entry, leave a comment telling us who your favorite vampire, werewolf, or creature is from movies, television and books. Please leave your e-mail address so that I can contact you if you won.

Subscribers and followers will get 2 additional entries (just let me know that you one or the other or both).

Contest ends Saturday, May 15, 2010.

The Pallbearers by Stephen J. Cannell

Book Description
Abandoned by his parents as an infant, Scully was reared in an orphanage, Huntington House. The only positive thing in his young life was the attention of the Home’s director, Walter “Pop” Dix. Pop, an avid surfer, would take a small group of kids for early morning surfing. He was the father none of them had ever had.

That was thirty years ago. Now, Shane is forced to revisit these memories when Pop is found dead, the victim of an apparently self-inflicted shotgun blast. He leaves a message asking six specific people, all of whom attended Huntington House, to be his pallbearers, and Shane is one of the chosen. He and his fellow pallbearers don’t believe it was a suicide. That leaves murder. But why, and by whom?

Together, the pallbearers embark on a dangerous odyssey in pursuit of justice for Pop, and for retribution against those responsible for his death. Their journey takes them up against an unforeseen adversary whose power and influence far exceed anything they could have imagined.

My thoughts
The Pallbearers are six individuals who were troubled youth who were mentored by one Water Dix. Dix has committed suicide and so it is thought. Since one of the pallbearers is Shane Scully, a L.A. cop, the others pressure him to investigate. An interesting plot and group of characters, and Stephen J. Cannell knows how to write, but it lacked something. I enjoyed the book but could take it or leave it.


Note: I borrowed this book from my local library.

Libby’s Spicy Ribs with Barbecue Sauce

Here is a recipe that I tried this past weekend. We like it spicy so I added the extra hot sauce. We enjoyed it very much.

This recipe came from Heirloom Cooking with the Brass Sisters: Recipes You Remember and Love. This is an amazing cookbook with tasty recipes.

Libby’s Spicy Ribs with Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients:
4 lbs. pork baby back ribs, separated
1¼ cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pickling spice
1½ cups water
1 cup ketchup
¾ cup chili sauce
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon celery seed
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground mustard
Tabasco sauce (optional)

Directions:
Place ribs in a heavy 8-quart pot. Add onion, salt and pickling spice. Add water to cover ribs. Cover pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, occasionally stirring with a wooden spoon and checking to make sure the water doesn’t evaporate. Replenish water is needed.

Set the oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 325º F. Coat a 9-inch by 13-inch by 2-inch ovenproof glass baking dish with vegetable spray.

In a small saucepan, combine water, ketchup, chili sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, celery seed, garlic powder, hot pepper flakes, mustard, and Tabasco sauce, if using. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Place ribs in prepared dish, pour sauce over ribs, and turn ribs once in sauce to coat. Bake 1 hour, or until ribs are tender and falling off the bone. Turn ribs at least twice during baking. To serve, spoon sauce on top and pass extra sauce on the side.

Yields about 20 ribs – 6 appetizer servings

Tips and Touches
For a more spicy sauce, add more Tabasco sauce.
Remove some on the cinnamon sticks form the pickling spice to reduce the cinnamon taste of the sauce.

Pain Killers by Jerry Stahl

Book Description
Down-and-out ex-cop and not-quite-reformed addict Manny Rupert accepts an undercover job to find out if a California prison inmate is who he claims to be: Josef Mengele, aka the Angel of Death. Did the sadistic legend, whose Auschwitz crimes still horrify, fake his own death thirty years ago? Suddenly Manny finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy involving genocide, drugs, eugenics, human experiments, and America's secret history of collusion with the Nazis—all while careening from one extreme of apocalypse-adjacent reality to the other.

Not for the faint of heart, Jerry Stahl's Pain Killers hurtles readers into a disturbing, original, and alarmingly real world filled with some of the strangest sex, most horrific violence, and screaming wit ever found on the page.

My thoughts
Pain Killers by Jerry Stahl is certainly not for the faint-hearted as it dives into the world of drug addicts, prison and Nazis. This novel is creative and witty but also disturbing and brutally graphic. It involves Manny Rupert who is an ex-cop, but not ex-drug addict is hired to find out if an inmate is the real Josef Mengele or a just a nut. From there he gets weirder. This is certainly not a book for everyone, myself included.



Disclaimer: I received this book for review from the publisher. I received no compensation for my thoughts.

