Thursday Hops

ENTER HALLOWEEN FUN GIVEAWAY HERE

Enter the Another Bad Dog Book Giveaway Here

Meme hosted by Reading Between the Pages

This week’s theme is:

ANTONYMS (Pick 2 snippets that have an opposite i.e. if one sentence has OPEN the other should have CLOSE).

 

The wrong way:

When she turned back, the screen door had closed. Did she dare open it again? 

Page 24 of Pumpkin Roll by Josi S Kilpack

The right way:

"The chain-type locks like they have on hotel room doors. They're far more effective at keeping people out than they get credit for. A swing bolt would be even better."

"We better get those pancakes off the griddle," she said, hurrying back to breakfast.

Both from page 59 of Pumpkin Roll

Review of Pumpkin Roll 

In conjunction with the release of Pumpkin Roll the author, Josi S. Kilpack, and the publisher, Shadow Mountain, are sponsoring a contest for a new iPad. To enter, leave a comment in the comment section of this blog before November 1, 2011. Winners will be announced and notified November 3^rd 2011.

For additional ways to enter, go to www.josiskilpack.com

Third Sentence Thursday is a weekly meme which likes to sculpts castles out of clouds!
Click the picture to go to Host, Sniffly Kitty's Mostly Books Blog.

1) Take the book you are reading now and post the third sentence
2) Review this sentence anyway you want (funny and silly reviews encouraged)
3) Post a link to your sentence here (in the comments) or if you don't have a blog, just post it in the comments!

Pumpkin Roll by Josi S Kilpack

Since I just finished this I will take the third sentence from the last chapter - no spoiler.

She attempted to sit up straighter, but between her shoulder, surgically repaired and supported by a fashionable foam-enhanced sling, and the stitched-up stab wound in her side, it was painful.

OUCH! Hope it is the bad guy.

And since we have been having more meltdowns and sensory issues than I care to think about I am still on , but almost finished, with the same books. So I will take the sentences from the chapters where I am. As you can see I am almost done and should be posting reviews shortly. Light a candle. :D

Grimsley Hollow by Nicole Storey

His father sounded worried. 

Chapter 23

Um, not a good thing. If dad is worried we all need to be worried. Maybe not as much as if mom were worried. If mom is worried there is a good chance she is wondering if you will survive dad's punishment. Dad being worried maybe it's about work or a safety issue with the family or  the house..but not punishment. Dad doesn't worry about your survival in that instance.

The Choice by Lorhainne Eckhart

“Sam please don’t. That’s not how it’s done here.” 

Chapter 20

Does Sam need an instruction booklet? I hope this isn't a sex scene.

The Facts Speak For Themselves by Brock Cole

I can hear her coming down the hall, her heels clicking. 

Chapter 10

Okay when you hear the heels clicking down the hall it is either the police, a female principal or a nun.  Possibly your mother, (in which case listen closer - is dad with her?) None of it is sounding good to me.

These should be finished by this weekend. I have added pages at the top for past  book reviews and a page for guest posts and short stories. Don't forget to check out the Halloween Fun guest posts. Today is author Ami Blackwelder with a Halloween excerpt from Shifters 2040. This is one of the books in the giveaway so check it out.

Please leave me a comment. I need an sane voice. 

Review of Pumpkin Roll by Josi S Kilpack

Enter the Halloween Fun Giveaway Here

Enter the Another Bad Dog Book Here

Pumpkin Roll by Josi S Kilpack

Paperback 361 Pages

Published September 7th 2011 by Deseret Book Company

* I received a copy of this book for review purposes. I received no compensation for my review. The opinions expressed are my honest feelings.*

Back Cover:

Halloween Sale At The Wick'd Witch

Experience paranormal activity in your home?

Worried about ghost, ghouls or goblins?

Hearing voices? Slamming doors? Feeling a cold mist?

Maybe it's time for a quarterly cleansing...Hurry in now!

   Sadie Hoffmiller believes in her abilities as a cook and as a detective. She believes in the beauty of a perfectly baked pumpkin roll. She does not, however, believe in ghosts.

   As Halloween approaches, Sadie is looking forward to spending her favorite baking season of the year making delicious New England recipes in Boston Massachusetts, with her favorite leading man, Pete Cunningham, as they babysit his three young grandsons.When the boys insist that Mrs. Wapple, the woman who lives across the street, is a witch, Sadie and Pete are anxious to distract the boys from such silly  ideas.

