Anita Davison's Murder at Cleeve Abbey (Tuesday Intro & Teaser Tuesday)

[Please note that this has since been retitled as Betrayal at Cleeve Abbey.]

Last week I had the great joy of reading Anita Davison's Murder on the Minneapolis, and now (thanks to NetGalley and the publisher) I'm about a quarter of the way through the second in the series -- Murder at Cleeve Abbey! 

The story opens two years after the events of the first and Flora has moved on from being Eddy's governess and onto married life. She returns to Cleeve Abbey, though, upon receiving news that her father has died. Of course, she has a difficult time believing that it was an accidental death. Since she also still has questions about her mother's death when she was young, it's a very emotional visit that, hopefully, will answer a lot of questions.

I'm not far enough in to be able to spoil much (not that I willingly would, anyway), but so far it is just as beautifully written and compelling as the first!

"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. "Teaser Tuesday" from Books and a Beat asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

Rambling About.. Aunt Bessie Assumes by Diana Xarissa

Title: Aunt Bessie Assumes
Author: Diana Xarissa
Publication: 21 May 2014 -- Amazon Digital
Amazon Description:

Aunt Bessie assumes that she'll have the beach all to herself on a cold, wet, and windy March morning just after sunrise, then she stumbles (almost literally) over a dead body.
Elizabeth (Bessie) Cubbon, aged somewhere between free bus pass (60) and telegram from the Queen (100), has lived her entire adult life in a small cottage on Laxey beach. For most of those years, she's been in the habit of taking a brisk morning walk along the beach. Dead men have never been part of the scenery before.
Aunt Bessie assumes that the dead man died of natural causes, then the police find the knife in his chest.
Try as she might, Bessie just can't find anything to like about the young widow that she provides tea and sympathy to in the immediate aftermath of finding the body. There isn't much to like about the rest of the victim's family either.
Aunt Bessie assumes that the police will have the case wrapped up in no time at all, then she finds a second body.Can Bessie and her friends find the killer before she ends up as the next victim?

First Lines: Elizabeth Cubbon, known as Bessie to her friends, rubbed her eyes and checked the clock by her bed. It was 6:06, which meant her internal alarm was a few minutes off today.

Favorites on 4s:
4%: Bessie drew herself up to her full height of five feet, three inches and glared back at the man. "I'll thank you to keep you sexist and ageist remarks to yourself, young man," she told the policeman.

34%: 'Obviously, a murder investigation is no place for a random civilian, but you're something of an institution in Laxey. If anyone is going to hear that little bit of information that we need, it's you."

64%: After ten rings she decided she had better answer the call. Anyone that was willing to hang on that long deserved an answer.

74%: "Someone was trying to get rid of you and I want to make sure that whoever it was doesn't get a second chance."  Bessie nodded sleepily. She tried to thank the inspector, but actually making words felt like a huge effort.

Ramble:
I'm so horribly glad that I stumbled upon Diana Xarissa's Aunt Bessie series while in a mad search for an author whose last name begins with X ... and who isn't writing erotica or Chinese. (Not that I have anything against the Chinese ... I just wasn't in the mood.)
Set in the village of Laxey on the Isle of Man, Aunt Bessie Assumes is the first in a series starring elderly spitfire Elizabeth Cubbon. She never married or had children of her own but over the years has become the honorary aunt to pretty much anyone and everyone. She's fiercely independent and set in her ways and absolutely adores reading mystery novels.
There's so much to love about this story beyond Bessie herself.
- The setting is an unusual one -- and not one that I can ever recall having read about in the past. This, of course, led me to hours of oohing and aahing and "oh I want to go there now"-ing on the web -- including finding a list of other books set there.

 - Bessie's friends and neighbors are an absolute delight. The young policeman, Hugh, who used to stay at Bessie's as youngster and is temporarily back under her roof is a particular favorite of man.  I've been marathon-watching past seasons of Gilmore Girls and there's just something very "Kirk"-ish about him.
- The mystery itself was nice and fits the "cozy" niche well. There's nothing too strenuous here and plenty of red herrings to make you scratch your head. The who, why and how all tied up nicely and made sense -- which isn't always the case. (I hate it when the bad guy is revealed and you end up going "but ... how the heck?!?")
All in all, more people should be reading Xarissa! She's got oodles of books listed on Goodreads and I'll definitely be working my way through at least all of the ones with Aunt Bessie!

Anne Ursu's Breadcrumbs (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

We're quickly approaching the end of the year and, therefore, the end of my alphabet-centered challenges. Quite frankly, I don't think I'll succeed at finishing them both but I refuse to give up without a fight. I was scrolling through Amazon looking for Christmasy/Wintery reads by anyone with last names ending in U, X & Z ... and it suddenly hit me that I had been meaning to get my hands on Anne Ursu's Breadcrumbs the last time we went to the library. Of course, the library branch we were at didn't have it and it isn't one that's available in ebook (yet) through our system ... but it is on Scribd and they have a 30 day free trial deal.

Based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen, it's a lovely spin on an old tale - enjoyable for the middle grade crowd (its "intended" audience) and adults who remember all too well. The main character, Hazel is 11 years old and in the fifth grade and the only thing about her life that really seems "right" is her best friend, Jack. She's different and awkward and more than a bit geeky and I saw my younger self in her so many times. Heck, I saw myself now in her so many times, too.

