The Smell of Ink/Lukten av Trykksverte

A while ago I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the biography Lightning Sky: A U.S. Fighter Pilot Captured During WWII and His Father's Quest to Find Him by R.C. George through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads A U.S. fighter pilot captured by the enemy. A father determined to rescue his son. One of the most remarkable and moving true stories of faith and perseverance to come out of World War II. October 6, 1944. Twenty-year-old Army Air Corps Second Lieutenant David "Mac" Warren MacArthur was on a strafing mission over Greece when a round of 88-mm German anti-aircraft flak turned his P-38 Lightning into a comet of fire and smoke. Dave parachuted to safety as the Lightning lived up to her name and struck the Adriatic Sea like a bolt of flames. In minutes, he was plucked from the water--only to find himself on the wrong end of a German rifle pointing straight at his head. Dave's father...

Although I had Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen on my physical bookshelf, I recieved an ARC of a new edition through Netgalley a while back. Today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Catherine Morland is a young girl with a very active imagination. Her naivety and love of sensational novels lead her to approach the fashionable social scene in Bath and her stay at nearby Northanger Abbey with preconceptions that have embarrassing and entertaining consequences. My Thoughts on the Book What is there not to love about Jane Austen and her satire on gothic literature? There's plenty of humour as well as a commentary on class and manners.

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the crime thriller The Body in the Snow by Nick Louth through Netgalley. I read the book shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Money, success, family? All deadly… The new unputdownable DCI Gillard thriller. A young detective is out for a jog on a snowy winter morning. Then she sees something terrible: a murder in the park, sudden and inexplicable. A woman has been killed by a passing hooded cyclist. It’s just DCI Craig Gillard’s luck that he’s on duty. The body is that of Tanvi Roy, one of the richest women in Britain and matriarch of a food empire. With a tangled web of family and business contacts and jealousies, Gillard’s job just got even more complex. As he delves deeper into the Roy family, it’s clear that everything is not as it seems. As the investigation threatens to unravel, Gillard realises it's only the beginning of his problems. Trouble of a different sort is bre...

Last year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the mystery novel A Pretty Folly (Inspector James Given Investigations Book 2) by Charlie Garratt through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Netgalley Civil blood makes civil hands unclean… England, March 1939 Murmurs of war are rippling through Europe, and violence against Jewish people is on the rise. Inspector James Given, himself Jewish by birth, but not in practice, is busy trying to stop attacks on Jewish businesses in Coventry. But then a murder case lands in his lap. A young girl’s body is found in the crypt of a prestigious school. Part-mummified, it is hard to discover how long she’s lain there. But why wasn’t she reported missing? Has no one been looking for her? And could more lives be at risk…? My Thoughts on the Book A Pretty Folly has an interesting setting, just prior to the outbreak of WWII, where hatred towards Jews even in the UK, is noti...

Last year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the cosy mystery Bound for Murder (Blue Ridge Library Mysteries #4) by Victoria Gilbert through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards, but I haven't published my review until now. Description from Goodreads Blue Ridge library director Amy Webber learns it wasn't all peace and love among the "flower children" when a corpse is unearthed on the grounds of a 1960s commune. Taylorsford Public Library director Amy Webber's friend "Sunny" Fields is running for mayor. But nothing puts a damper on a campaign like an actual skeleton in a candidate's closet. Sunny's grandparents ran a commune back in the 1960s on their organic farm. But these former hippies face criminal charges when human remains are found in their fields--and a forensic examination reveals that the death was neither natural nor accidental. With Sunny's mayoral hopes fading, Amy sets her wedding plans aside, says "not ...

It's Wednesday and time for a new Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge post, courtesy of  Long and Short Reviews . The theme of the week was recipes from fiction books that I want to try. I've personally read quite a few food-themed cosy mysteries and there's plenty of food I want to try. Luckily for me, some of the books contain recipes in the back for a few of the mentioned dishes, so I might attempt making some of them in the future.