   Sadie tries to befriend Mrs. Wapple, but when her foolproof plate of cookies fails to work its magic, she is left with more questions than answers. And Sadie has never been one to leave a good question unanswered.

The more she investigates, however, the stranger the answers become. And when Sadie learns the eccentric Mrs. Wapple has been attacked in her home, she knows time is running out. As the unexplained occurrences escalate, Sadie finds herself embroiled in yet another mystery with life-or-death consequences. Can Sadie discover whoever-or whatever-is behind the mystery before anyone else gets hurt? Or will this be the last time Sadie takes the case?

The Review:

I love when a mystery book makes you go ,"what?!" This book had a few things I wish had been wrapped up better but overall, it made me go, "what?!" after I thought I had it figured out. At least partially figured out. *Rueful grin and a shrug* The author was excellent at keeping the mystery until she was ready for it to be discovered.  It has been awhile since I had that reaction with a mystery.

This book is part of a series and while I enjoyed as a stand alone, I do wish I had read the ones before it. There were references that made me wonder what happened. The author did recognize this and gave enough information so the story would flow without you having to stop and read the others. I appreciated that. Ms Kilpack kept the story rolling so that your interest is held, without going over into the ridiculous. Since this is a mystery based in the fall, close to Halloween and with paranormal elements, it would have been easy to cross over.  However the author managed the balancing act and provided us with a book worthy enough to be call an awesome Halloween Treat. 

Another aspect of it that I loved were the recipes. There are nine really yummy recipes included along with some character tips on ways she experimented with them. As the book is based in Boston, Ms. Kilpack chose recipes such as baked beans and N.E. clam chowder. I loved making the Whoopie Pies, (Junior loved eating them). I have plans to try the rest of the recipes given.

The parts that I felt needed a bit more attention deal with the wrap up and some things that were left undone. As I do not wish to spoil things for you, I will not say more about them. Just giving you notice that you may notice not everything is wrapped up. This could also be due to the fact that this is a series, (I know one unwrapped part is definitely due to this so I am excluding that one). 

My rating on this is 4 3/4 of stars. I enjoyed this so much that I am now going over to get the previous books in the series. I have added the covers in order. Ms Kilpack has a new book in the series due out in early 2012 and I am definitely going to watch for it, (titled Banana Split). If you are looking for a fast, enjoyable mystery to read for Halloween, I highly recommend this one. 

    

    

For more information on Josi S Kilpack you can check out her out on, (links),  Good Reads, FaceBook, Twitter, her blog, What is a Sundial in the Shade? and of course her website, Josi S Kilpack.

She is currently hosting a giveaway for an iPad2 on her website, Entry Details .  I think that is awesome. Aside from the giveaway, and information about her books, you will find the recipes included in all her books available for free. There are also some events going on in Utah which makes me sort of wish I was back in Provo so I could meet her. Lots of cool stuff on there and her blog so check her out. Don't forget to enter her giveaway. It is easy - just leaving comments on participating blogs. I will be entering them as you all know I have been praying for an iPad for Junior to help with his autism. A list of participating blogs is on her site. I will add the link here for your ease.  Participating blogs for iPad2.

Please leave a comment. I am interested in what you have to say.

Teaser Tuesday

 Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! 

I am reading several books right now. So here are my teasers. Hope you enjoy them!

Bram's lip curled in a sneer and he flashed fangs at her. Before he could reply, and perhaps get his head ripped off by Lowell, Ladon stood up and said, “We want the same thing that you want - to get rid of Inari and her bajang henchmen.I am willing to help in any way I can…” he swallowed hard and looked down at the floor…”It’s the only way to save my mother.”

Nicole Storey. Grimsley Hollow (Kindle Locations 1545-1548). 

Keep it together. Trapped by a Predator who knew what emotional strings to pull, she’d no time to wallow. 

Lorhainne Eckhart. The Choice (Kindle Locations 3512).

 I’m supposed to help you confront what happened. You were raped. 

Brock Cole . The Facts Speak for Themselves (pp. 154). Kindle Edition. 

She held out the cordless phone as though that alone was proof. " She said she needed help, and then the line went dead."

Pumpkin Roll by Josi S. Kilpack Page 154

Please check out the Halloween Fun going on here. Each weekday I will have a guest post by a different author. On Saturdays I will have poetry by Kimberly LaRocca. On my Giveaway Page there is an FORM to enter a Halloween giveaway. And with the release of Joni B Cole's book Another Bad Dog Book  happening today, she has agreed to give away a SIGNED COPY of the book!

Please leave a comment. I love hearing from you!