So many stories are sprinkled throughout this book -- new (Hazel's a big Harry Potter fan) and old (other Andersen story characters appear throughout the second half). I'm not sure if kids (or adults) not familiar with Andersen would get the same "oh oh oh" feelings that I got but, as I alluded to before, I'm different and awkward and more than a bit geeky. Even without the background knowledge of the originals, though, I think most lovers of magic and fairytales would still find this enjoyable.

Friday 56 (share from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice (today 56%) 

& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader.

Amazon Description

The winner of numerous awards and recipient of four starred reviews, Anne Ursu's Breadcrumbs is a stunning and heartbreaking story of growing up, wrapped in a modern-day fairy tale.

Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. But that was before he stopped talking to her and disappeared into a forest with a mysterious woman made of ice. Now it's up to Hazel to go in after him. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," Breadcrumbs is a stunningly original fairy tale of modern-day America, a dazzling ode to the power of fantasy, and a heartbreaking meditation on how growing up is as much a choice as it is something that happens to us.

In Breadcrumbs, Anne Ursu tells, in her one-of-a-kind voice, a story that brings together fifty years of children's literature in a tale as modern as it is timeless. Hazel's journey to come to terms with her evolving friendship with Jack will deeply resonate with young readers.

Anita Davison's Murder on the Minneapolis (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

[Please note that this has since been retitled as Flora's Secret.]

Another historical mystery series to fall in love with? Yes, please!!!
Flora Maguire is a passenger on the maiden voyage of the ship S. S. Minneapolis. She's governess to thirteen year old Eddy and the two are returning to England after a short stay in New York with his family. It's early in 1900 (thanks to Google I now know the maiden voyage began on March 29, 1900) and the world is rapidly changing. Class lines are beginning to blur. Automobiles are becoming more than just a passing fad. The Strand Magazine is immensely popular and publishing stories by Arthur Conan Doyle on a regular basis -- of which Flora is a huge fan.
Shortly after the voyage begins, Flora comes across the body of another passenger -- dead at the bottom of a stairwell. Although the crew all insist that it was an accident, Flora isn't at all convinced and soon has other passengers (including the slightly nerdy and adorable 'Bunny' Harrington) questioning what really happened.
It's a fabulously well-told story with just the right amount of historical information without feeling text-booky and just the right amount of romance without making me want to hurl. As for the mystery aspect, it felt a bit "Golden Age" in its writing. Of course, since so many of my favorites fit into that original genre, I absolutely love this and look forward to reading more. (Luckily, when I found this on NetGalley I was also able to request the second in the series! Win!)
"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. "Teaser Tuesday" from Books and a Beat asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read. Both the intro and teaser come from early on in the book because, well, "intro" is a bit self-explanatory and the teaser? There were a lot of great bits I bookmarked here and there as potentials to tease, but when it came right down to it: Pirates.

Amazon Description

Young governess Flora Maguire is on her way home from America on the maiden voyage of the S.S. Minneapolis with her young charge Eddy, Viscount Trent, when she discovers a dead body.

Unconvinced when the death is pronounced an accident, Flora starts asking questions, but following threats, a near drowning and a second murder, the hunt is on for a killer. Time is running out as the Minneapolis approaches the English coast.

Will Flora be able to protect Eddy, as well as herself, and uncover the identity of the murderer?

Is her burgeoning relationship with the handsome Bunny Harrington only a shipboard dalliance, or something more?

Rambling About.. Skottie Young's I Hate Fairyland Vol 1

I was scrolling through the hoopla app on my phone to see if anything jumped out at me to borrow for myself or John and stumbled on Skottie Young's I Hate Fairyland Volume 1 : Madly Ever After. 

Hmmm ... I haven't read comics regularly in quite a while but there was just something about this ...

Perhaps the kickass cover?

The "oooooh this sounds fecking awesome" description?

From superstar writer and artist Skottie Young (Rocket Raccoon, Wizard of OZ, Fortunately, The Milk), comes the first volume of an all-new series of adventure and mayhem.
An Adventure Time/Alice in Wonderland-style epic that smashes it's cute little face against grown-up, Tank Girl/Deadpool-esque violent madness. Follow Gert, a forty year old woman stuck in a six year olds body who has been stuck in the magical world of Fairyland for nearly thirty years. Join her and her giant battle-axe on a delightfully blood soaked journey to see who will survive the girl who HATES FAIRYLAND.

The fact that it's already mid-November and I still didn't have a "Y" for my A to Z Authors list?

         Yeah. That's actually what clinched it for me, to be completely honest.

Granted, there were other options for "Y" so the cover and description did help once I had a couple of others to choose from. I hopped onto Amazon to see if there were preview pages for any of them and once I got to this part from the I Hate Fairyland preview, I knew we had a winner:

Yeah, might not be the clearest of all images ... I do believe they do that on purpose ... but the Kindle version is only $1.99 or, you know, you might be able to borrow it from your library like I did.

Even if you don't normally "do comics," if you have any snark in you at all I'm pretty sure you need this. Gert is amazing and her little chain-smoking bug companion is even amazinger. (I know. It's not a word. Suck it.)

Volume 2 is coming out in about a month and I'm hoping hoopla adds it, but if they don't? Yeah, I'll probably end up buying both in paperback ...