Welcome to week 10 of the
THREE AMIGOS SUMMER READING CLUB
with Bloggers Mary Brown, Karen M. Owen, and yours truly!
Every Monday from now through August 28,
Mary, Karen, and I
will recommend some of our favorite cozy mystery titles in eleven (11) different categories!
Today our theme is
Bookstores/Café Cozies!
We're recommending 3 books with this theme that really stand out to each of us.
The characters and settings mix wonderfully and draw the reader in. It was a delight to get to know Mary “Sassy” Cabot and Bridget “Bridgy” Mayfield—owners of the bookstore café, Read ’Em and Eat. They are two of the most enjoyable characters I have read this year. And wait until you meet Aunt Ophie! She’ll have you laughing out loud. There are shelves lined with books, delicious menu items, such as Old Man and the Sea Chowder, Miss Marple Scones and honest to goodness, Green Eggs and Ham, tables named after famous authors, and book groups like the Books Before Breakfast club. Beyond a doubt, if I had a real life Read ’Em and Eat near me, I would spend so much of my time there you’d think I was on the payroll!
What about the mystery element of the book? Perfect! Even after reading the back cover blur, I forgot who the victim was until I started reading the book. I cried when I read she was dead, because in just the short time I had been reading, I knew that woman would be someone I would love to spend a lot of time with. With the suspects that kept popping up, it became harder to guess who the murder was. I was in suspense the entire time and more emotionally invested than I have been in a story in ages. And with a twist that I didn’t see coming, it’s no wonder when I closed this book I just sat there and said “Wow”.
This book is a must read for all cozy fans and the perfect book to gift someone if you would like to introduce them to cozies mystery.
My pick for favorite cozy with a
Bookstores/Café Cozies!
WELL READ, THEN DEAD
#1 in the Read Em and Eat Mysteries
by Terrie Farley Moran
Nestled in the barrier islands of Florida’s Gulf Coast, Fort Myers Beach is home to Mary “Sassy” Cabot and Bridget Mayfield—owners of the bookstore café, Read ’Em and Eat. But when they’re not dishing about books or serving up scones, Sassy and Bridgy are keeping tabs on hard-boiled murder.
Read ’Em and Eat is known for its delicious breakfast and lunch treats, along with quite a colorful clientele. If it’s not Rowena Gustavson loudly debating the merits of the current book club selection, it’s Miss Augusta Maddox lecturing tourists on rumors of sunken treasure among the islands. It’s no wonder Sassy’s favorite is Delia Batson, a regular at the Emily Dickinson table. Augusta’s cousin and best friend Delia is painfully shy—which makes the news of her murder all the more shocking.
No one is more distraught than Augusta, and Sassy wants to help any way she can. But Augusta doesn’t have time for sympathy. She wants Delia’s killer found—and she’s not taking no for an answer. Now Sassy is on the case, and she’d better act fast before there’s any more trouble in paradise.
Includes a buttermilk pie recipe!
Read ’Em and Eat is known for its delicious breakfast and lunch treats, along with quite a colorful clientele. If it’s not Rowena Gustavson loudly debating the merits of the current book club selection, it’s Miss Augusta Maddox lecturing tourists on rumors of sunken treasure among the islands. It’s no wonder Sassy’s favorite is Delia Batson, a regular at the Emily Dickinson table. Augusta’s cousin and best friend Delia is painfully shy—which makes the news of her murder all the more shocking.
No one is more distraught than Augusta, and Sassy wants to help any way she can. But Augusta doesn’t have time for sympathy. She wants Delia’s killer found—and she’s not taking no for an answer. Now Sassy is on the case, and she’d better act fast before there’s any more trouble in paradise.
Includes a buttermilk pie recipe!
MY REVIEW
One of my top three favorite new mystery series
of 2014!
I have never read the first book of a series and the first published book for an author and been this blown away.
Any time a book grabs me on the first page and won’t let go, I know I am in for some of the best reading time I have ever spent. WELL READ, THEN DEAD, did that and more. I so enjoyed the book, I found myself smiling while reading and the real world around me fading away.
I have never read the first book of a series and the first published book for an author and been this blown away.
Any time a book grabs me on the first page and won’t let go, I know I am in for some of the best reading time I have ever spent. WELL READ, THEN DEAD, did that and more. I so enjoyed the book, I found myself smiling while reading and the real world around me fading away.
The characters and settings mix wonderfully and draw the reader in. It was a delight to get to know Mary “Sassy” Cabot and Bridget “Bridgy” Mayfield—owners of the bookstore café, Read ’Em and Eat. They are two of the most enjoyable characters I have read this year. And wait until you meet Aunt Ophie! She’ll have you laughing out loud. There are shelves lined with books, delicious menu items, such as Old Man and the Sea Chowder, Miss Marple Scones and honest to goodness, Green Eggs and Ham, tables named after famous authors, and book groups like the Books Before Breakfast club. Beyond a doubt, if I had a real life Read ’Em and Eat near me, I would spend so much of my time there you’d think I was on the payroll!
What about the mystery element of the book? Perfect! Even after reading the back cover blur, I forgot who the victim was until I started reading the book. I cried when I read she was dead, because in just the short time I had been reading, I knew that woman would be someone I would love to spend a lot of time with. With the suspects that kept popping up, it became harder to guess who the murder was. I was in suspense the entire time and more emotionally invested than I have been in a story in ages. And with a twist that I didn’t see coming, it’s no wonder when I closed this book I just sat there and said “Wow”.
This book is a must read for all cozy fans and the perfect book to gift someone if you would like to introduce them to cozies mystery.
WELL READ, THEN DEAD
was one of my top favorite books when it first came out. A ca
fé and a bookstore combine?!? Talk about my dream come true!
The characters in this book, this entire series are wonderfully written. Friends, Sassy and Bridget own the Read "Em and Eat Café. It's a place I would spend all of my time. I'd be the local that would haunt the shop every day.
Author Terrie Farley Moran is an amazing writer. The mystery, humor, and all around great storytelling of this book, and series will captivate you just as much as it dead me. Of that I have no doubt.
Pick up a copy of
WELL READ, THEN DEAD
and you'll find yourself reading one of the best cozy mysteries you ever read.
My Amigos Mary and Karen have also picked their bookstore/café cozies.
Please head over to their blogs and check them out!
Mary Brown's blog
and
Karen Owen's blog
Make sure to check back next Monday for suggestions on a new cozy mystery theme!
Keep all of our great titles in mind for
Buy A Friend A Book Day
on
August 29!
As always, please leave a comment and
let me know what you think!
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clicking on the link in the
upper right hand corner of this page.
Great choice!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great book and series, Lisa. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lisa! Happy Monday, to you.
ReplyDeleteLove love love this series! Great choice! Perfect for buy a friend a book day!
ReplyDelete