Demise in Denim by Duffy Brown

www.duffybrown.com

Released: April 2015

Demise in Denim is the fifth book in the "Consignment Shop" mystery series by Duffy Brown. This southern cozy mystery series takes place in Savannah, Georgia and features the amateur sleuthing adventures of Reagan Summerside, consignment shop owner.

Duffy Brown and her publishers are always generous enough to send me copies of the Consignment Shop novels prior to their release dates. Receiving her surprise packages in the mail are always a real treat! I pushed all other reading to the wayside this weekend just so I could tear into this latest, especially since Brown's novels continue to get better and funnier with each new release.

Garden of Stones by Sophie Littlefield

www.sophielittlefield.com

Released: February 2013

Everyone has a weak spot when it comes to books; mine is anything associated with WWI or WWII. If a book's synopsis mentions anything about these wars, it goes immediately into my shopping cart — which is exactly why I went out of my way to hunt down a copy of Garden of Stones by Sophie Littlefield.

I initially read about Garden of Stones in RT Book Reviews. I couldn't resist wanting to read this novel, especially since I've lived near a few abandoned Japanese-American internment camps.

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

jacquelinewinspear.com

Released: July 2003

Maisie Dobbs is the first novel in the cozy mystery series of the same name by Jacqueline Winspear. I can't recall exactly how Maisie Dobbs came to be on my wish list, but I suspect it may have been on behalf of a recommendation provided by Nancy Pearl—the author of Book Lust. Winspear's writing style and prose reminds me very much of that by Alexander McCall Smith and Nancy Atherton. This book is amazing, and I'm excited to talk about it!

Thrift Store by Bebe Nicholson

amazon.com

Released: December 2013

I found this book at a California laundromat last winter. The full title is actually Thrift Store: Shop, Cook, Laugh...But Don't Call the Police. At first glance, it looks like a goofy, funny "ha-ha" book, which is why I picked it up in the first place. While it only took me about an hour to read, it was exactly what I needed after finishing after having read novels of a more intense nature.

Thrift Store is a collection of anecdotes and recipes compiled by workers and volunteers for North Fulton Community Charities (NFCC) in Georgia. Each story is about a real experience that took place at a community thrift store—all of which are moderately entertaining if you frequently shop at thrift stores. Most of the stories are cute and wholesome, and provide a behind-the-scenes look at how non-profit thrift stores can help people in need.

Bookish Survey: Take Two

My current state of Mt. TBR. Yikes!

Remember when MySpace was a thing? I was addicted to taking all those ridiculous surveys and sharing them with my friends. They were so fun! Tonight, I decided we would do "take two" of the ultimate bookish survey. Here's the link to the first bookish survey, if you missed it. Feel free to post this survey on your own site, and leave the link to your survey answers in the comments section below!

1. Which book are you reading right now?

The Palace by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. It's book two of the Saint-German series. I've been holding on to nearly all the books in the series for 10 years and have NEVER READ THEM. The owners of my local indie bookstore are friends with the author, and absolutely love her work. Out of my love for the owners, I decided to finally venture into this series and WOW. Yarbro is highly underrated, and highly underpublicized. Amazing.

The Store by Bentley Little

amazon.com

Released: July 1998

If you're prone to judging books by their covers, the copy shown here of The Store will have you thinking there's not much to this particular book. It looks like another one of those ruthless, desert horror stories that take place in a hobunk small town in the middle of nowhere, and creepy shit happens there, like in the movie U-Turn featuring Sean Penn.

So again, if you're a person who often judges a book by its cover, let me tell you that the story in this book is much bigger than its lame cover may indicate.