Rainy Day Book Giveaway – Dead Man of the Year

It’s raining here and it is just one of those days where you just want to sit in your pajamas all day (that’s what I am doing), so I’ve decided to have another giveaway.

I am giving away my copy of Dead Man of the Year by Stephen Hawley Martin. This is an ARC copy. The book will be released July 1st.

This contest is open to U.S. residents only.
Leave a comment on what you like to do on rainy days.
Leave your email address so that I can contact you if you win.
Contest ends Sunday, May 2, 2010

Vampirella SOLD!

I sold another painting of mine yesterday. It is a 24" x 36" oil painting of Vampirella. I painted this in 1997 and I know my (current) wife if very happy that it is finally out of the house!

Dead Man of the Year by Stephen Hawley Martin

Book Description
The protagonist, 32 year old Brian Durston, has left a bright future at a big Madison Avenue agency to join his uncle's medium-sized ad firm. He did so with the understanding his uncle would give him a stake in the business. The future looks bright for Brian until he discovers his uncle Rod dead, slumped over his desk, a bullet through his brain. The police think suicide is the cause, which means the uncle's life insurance won't pay, and Brian will not inherit the money to buy his share of the business. This raises a big question in Brian’s mind. Who benefits? The answer seems obvious: The surviving partners, of course. So Brian decides some investigating is in order. Meanwhile, the agency's largest account goes into review, and Brian must pull out the stops to save it, or there won’t be much agency left. In steps the beautiful and enigmatic copywriter, Nickie D'Agostino. She says she wants to help Brian save the account and find the killer. But after a while, Brian begins to wonder. Could she be the one who did it? A romance tortured by suspicion follows, and a frantic, white-knuckle race to find the murderer before Brian’s share of the business reverts to the surviving partners, or worse his snooping prompts the killer to strike again, sending Brian to join his uncle in the afterlife.

My thoughts
Dead Man of the Year by Stephen Hawley Martin is a mesmerizing murder mystery that is somehow entangled in the advertising industry. With his background in the industry, Martin creates a realistic feel of the energetic pulse behind the ad men and spices it up with a murder right there on Madison Avenue. The story unfolds with Brian Durston, finding the body of his uncle who runs a New York advertising firm. Since the police write it off as suicide, their largest client putting out to bid their latest campaign, Brian is in a frenzy to solve the case and save the firm! An amusing adventure in the ad world.


Disclosure: I received thisbook from the publisher for review. I received no compensation for my thoughts.

Firefly Rain by Richard Dansky BLOG TOUR

It's a blog tour for Richard Dansky's FIREFLY RAIN.

Book Description
When Jacob left home for a new life, he pretty much forgot all about Maryfield, North Carolina. But Maryfield never forgot him. Or forgave him.
After a failed business venture in Boston, Jacob Logan comes back to the small Southern town of his childhood and takes up residence in the isolated house he grew up in. Here, the air is still. The nights are black. And his parents are buried close by. It should feel like home—but something is terribly wrong.

Jacob loses all his belongings in a highway accident. His car is stolen from his driveway, yet he never hears a sound. The townspeople seem guarded and suspicious. And Carl, the property caretaker with so many secrets, is unnervingly accommodating. Then there are the fireflies that light the night skies . . . and die as they come near Jacob’s home. If it weren’t for the creaking sounds after dark, or the feeling that he is being watched, Jacob would feel so alone. He shouldn’t worry. He’s not.
And whatever’s with him isn’t going to let him leave home ever again.

My thoughts
Richard Dansky’s FIREFLY RAIN is a slow-building, suspenseful horror thriller that will entertain you until the end. When Jacob Logan returns to his childhood home in North Carolina, things just begin to weird him out. Like why don’t the fireflies cross the property border and who stole his car and where the hell is it? The caretaker Carl is very secretive and Office Hanratty is one creepy gal. What is going on in the little town of Maryfield and why can’t Jacob leave? Dansky pulls the reader into Jacob’s dilemma and has created an fascinating tale of terror.