Last year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the cosy mystery Death by Café Mocha (Bookstore Cafe Mystery #7) by Alex Erickson through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Krissy Hancock and her pals are taking a coffee break--leaving their bookstore-café in Pine Hills, Ohio, and heading to a convention. But this road trip will be more dangerous than they expected ... Coffee lovers are gathering from far and wide at the hotel, and Krissy, Rita, and Vicki are excited. But some of the attendees may need to switch to decaf, as a public argument breaks out soon after they check in and then a flavor competition leads to bitter feelings. When the winner of the contest is beaned with a carafe full of café mocha, suspicions swirl--along with accusations of bribery. Was the dead man offering perks to the judges--or was something sinister going on in his personal life? This case is going to keep Krissy up all nigh...

Last year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the cosy mystery Molded 4 Murder (Sophie Kimball Mystery #5) by J.C. Eaton through Netgalley. I read the book shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads A view to a kiln ... Sophie "Phee" Kimball enjoys working as a bookkeeper for a private investigator. If only her mother Harriet could enjoy her retirement at Sun City West in Arizona--instead of constantly getting involved with retirees being prematurely put out to pasture. This time Quentin Dussler, a prominent member of the clay sculpting club, was found dead, clutching a piece of paper scrawled with Phee's mother's name. Terrified she's been targeted by assassins, Harriet begs Phee to investigate. What Phee uncovers is a complicated scheme that only the most diabolical of murderers would ever devise. And as she chisels away at confusing clues and potential suspects, Phee unearths something far more precious and...

Last year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the non-fiction book Austentatious: The Evolving World of Jane Austen Fans by Holly Luetkenhaus and Zoe Weinstein through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads The amount of fan-generated content about Jane Austen and her novels has long surpassed the author’s original canon. Adaptations like Clueless, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Jane Austen’s Fight Club, and The Lizzie Bennet Diaries have given Austen fans priceless opportunities to enjoy the classic texts anew, and continue to bring new and younger fans into the fold. Now, through online culture, the amount and type of fan-created works has exponentially multiplied in recent years. Fans write stories, create art, make videos, and craft memes, all in homage to one of the most celebrated authors of all time. This book explores online fan spaces in search of “Janeites” all over the world to discover what fans...

Last year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the cosy mystery Potions Are for Pushovers (Eleanor Wilde Mystery #2) by Tamara Berry through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads It may have been a ghost that led Eleanor Wilde to set up shop in a quaint English village. But now that she's established herself as the town witch, Ellie's contentedly casting spells on anyone desperate enough--or gullible enough--to request her mysterious potions... Selling mystical elixirs and tantalizing tonics is a pretty good way for a fake medium to earn a living. Or at least it's Ellie's main source of income--until a villager turns up dead. The cause? Murder by poisoning. And though Ellie's concoctions don't include anything worthy of a skull and crossbones, suddenly she's the prime suspect. Her only recourse is to find the culprit who did do away with Sarah Blackthorne. No one liked the mean old...

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the cosy mystery A Field Guide to Homicide (Cat Latimer Mystery #6) by Lynn Cahoon through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Cat Latimer and her writer’s retreat group go on a hiking trip—but a murderer has been lurking off the beaten path . . . Cat’s sweetheart, Seth, is going all out on an outing into the local mountains—for the benefit of the writing group Cat’s hosting at her Colorado B&B. But when they try to identify some plant and animal life, they find death instead. The body belongs to a man with a gold claim a few miles away. Instead of striking it rich, he’s been struck down. To his surprise, Seth recognizes the victim from his military days—and up to now believed he’d already died during his last tour of duty. Now Cat has to solve this mystery before the killer takes a hike . . . My Thoughts on the Book I've read a few of Ly...

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the short story Zenith Man (Inheritance collection #4) by Jennifer Haigh through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Whatever had been going on behind the closed doors of the shuttered old house, the couple who lived there kept it to themselves. Among the locals, there’s only chilling speculation. Neighbors are shocked when Harold Pardee reports his wife dead. No one even knew the eccentric TV repairman was married. Within hours, horrible rumors spread about what that poor woman must have endured for thirty years. Until the Pardees’ carefully guarded world is exposed. New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Haigh delivers an endearing short story about our misguided perception of strangers, the nature of love, and the need for secrets. Jennifer Haigh’s Zenith Man is part of Inheritance, a collection of five stories about secrets, unspoken desires, ...

