Wordless Wednesday: Finch and Hyacinth Blooms

Visit Wordless Wednesday  and NC Sue at Image-in-ing for more pictures. Happy Earth Day!
Photos by Harvee Lau

photos © Harvee Lau

First Chapter: Murder on Amsterdam Avenue by Victoria Thompson

First Chapter, First Paragraph is hosted weekly by Bibliophile by the Sea. Share the first paragraph of your current read. Also visit Teaser Tuesdays meme hosted by Jenn.

Murder on Amsterdam Avenue by Victoria Thompson
To be published May 5, 2015; Berkley
Genre: mystery

First paragraph, first chapter:

"Charles Oakes is dead."
Sarah looked up at her mother in surprise. They were sitting at her kitchen table, and Sarah had spent the last half hour bringing her mother up to date on the arrangements she and her fiance, Frank Malloy, had decided upon for their wedding and their future life. She hadn't expected to hear about a death. "Is Charles the son? The one who was a few years older than I?"
"Sadly, yes."

Book description:
Midwife Sarah Brandt and Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy investigate foul play in the secretive high-society world of nineteenth-century New York City… Sarah and Frank soon learn that not everyone wants to know more about Charles’s death, particularly if he was murdered. As they unravel secrets that reach back to the War Between the States, they also discover that they are in the company of a very present danger…

So, would you read on? 

Sunday Salon: Mystery and Romance

Welcome to the Sunday Salon where bloggers share their reading each week. Visit The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also visit Mailbox Monday and A Daily Rhythm for Blue Mondays Musings.

I'm reading and enjoying the first in a new mystery series:

Fillet of Murder: A Deep Fried Mystery by Linda Reilly, to be released May 5, 2015; Berkley
After leaving a miserable job and an even worse boyfriend, Talia Marby returned to her hometown in the Berkshires and is happy to help her dear friend Bea Lambert by working at Lambert’s Fish & Chips, a cornerstone of a charming shopping plaza designed to resemble an old English village.

When Talia and Bea stumble upon a murder, the police suspect Bea. Talia fishes around for clues to hook the real killer before her friend has to trade serving food for serving time…(publisher)

I am also reading 

Girl in the Moonlight by Charles Dubow, a contemporary novel about a young man and his obsession over time with a tantalizing girl who refuses to commit to a relationship with any of her lovers. I am in the middle of it and can't wait to see how it ends.

Got a new book in the mail by Janet Evanovich:

The Sweet Spot by Janet Evanovich, paperback edition to be released April 26, 2015 by Avon Books. When pro baseball player Chase Walker first meets Amanda at her restaurant, it's love at first sight. While Amanda can't help noticing the superstar with the Greek-god-build, he doesn't have a chance of getting to first--or any other--base with her. A successful entrepreneur who's built her business from scratch, Amanda doesn't need a Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet. And a curvy girl who likes to cook and eat isn't interested in being around the catty, stick-thin herd of females chasing Chase and his teammates. (publisher)

What's on your book desk this week? 

For Birders in the Great Lakes Area: A Pocket Guide

Great Lakes Birds

A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar Species

Author: James Kavanagh
Illustrations: Raymond Leung

The Great Lakes watershed is the permanent or migratory home of over 450 species of birds, including the iconic common loon, whose haunting call can be heard at night throughout the region. This beautifully illustrated guide highlights over 140 familiar and unique species and includes a map featuring prominent bird-viewing areas. Laminated for durability, this lightweight, pocket-sized folding guide is an excellent source of portable information and ideal for field use by visitors and residents alike

Waterford Press produces simplified guides to nature, science, travel and languages. The company's 500+ titles have sold over 5 million copies worldwide.

Availability: In Stock

$6.95 USD

I bought this one page folded and laminated guide recently at Maumee Bay State Park in Oregon, Ohio and find it very helpful to ID some birds that are plentiful in this area: the guide helped me name the Canada Goose, the Great Egret, and the House Sparrow, which I couldn't identify before from among the many other sparrows in the backyard. International Migratory Birding Day is coming up soon early May and the warblers who come through this area are also listed in the guide. Get out the binoculars!

Book Beginning: Mr Monk and the New Lieutenant by Hy Conrad

The Friday 56: *Grab a book, any book. *Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader  *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you. *Post it. *Add your (url) post in Linky at Freda's Voice. Also visit Book Beginnings at Rose City Reader.

Mr. Monk and the New Lieutenant by Hy Conrad
Published January 6, 2015; NAL; paperback to be published May 5, 2015
Genre: mystery

Book beginning, first paragraph: 

I have made a slow, sad discovery over the past few months. Brace yourself. You might not want to hear this. Office work is boring.
Okay, maybe that wasn't a shock. But when you fantasize about being a private eye, when you work and plan and visualize yourself opening a real business with real clients walking through the door with exciting, life-and-death problems to solve...Well, let's just say there are a lot of hours in the workday. 

Page 56: 
It was kind of a nonevent, to be honest, and probably the easiest tail job I've ever done. 

Book description:
Monk and Natalie have finally settled into a new office routine. But the detectives soon have a more serious conflict to deal with: Captain Stottlemeyer’s new lieutenant, A.J. Cartledge—a man of limited skills whom Monk finds insufferable.
Monk and Natalie attend the funeral of Judge Oberlin, and it’s a good thing. In typical fashion, Monk examines the body in the casket—and finds evidence of poison. The judge was murdered.

What do you think of this, the 19th in the Adrian Monk series? My hubby is a great fan of  Mr. Monk!

Wordless Wednesday: Downy Woodpecker

Visit Wordless Wednesday for more posts.

Photo © Harvee Lau

At the suet.

Lemon Pies and Little White Lies by Ellery Adams

First Chapter, First Paragraph is hosted weekly by Bibliophile by the Sea. Share the first paragraph of your current read. Also visit Teaser Tuesdays meme hosted by Jenn.

Lemon Pies and Little White Lies by Ellery Adams
Published April 7, 2015; Berkley
Genre: cozy mystery

First paragraph:Ella Mae pressed chocolate cookie crumbs into the bottom of a springform pan with deft, quick motions. She then moved to her commercial stovetop and gave the marshmallow creme simmering in the sauce pan a gentle stir. Satisfied, she turned the burner off and set the saucepan in a stainless steel bowl filled with ice. When the marshmallow creme was sufficiently cooled, Ella Mae reached for the liqueur bottles on the worktable and poured small amounts of creme de menthe and white creme do cacao into the fluffy mixture...

Book description:
Ella Mae LeFaye’s Charmed Pie Shoppe has become a phenomenon beyond her wildest dreams, providing the enchanted town of Havenwood, Georgia, with spellbinding desserts and magical pies. Her personal life is also heating up as she takes on the responsibilities of leadership within her magical community. In fact, the only thing weighing her down is the fact that handsome Hugh Dylan won’t return her calls…

Still, when Havenwood is rocked by a series of mysterious deaths, Ella Mae must put romantic longings aside—especially when she realizes that the mystical symbols left at each crime scene are dangerously personal. Now she will have to whip up all her supernatural skills to uncover a killer out to settle an ancient score—before the murderer devastates everything Ella Mae is determined to protect.

My comments: A lovely cozy for those who like the magical and supernatural in their mysteries. Ella Mae can mix enchantment into her pies, and that doesn't mean just taste. And you can also pinch her for her luck or magic to rub off on you.

I like my stories more realistic but I know a lot of readers are spellbound and delighted with this theme. This is the fourth in the Charmed Pie series.

A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.