Please visit the other blogs on this tour:
Revenge of the Book Nerds
Drey’s Library
My Life In Not So Many Words
All About {n}
Crazy Books & Reviews
Pick of the Literate
Book Junkie
The Cajun Book Lady
I Heart Monster
Bookhounds: Books Gardens & Dogs
Just One More Paragraph
My Friend Amy
The Wayfaring Writer
Wendy’s Minding Spot
Lucky Rosie’s
Pam’s Private Reflections
Star Shadow
Patricia’s Vampire Notes
The Bibliophilic Book Blog
My Book Views
I Heart Book Gossip
Brizmus Blogs Books
Simply Stacie
Jeanne's Ramblings
Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer
Books And Things
Readaholic
Book Tumbling
Jen’s Book Talk
Avid Reader
Starting Fresh
A Journey of Books
The Life (and Lies) of an Inanimate Flying Object
Cheryl’s Book Nook
I’m Booking It
Must Read Faster
Maria’s Space
Gnostalgia
Rundpinne

The Serialist By David Gordon

Book Description
Harry Bloch is a struggling writer who pumps out pulpy serial novels—from vampire books to detective stories—under various pseudonyms. But his life begins to imitate his fiction when he agrees to ghostwrite the memoir of Darian Clay, New York City’s infamous Photo Killer. Soon, three young women turn up dead, each one murdered in the Photo Killer’s gruesome signature style, and Harry must play detective in a real-life murder plot as he struggles to avoid becoming the killer’s next victim.

Witty, irreverent, and original, The Serialist is a love letter to books—from poetry to pornography—and proof that truth really can be stranger than fiction.

My thoughts
David Gordon’s The Serialist is humorous, witty and gory. Not for the faint-hearted. Harry Bloch is an author is on the edge of actually making the big time. He writes a lot of schlocky novels, but thinks he will get is big break write the biography for a serial killer. Instead the serial killer, Darian Clay wants him to write little vignettes involving women who have written to him while in prision before he will reveal himself to Bloch. The only problem is that after Bloch interviews these women and writes his little porn stories, they end up dead. Now, to avoid prison, Harry takes it upon himself to find out who is murdering these women and stop from getting killed himself. As mention above, this novel has it’s funny and witty moments but can be pretty graphic.


Note: This book was borrowed from my local library.

Comment for a Chance to Win $100 Amazon Gift Card

No, I am NOT giving away a $100 Amazon Gift card but the folks at Life360 are.  I wanted to share it with my readers, because who couldn't use a $100 Amazon Gift card?

Each week, they’re giving away a $100 Amazon gift card to a random commenter. Every time you leave a comment on any post at Life360 Now!, you’re automatically entered in our weekly drawing. You can enter up to 10 times a week.

Entrants must be 18 and older, and obviously, spam comments won’t win. They’re looking for real comments, with real people having real conversations. Winners are announced every Friday, so check back then.


Click here to check it out!

Winner!

And the winner of my April's Making Room for New Books Giveaway is:

Vera

Congratulations!

The Last Illusion by Rhys Bowen

Book Description
Irish immigrant and PI Molly Murphy is thrilled to have a ticket to the theater to see a trio of illusionists that are all the rage. Indeed, headlining is Harry Houdini, the most sensational of them all; he has just returned from entertaining European kings and queens for a brief run on Broadway.

But before Houdini can even take the stage, the opening act goes horribly wrong and to the crowd’s shock the illusionist saws into his assistant. In the aftermath, the stunned performer accuses Houdini of tampering with the equipment he keeps under lock and key. And he’s not the only one critical of “The King of Handcuffs.” Risking his life every night, Houdini has raised the stakes to such a perilous level that he’s putting lesser acts out of business.

With everyone on edge, Houdini’s wife hires Molly to be part investigator/part bodyguard, but how can she protect a man who literally risks his life every night? And how is she going to uncover whether these masters of illusion are simply up to their tricks or if there truly is something much more treacherous going on.

With sparkling wit, charming characters, and historic detail, multiple award winner Rhys Bowen brings early-twentieth-century New York City and the fantastic performers of the time vividly to life in The Last Illusion.

My thoughts
Molly Murphy is back in Rhys Bowen’s latest novel THE LAST ILLUSION. She brings back life in New York City at the turn of the last century. This time Molly is hired by Harry Houdini’s wife to find out if someone is trying to kill her husband. This novel has magic, the theater and even the hint of possible spies. Ms. Bowen does it again with her detailed historical imagery, her colorful characters and an enjoyable plot. I simply adore these mysteries.


Note:  This book was borrowed from my local library.

Second Abbott & Costello Cruise

The families of Bud and Lou will be hosting the 2nd Abbott & Costello Cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas in 2011!