Last year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the cosy mystery Belinda Blake and the Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (Exotic Pet-Sitter #2) by Heather Day Gilbert through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards, but I haven't published my review until now. Description from Goodreads Exotic pet-sitter Belinda Blake is nervous about her new job at the White Pine Wolf Preserve, but it turns out that the care and feeding of wild carnivores may be the least dangerous part of the gig . . . Pet-sitter Belinda Blake is no stranger to dealing with wild animals, but she’s wary when the owner of the Greenwich, Connecticut, preserve asks her to help out with her “fluffy darlings.” Her caution seems justified on her very first day, when she discovers a tour guide—dead, bloodied, and surrounded by wolves in the enclosure. Was it death by predator or something more sinister? The body count rises, but something’s not adding up. As she gets to know the rescued wolves and wolf-dog hybrid...

It's Tuesday and time for a new Top Ten Tuesday post, courtesy of That Artsy Reader Girl . The theme of the week was characters I'd name a pet after. Here's my list. Sherlock - from the Sherlock Holmes books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Moriarty - from the Sherlock Holmes books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Aslan - from the Narnia series by C. S. Lewis Caspian - from the Narnia series by C. S. Lewis Karou from the A Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor Akiva from the A Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor Morozko from the Winternight trilogy by Katherine Arden Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Nemo from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne Phileas Fogg from Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the picture book The Very Last Leaf by Stef Wade and Jennifer Davison through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Lance Cottonwood is the best and brightest of the leaves, but even the top students on the tree have worries. Can Lance conquer his fear of falling and just let go when the time comes for his final exam, or will he let his worries take over? In this funny and encouraging picture book, best-selling author Stef Wade (A Place for Pluto) tells an engaging story and deftly addresses social and emotional struggles many kids encounter each day...feeling anxious, wanting to be perfect, facing fears, etc. These themes combined with illustrator Jennifer Davison's delightful characters and rich autumnal colors make The Very Last Leaf a perfect book for the start of a new school year, the arrival of autumn, or any period of transition in life. My T...

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the cosy mystery Who's Dead, Doc? (Jules & Bun Mystery #2) by J.M. Griffin through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Things get pretty hare-y when rabbit rescue and rehab expert Jules Bridge and her brilliant bunny go undercover to catch a murderer hiding in plain sight . . . When Juliette “Jules” Bridge began caring for rabbits on her beloved Fur Bridge Farm in rural New Hampshire, she never imagined she'd be solving murders with one of them. Not only can her black-and-white rabbit, Bun, communicate with her telepathically, he happens to be a pretty sharp sleuth. Bun comes along as part of a petting pen for a birthday celebration—but for one of the guests, the fun is soon over. Evelyn Montgomery is found lying in the bushes with a knife in her chest, and the distraught hostess begs Jules to help . . . To her surprise, so does Sheriff Jack C...

Last year I recieved an ARC of the non-fiction book Traditions of Death and Burial by Helen Frisby through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads An illustrated introduction to rites and traditions relating to death, funerary rites and commemoration, from Medieval times to the present day. Death has been a source of grief and uncertainty for humanity throughout history, but it has also been the inspiration for a plethora of fascinating traditions. The covering of mirrors to prevent the departed spirit from seeing itself; the passing bell rung to assist the soul to heaven; the "sin eater" who sat beside a coffin eating and drinking to "absorb" the corpse's sins--all of these were common approaches at one time or another. Yet in the modern day, death has become more clinical than spiritual, something kept hidden behind closed doors. This beautifully illustrated history explores English approache...

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the novel Cottonmouth (The Guns of Samuel Pritchard #2) by Sean Lynch though Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads A legendary gunfighter can never outrun the ghosts of his past. But he can outshoot them. Acclaimed author Sean Lynch's epic saga of Samuel Pritchard continues--with a venegance . . . CALLING ALL KILLERS 1874. After losing his innocence in the Civil War and risking his life as a Texas Ranger, Samuel Pritchard has finally settled into a peaceful life in his hometown of Atherton, Missouri. As marshall, he hopes to put his bloody past behind him. To see his sister marry his lifelong friend. To find a wife and raise a family. For the first time in his life, Pritchard isn't gunning for anyone--and no one is gunning for him. Or so he thinks. Strangers have arrived in Atherton. Hard-eyed men with guns. Someone has placed a bounty on Pritchard...