•Shipboard Credit
•Cocktail Party
•Souvenir Tote Bag
•Screening of "Time Of Their Lives" with Q&A following with the family
•Autographed photo of "Time Of Their Lives" by Bud and Lou's kids!
•and much, much more!

Cabin space is limited - first come, first serve!


This is similiar to the one we took last year. We enjoyed ourselves!

John Dies At the End by David Wong

Book Description
STOP. You should not have touched this flyer with your bare hands. NO, don't put it down. It's too late. They're watching you. My name is David Wong. My best friend is John. Those names are fake. You might want to change yours. You may not want to know about the things you'll read on these pages, about the sauce, about Korrok, about the invasion, and the future. But it's too late. You touched the book. You're in the game. You're under the eye. The only defense is knowledge. You need to read this book, to the end. Even the part with the bratwurst. Why? You just have to trust me.

The important thing is this: The drug is called Soy Sauce and it gives users a window into another dimension. John and I never had the chance to say no. You still do. I'm sorry to have involved you in this, I really am. But as you read about these terrible events and the very dark epoch the world is about to enter as a result, it is crucial you keep one thing in mind: None of this was my fault.

My thoughts
This book is about John and David, two college dropouts who encounter creatures from other worlds after taking the drug known as soy sauce.

This book is both funny and frightening. There is a lot of blood and gore, yet there are laugh out loud moments also. JOHN DIES AT THE END by David Wong is a mix between Stephen King and Douglas Adams, with a little juvenile humor tossed in.

I must admit I picked up the book because I like the title. Actually enjoying the book was a bonus.




Note: I borrowed this book from my local library.

The Caliphate by Andre Le Gallo

Book Description
A radical Muslim group has dedicated itself to the restoration of the Caliphate, a global Muslim empire, and will stop at nothing, including assassination and terrorism, to reach its goal. Steve Church is just a US businessman in Paris. He never expected to be recruited by the CIA as an undercover operative. But now, with his life on the line and with a beautiful woman as part of his cover, Steve is on his way to North Africa—and the terrorists’ Saharan headquarters—in a whirlwind adventure that will change the politics of the Middle East.

My thoughts
Andre Le Gallo’s THE CALIPHATE is a complex tale of terrorism and intrigue that keeps the reader captivated. Le Gallo’s experience as a CIA operative is evident is his attention to detail. The book deals with a Muslim Group determined to restore the Caliphate and CIA’s mission t o stop them. If you are into modern spy novels, this is one not to miss.


Disclaimer: I received this book for review from the publisher. I received no compensation for my review.

Alexandra, Gone by Anna McPartlin BLOG TOUR

Welcome to the ALEXANDRA, GONE by Anna McPartlin BLOG TOUR and thanks for stopping by!

Book Description

LETTING GO FOR GOOD . . .

Once, Jane Moore and Alexandra Walsh were inseparable, sharing secrets and stolen candy, plotting their futures together. But when Jane became pregnant at seventeen, they drifted slowly apart. Jane has spent the years since raising her son, now seventeen himself, on her own, running a gallery, managing her sister’s art career, and looking after their volatile mother—all the while trying not to resent the limited choices life has given her.

Then a quirk of fate and a faulty elevator bring Jane into contact with Tom, Alexandra’s husband, who has some shocking news. Alexandra disappeared from a south Dublin suburb months ago, and Tom has been searching fruitlessly for her. Jane offers to help, as do the elevator’s other passengers—Jane’s brilliant but self-absorbed sister, Elle, and Leslie Sheehan, a reclusive web designer who’s ready to step back into the world again. And as Jane quickly realizes, Tom isn’t the only one among them who’s looking for something . . . or traveling toward unexpected revelations about love, life, and what it means to let go, in every sense.

In this insightful and irresistible novel, by turns profound, poignant, and laugh- out-loud funny, acclaimed Irish writer Anna McPartlin tells a story of friendship and love, of the families we are born into and the ones we create for ourselves, and of the hope and strength that remain when we find the courage to leave the past behind at last.

My thoughts
Alexandra Kavanagh disappears on day in Dublin and her husband Tom is determined to find her. He bumps into Jane, a childhood friend of Alexandra and from that encounter he gets help from Jane’s sister Elle and another woman Leslie. ALEXANDRA GONE by Anna McPartlin is not really a story about the search, but more or less a study of four individuals; their problems and friendships. An entertaining story of lives intertwined and not a missing person drama.

Visit the other blogs on this tour:
Foreign Circus Library
Dragonflies ‘n Daydreams
Book Junkie
Rundpinne
I Read
Starting Fresh
Frugal Plus
Star Shadow
The Bibliophilic Book Blog
Brizmus Blogs Books
The Avid Reader
Jeanne's Ramblings
Sharon's Garden of Book Reviews
Book N Around
The Book Tree
You Wanna Know What I Think?
My Book Views
I Heart Book Gossip
Mad Hatter Mom
Arms of a Sister
Books and Needlepoint
All About {n}
Bookhounds: Books, Gardens & Dogs
Books In the City
So Many Books, So Little Time
Just Jennifer Reading
Bellas Novella
Celtic Lady’s Reviews
Wise Owl Book Reviews
I Heart Books
CMash Loves To Read

The First Rule by Robert Crais

Book Description
The organized criminal gangs of the former Soviet Union are bound by what they call the thieves' code. The first rule is this: A thief must forsake his mother, father, brothers, and sisters. He must have no family-no wife, no children. We are his family. If any of the rules are broken, it is punishable by death.


Frank Meyer had the American dream-until the day a professional crew invaded his home and murdered everyone inside. The only thing out of the ordinary about Meyer was that- before the family and the business and the normal life-a younger Frank Meyer had worked as a professional mercenary, with a man named Joe Pike. The police think Meyer was hiding something very bad, but Pike does not. With the help of Cole, he sets out on a hunt of his own-an investigation that quickly entangles them both in a web of ancient grudges, blood ties, blackmail, vengeance, double crosses, and cutthroat criminal¬ity, and at the heart of it, an act so terrible even Pike and Cole have no way to measure it. Sometimes, the past is never dead. It's not even past.

My thoughts
In THE FIRST RULE, Frank Meyer and his family are murdered in cold blood. He was a long time friend of Joe Pike and Pike takes it personally. Pike takes on the Russian Mob to find out why they were killed and who did it so he can have some payback. Robert Crais has created a novel that is fast paced, action-packed and leaves nothing to chance.


Note: This book was borrowed from my local library.

The Longbridge Decision by Robert M. Brown, Jr.

Book Description
The sudden, inexplicable death of a senior partner at Wall Street's oldest and most prestigious law firm sparks an improbable chain reaction that rapidly includes the framing of a murder suspect, a relentless national manhunt, a shocking attempt to gain control of the U.S. Supreme Court and the uncovering of a covert labyrinth of deadly political decisions along the way.


Set against a fermenting backdrop of political and moral corruption that starts beneath the lone star of the Texas capitol building and stretches all the way to the office of the President of the United States itself, Robert M. Brown Jr.'s frighteningly plausible, lightning-paced thriller reveals an alarming and chilling vision of a theocratic United States of America that is just one decision short of becoming reality. One disturbing question remains, however - whose decision will it be?

My thoughts
Mayson Corelli is framed for the murder of a senior partner at the law firm where she works. Soon, everyone is after her, but with the help of her friend Tyler Waddill she hides. As the manhunt for her becomes nationwide, events stat to unfold that may take the US president down. In THE LONGBRIDGE DECISION, Robert M. Brown Jr. has written an intriguing and mysterious thriller that is certainly a page turner.


Disclaimer: I received this book for review from the publisher. I received no compensation for my review.

Genoa Bay by Bette Nordberg

Book Description
In this contemporary romance, young widow Brandy Beauchamp inherits a long-established bed-and-breakfast on Vancouver Island from an old friend. It needs energy and commitment if the beautiful but neglected property is to be restored.

With her five-year-old daughter, Gabby, Brandy moves to British Columbia and sets about building a new life-only to discover that a local property developer has very different plans.

My thoughts
GENOA BAY by Bette Nordberg is a straightforward read of finding oneself, finding love, and dealing with grief and greed. Brandy Beauchamp, a young widow with a young daughter, inherits an ancient house from an old friend and leaves her home in Florida and moves her daughter and herself to Canada to try a new life as a bed and breakfast owner. She didn’t prepare herself for the people she would meet, both good and bad. I enjoyed this book as I could envision not only the house becoming a home but also how Brandy struggled to make a better life for her daughter.



Disclaimer: I received this book for review from the publisher. I received no compensation for my review.