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the cosy mystery Read or Alive (Bookmobile Mystery #3) by Nora Page through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads A match-made in cozy heaven for fans of Jenn McKinlay, Kate Carlisle, and book lovers everywhere, Nora Page's third Bookmobile mystery will (book)worm its way into your heart. Two wrongful accusations has librarian Cleo Watkins and her loved ones booked for trouble. It's springtime and septuagenarian librarian Cleo Watkins is celebrating new blooms and old books. To her delight, the Georgia Antiquarian Book Society has brought its annual fair to Catalpa Springs in honor of Cleo's gentleman friend, respected antiquarian bookseller and restorer, Henry Lafayette. But trouble rolls in with the fair when a flirtatious book scout makes the rounds, charming ladies of a certain age out of prized books. Among the conned is Cleo's cousin, Do...

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the crime thriller Scorched Grounds (Normal, Alabama #2) by Debbie Herbert through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads From bestselling author Debbie Herbert comes a chilling, fast-paced story about family tragedy and confronting what terrifies us most. In the eighteen years since her father went to prison for killing her mother and brother, Della Stallings has battled a crippling phobia. Her fear only grows when her father’s released. She still believes he killed her family, but the police don’t have enough evidence to arrest him again. When new grisly murders occur—each bearing the telltale signs that seem to implicate her father—Della begins to wonder if the real murderer is still out there. Could her father have been framed? To find the truth, Della must face her greatest fears and doubts—not only to find justice for her family but to ensure her...

For ikke så lenge siden fikk jeg tilsendt et digital leseeksemplar av krimromanen Rotteblod av Stig Ellingsen og Simen Ingemundsen. Jeg leste den kort tid etter og i dag kommer omtalen. Beskrivelse fra forlaget Den vesle bygda Randaberg er enda i sjokk etter at den beryktede Erik Hansen klarte å unnslippe politiet etter flere alvorlige kidnappingssaker. For å trygge befolkningen er det satt inn en ekstra sterk og håndfast politibetjent, Preben Oppegård. Men førstekriminalbetjent Bjørn Berner blir bekymret da Oppegård en dag ikke dukker opp på jobb. Mystiske ting begynner å skje. Nok en gang føler Randabergs befolkning på en intens frykt, og politiet er fast innstilt på at denne gangen skal forbryterne ikke unnslippe. Saken utvikler seg imidlertid på en måte ingen kunne forutse, og det virker som om forbryterne har infiltrert politiet. Dette er andre bok i serien om Bjørn Berner og Truls Storlien. Mine tanker om boka Det er en helt grei krim med mye fart og spenning. Jeg syntes Rottebl...

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the cosy mystery A View To A Kilt by Kaitlyn Dunnett through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads A series of blizzards have kept tourists away from Moosetookalook, Maine, and shoppers out of Liss MacCrimmon's Scottish Emporium. But as warmer weather brings promises of tartan sales and new faces, melting snow reveals cold-blooded murder . . . Liss has suddenly found herself in charge of the March Madness Mud Season Sale, a town-wide celebration created to boost the local economy during the slushy weeks of early spring. With businesses ailing after a rough winter, the pressure is on to make this year's effort the can't-miss-event of the season. But before Liss can get her hands dirty, her husband makes a horrifying discovery. There's a dead man on their property, and he didn't die of natural causes . . . Stunned by the murder mystery dev...

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the novel Roanoke Ridge: A Creature X Mystery by J.J. Dupuis through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads There’s been a string of Bigfoot sightings in Roanoke Ridge. Do they have something to do with the body in the woods? When Bigfoot researcher Professor Berton Sorel goes missing in the temperate rainforest of Roanoke Ridge, Oregon, help is summoned in the form of his former star pupil, Laura Reagan, online science populist and avowed skeptic. But what begins as a simple search and rescue operation takes a drastic turn when a body is discovered — and it isn’t the professor’s. Caught in the fallout of the suspicious death, perplexed by a sudden wave of Bigfoot sightings, and still desperately searching for Professor Sorel, Reagan reluctantly admits two things: her old mentor was right about there being secrets hidden in Roanoke Ridge, and it’s up to ...