Gorilla Mac and Cheese

I tried another recipe from the More Diner, Drive-Ins and Dives cookbook this past weekend. It was so good that we ate it all and I forgot to take a photograph. Instead of using the Goldfish crackers, I used Cheez-its. I also learned that plasti cwrap doesn't melt in the oven (interesting). Enjoy!

Gorilla Mac & Cheese
Adapted from a recipe courtesy of Rich Bacchi and Jeff Greathouse of Gorilla Barbeque
From More Diners, Drive-ins and Dives

Makes 8 servings
Kosher salt, for the pasta water
5 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
3 1/2 cups shredded Asiago cheese
3 1/2 cups shredded four-cheese blend
8 cups large ribbed elbow macaroni
1 Spanish onion, peeled and cut into chunks
10 garlic cloves
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons ground oregano
1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sour cream
1 eggs, beaten lightly
1 1/2 cups Cheddar-flavor Goldfish crackers, pulverized

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.

Toss the cheeses together in a large bowl.

Boil the macaroni until it is about two-thirds cooked; drain, and transfer to a large bowl. Toss the hot pasta with 4 cups of the cheese mixture.

Puree the onion and garlic in a food processor. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat until the foam subsides. Scrape the pureed vegetables into the pot; it should sizzle. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the oregano, paprika, salt and pepper.

Whisk in the milk, heavy cream, and sour cream and continue whisking until everything comes back to a low simmer. Whisk in about 6 more cups of the cheese mixture and keep whisking until the cheese melts; the mixture will stop simmering. Whisk in the eggs.

Pour the hot cheese sauce over the pasta, mix well, and transfer it into a 10 by 15-inch baking dish.

Scatter the remaining cheese over the macaroni, and top with the pulverized crackers. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Lemon Tart by Josi Kilpack BLOG TOUR

Another Blog Tour for Josi Kilpack. This one is for her debut novel LEMON TART. Her books are just yummy!

Book Description
Award- winning author Josi S. Kilpack introduces a new series of culinary cozies that is sure to tantalize mystery lovers. In this debut volume, cooking aficionado turned amateur detective Sadie Hoffmiller tries to solve the murder of her beautiful young neighbor a single mother who was mysteriously lured from her home while a lemon tart was baking in her oven. At the heart of Sadie s search is the woman s missing two year-old child. Whoever took the child must be the murderer, but Sadie is certain that the police are looking at all the wrong suspects including her! For an added treat, original mouth- watering recipes for Sadie s Lemon Tart, Homemade Alfredo Sauce, Carrot Cookies, Brownies, and Granny s Gingerbread Bundt Cake are sprinkled throughout the book.

My thoughts
Josi Kilpack’s LEMON TART is a recipe for murder, intrigue and fun. This first book in her culinary mystery series introduces Sadie Hoffmiller, a widowed and retired with nothing to do but cook, garden and watch her neighbors. When her beautiful young neighbor Anne Lemmon is murdered and her child is missing, Sadie takes it on herself to investigate; much to the chagrin of the two detectives assigned to the case (a real good cop-bad cop duo). Kilpack has created a fantastic group of characters; keeps the reader in suspense and adds a few recipes along the way (for those of us you like to cook). I enjoyed reading this fun mystery.

My Metal Detector and Me

Ever since I was a young boy, I wanted a metal detector. I know you are picturing a little old man with white socks and penny loafers walking along the beach looking for lost change. But I think it’d be fun to find things that were lost years ago; especially old coins. But growing up in the suburbs, all I could do is walk along the beach.

And now that I am middle-aged and going through my midlife crisis, I decided to buy a metal detector. I no longer live in the suburbs but in a rural area, where 80 years ago there used to be an amusement park in the wooded area where the bungalows are now situated. My house itself is sixty years old and I think I will find some interestingstuff under all those leaves and dirt.

I decided to test my detector out in my back yard and it started beeping right by the house. Down I went and started digging the pebbles that make up the yard and down to the dirt. Nothing! Still I dug and hit the cement that the foundation of the porch must be built on. Would that stop me? No; I continued and found it! Not what I expected though. It wasn’t an old coin, but a soda tab. Not even one of those old style soda tabs, but one that you see every day.

But that’s okay. We still collect soda tabs for the Ronald McDonald House in Hershey, PA, so I just tossed my new find in the bucket with the rest of the collection.