Last year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the cosy mystery Murder with Cherry Tarts (Daisy's Tea Garden Mystery #4) by Karen Rose Smith through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads In Pennsylvania's Amish country, Daisy Swanson has a tea shop to run, a daughter to marry off--and a murder to solve . . . Daisy's worried one of her employees at Daisy's Tea Garden may be in a spot of trouble. Lately Karina's been loading up on soup and second-day baked goods at the end of her shift--and while the shop's scrumptious treats may be hard to resist, Daisy suspects there's more going on, especially since Karina has been seen hanging out in a rundown part of Willow Creek. Planning her own daughter's wedding is enough to keep her busy, but Daisy can't help feeling a protective maternal instinct--and an instinct to investigate. It turns out Karina has been helping a down-on-his ...

It's Friday and time for a new Book Blogger Hop post, courtesy of  Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer . The question of the week was " Have you ever participated in NaNoWriMo? If yes, how did it go? ". Book Blogger Hop I've tried a couple of times, but it's fair to say I failed miserably.

Last year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the cookbook Kitchen without Borders: Recipes from Refugee and Immigrant Chefs and Stories of the Journey to Make a New Home by The Eat Offbeat Chefs through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads A cookbook with wide-ranging roots and a very deep heart: 80 authentic, off-the-beaten-path recipes for delicious dishes from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Eritrea, Venezuela, and other countries are shared by chefs who arrived in the US as refugees and found work at the Eat Offbeat catering kitchen. My Thoughts on the Book The Kitchen without Borders was such a fun cookbook. It's filled with stories and great recipes from various countries, such as Nepal, Venezuela, Iraq and Syria. There's also a bunch of recipes I would love to try, ,such as the Red Pepper Soup from Central African Republic and Poulet Gras from Guinea. I'll sooner or later buy my own p...

It's Wednesday, which means it's time for a new Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge post, courtesy of  Long and Short Reviews . The theme of the week was favourite songs or musicians. Some of my favourite bands and musicians include The D-Day Darlings, Alice Cooper, Arkona, Ozzy Osbourne and Omnia.

It's Tuesday and time for a new Top Ten Tuesday post, courtesy of That Artsy Reader Girl . The theme of the week was non-bookish hobbies. I'm not going to deny that books/literature is a big passion of mine, but I do have other hobbies and interests too. Here's my list; Photography Cooking/baking Animals/pets Knitting Urban exploring Art Crafts in general Writing letters Paranormal investigations Home decor

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the cocktail book The Geeky Chef Drinks: Unofficial Cocktail Recipes from Game of Thrones, Legend of Zelda, Star Trek, and More by Cassandra Reeder through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Featuring nerdy recipes for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, The Geeky Chef Drinks is your chance to sip your way through your favorite sci-fi and fantasy worlds— Game of Thrones , Legend of Zelda , Star Trek , and more. This smaller hardcover version of the original book has a new, fresh, modern design and includes 10 additional recipes from The Geeky Chef Strikes Back, making it the perfect gift for the geek in your life. Author Cassandra Reeder has created authentic real-life drinks and cocktails inspired by your favorite fantasy drinks. So, if you’ve found yourself craving Shimmerwine from Firefly , Black Frost Beer from Buffy the Vampire Slayer , ...

Last year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the crime novel Murder at the British Museum by Jim Eldridge through Netgalley. I read it shortly afterwards, but I haven't published my review until now. Description from Goodreads 1894. A well-respected academic is found dead in a gentlemen's convenience cubicle at the British Museum, the stall locked from the inside. Professor Lance Pickering had been due to give a talk promoting the museum's new 'Age of King Arthur' exhibition when he was stabbed repeatedly in the chest. Having forged a strong reputation working alongside the inimitable Inspector Abberline on the Jack the Ripper case, Daniel Wilson is called in to solve the mystery of the locked cubicle murder, and he brings his expertise and archaeologist Abigail Fenton with him. But it isn't long before the museum becomes the site of another fatality and the pair face mounting pressure to deliver results. With enquiries compounded by persistent jou...