Hell Gate by Linda Fairstein

First, I would like to thank Susan Helene Gottfried for suggesting the Linda Fairstein books to me. I find her research into New York City history somewhat fascinating.

Book Description
New York City politics have always been filled with intrigue and behind-the-scenes deals. In Hell Gate, Alex finds her attention torn between investigating a shipwreck that has contraband cargo-human cargo-and the political sex scandal of a promising New York congressman now fallen from grace. When Alex discovers that a woman from the wreck and the congressman's lover have the same rose tattoo-the brand of a "snakehead", a master of a human trafficking operation-it dawns on her that these cases aren't as unrelated as they seem and that the entire political landscape of New York City could hang in the balance of her investigation. As Alex looks on at the nameless victims in the morgue, she realizes she's looking at the present-day face of New York's long, dark tradition of human trafficking-a tradition that began hundreds of years ago with slave trade from Africa, now a multimillion-dollar industry that will stop at no cost, even if that cost is Alex's life.

My thoughts
HELL GATE begins with a shipwreck loaded with human cargo. One of the dead has a connection with a local politician (his lover has the same tattoo). Are they truly related or is it a coincidence? Alex Cooper an ADA and two NYPD detectives try to connect the dots. I have just started reading this series, but I must say that Linda Fairstein does a great job with her research and descriptive narratives of New York City architecture and history. I found this as interesting as the story itself. The camaraderie between Alex and Mike (one the detectives) is enjoyable, especially when they are always betting one another on the answers to Final Jeopardy. Although, this story wasn’t as thrilling as some of the previous ones, it was still a good read.


Note: I borrowed this book from my local library.

Jellio

Thanks to Time Out New York Magazine, I learned about this new furniture designer called Jellio.

And what is Jellio you ask?

From their website:

A world of Fun Childhood memories brought back as unique home furnishings.

Hot Wheels, Nerf Balls, Spyrograph, View Masters... Remember any of those? Well, that’s the idea behind Jellio. Think of all those times that you flashed back to something from childhood, and it put a huge grin on your face. Well we think you can surround yourself with a few of those memories on a long-term basis.

Jellio is about combining childhood fun with interior design. It's placing a few memories in your home, in a very unique way. Look at these pieces as a reflection of your sense of humor, and a great way to keep your memories close all throughout the day.

Bottom line...we make things that make you smile!

Mario Marsicano – JELLIO

I just love this stuff. Wish I had the money and space because I would buy them all!

Think Twice by Lisa Scottoline

Book Description
Bennie Rosato looks exactly like her identical twin, Alice Connolly, but the darkness in Alice’s soul makes them two very different women. Or at least that’s what Bennie believes, until she finds herself buried alive at the hands of her twin.
Meanwhile, Alice takes over Bennie’s life, impersonating her at work and even seducing her boyfriend in order to escape the deadly mess she has made of her own life. But Alice underestimates Bennie and the evil she has unleashed in her twin’s psyche, as well as Bennie’s determination to stay alive long enough to exact revenge.
Bennie must face the twisted truth that she is more like her sister Alice than she could have ever imagined, and by the novel’s shocking conclusion, Bennie finds herself engaged in a war she cannot win—with herself.

My thoughts
Bennie Rosato’s twin sister, Alice is back and hasn’t changed. She imprisons Bennie and takes on her identity to escape a ruthless drug dealer and to steal Bennie’s millions. But that’s not all; Bennie’s associate Mary DiNunzio has problems o f her own. A distant relative visits from Italy and Mary’s mother is not too happy about it. I guess that makes it tow stories wrapped in one novel. I enjoy Scottoline’s novels especially those that involve Rosato and Associates, but this book was just okay. Althought, it the chapters were short and it was an quick read, I didn’t care for the two separate stories (I felt I was reading an episode of some TV drama).


Note: This book was borrowed from my local library.

The Muppets: Stand By Me

April's Making Room for New Books Giveaway

As I continue making room for new books, I am giving away three for the month of April (no joke!).

They are:
The Whittaker Family Reunion by Shirley A. Roe
The Khan Dilemma by Ron Goodreau
The Killing of Mindi Quintana by Jeffrey A. Cohen (this one is an ARC)

Contest open to US residents only (sorry)

To enter leave a comment telling us one of your favorite April Fool's jokes and your e-mail address (so I can contact you if you win).

Contest ends, Saturday, April 17, 2010