Thursday, November 14, 2019

Bookish Mewsings Double Header: Read and Gone & Buried in the Stacks by Allison Brook



Along with my mini reviews, I am linking to both Book Beginnings, a meme in which readers share the first sentence of a book they are reading, hosted by Gillion Dumas of Rose City Reader and Friday 56 hosted by Freda of Freda's Voice, in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading.

At the moment I am finishing up Sarah Morgan's A Wedding in December and will soon be starting my November TBR Poll Winner, The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter by Hazel Gaynor. I need a little something different from all the holiday romances I have been reading as of late, and so am looking forward to it. 

In an effort to catch up with review posts, I thought I would share two of my recent reads, which seem very fitting for the upcoming winter season. If you have not already, I recommend you give the Haunted Library series a try!


Read and Gone (The Haunted Library Mysteries #2) by Allison Brook
Crooked Lane Books, 2018
Crime Fiction/Cozy; 320 pgs
Source: NetGalley

Book Beginnings:
I glanced around my cottage at the thirty or so guests laughing and chatting, and grinned.
Friday 56 (excerpt from 56%):
Dina cackled. "Here we sit in a pizza parlor, the daughters of two thieves."
"I grew ashamed and embarrassed, knowing my father was a thief," I said. "Jim was away most of the time, and I missed him a lot. Now I'm glad he wasn't around." 
My thoughts:
Head of Programs and Events at the public library, Carrie Singleton, is settling nicely into her new cottage and life in Clover Ridge. On the night of her birthday and house warming party, she is awakened in the wee hours of the morning by her father who has a favor to ask. Carrie hasn’t seen him in years, and his visit now is less than welcome. He was in and out of her life when she was growing up, stealing and serving time in prison. Now he wants her to talk to his former partner in crime about getting his share of gems they had stolen together. Carrie, of course, says no immediately. Then the body of the jeweler her dad had asked her to speak to is discovered—with her dad caught at the scene of the murder. Carrie believes her dad is innocent of the murder.

Despite everything he’s done in the past, Carrie feels protective towards her dad. When it comes to him, her decisions are not always the brightest. His presence in her life threatens the perfect life she’s created, including getting in the way of her fairly new romantic relationship. I felt like I got to see a different side to Carrie in Read and Gone. Family can bring out the best and worst of us. And with a personal stake in this particular case, Carrie isn’t always at her best. Still, with the help of Evelyn, the librarian ghost, and her cat Smokey Joe, Carrie is able to keep her head enough to ask the right questions to get closer to the truth.

I raced through Read and Gone just as I had the first book in the series. There is just something about the way Allison Brook writes that has me wanting to read her books every chance I get—and even when I’m not supposed to. The reader gets to know more of the Clover Ridge residents, as well as more about Carrie’s past. The mystery was strong—at times intense—and I enjoyed seeing more of Carrie’s love interest in this second book of the series. I am really enjoying this series so far.



Buried in the Stacks (The Haunted Library Mysteries #3) by Allison Brook
Crooked Lane Books, 2019
Crime Fiction/Cozy; 316 pgs
Source: NetGalley

Book Beginnings:
"The blue-cheese burger and fries are calling to me, but I'm going with a small salad, no bread," Angela said, looking up from the lunch menu with a sigh.

Friday 56 (excerpt from 56%):
My hand shook as I opened the door. I stood outside the staff room, too dazed to move.
My thoughts:
With winter coming and temperatures dropping, the homeless residents of Clover Ridge are taking shelter in the library, much the consternation of some of the town’s more fortunate residents. Carrie wants to do what she can to help the homeless and joins the committee of volunteers seeking to renovate an old house the homeless residents can use during the day when the shelter is closed. Only, the more Carrie learns about the plans for Haven House, the more she questions the motives behind those involved with getting it off the ground. Could it be a cover for an illegal operation? And what about the alleged accident and later death of a not-so-well-liked librarian? Could the two be tied together or was it just a freak accident? Librarian Carrie, with the help of the library’s ghost Evelyn, and the library cat Smoky Joe are ready to take on another case—or will Carrie be in way over her head this time?

Carrie continues in her role as Head of Programs and Events at the public library, and is proving she is more than well suited for the job. I wish my library had half the programs the Clover Ridge library has. This is the third book in the Haunted Library series, and I continue to enjoy the series. Carrie puts herself in danger’s way more than once during her investigation, despite the warnings from both her boyfriend and the police chief, making me want to shake a little more sense in her. She should know better, but she’s a bit impatient when it comes to waiting for the police to do their job. Besides, there isn’t much they can do without evidence.

On a personal note, Carrie and her boyfriend are still feeling out their relationship. Carrie seems to have difficulty with trust, which is understandable given her past. I found it ironic that some of her concerns about her boyfriend’s occupation are the same concerns he voices about her amateur sleuthing—at least he has the excuse of being trained and doing his job professionally.

While the outcome and twists in this particular installment were not always surprising, Buried in the Stacks was still an entertaining read, and I enjoyed seeing how everything played out. The author gives us a glimpse of what is to come in the series at the end of this novel, and I am looking forward to seeing what trouble Carrie finds herself in next!

Does this sound like a series you would be interested in trying? (You can find my review of the first book in the series Death Overdue here.)


 I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading and are up to!


© 2019, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

36 comments:

  1. Sounds like a really fun series! The fact that it's set in a library makes it really appealing to me(:

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    1. Eustacia - It is a fun series. I am not sure I would want to live in Clover Ridge given the current murder rate, but I wouldn't mind visiting the library there. ;-)

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  2. I've come back to cozies lately and that series does sound like a lot of fun!

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    1. Kathy - I enjoy cozies more than I once did, but then, I've found my reading preferences as of late to lean more toward the lighter side as it is. This is a fun series, and I hope you give it a try!

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  3. Too dazed? I have to wonder what happened to her... Sounds good!

    Happy Friday! Here is my Friday post. Have a wonderful weekend. :)

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    1. Sassy - She's always getting in over her head. LOL This is a fun series. I hope you are enjoying your weekend too!

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  4. This sounds like a fun series. I'm always drawn to stories with librarians as main characters.

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    1. Catherine - I am enjoying it. I like characters who are librarians too. :-)

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  5. ooooo a twofer. i read a lot of books that are predictable and still enjoy the ride. it's all about the writing and the characters. great reviews
    sherry @ fundinmental

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    1. Sherry - Same here. Predictability isn't necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it's one of the draws of a book. And, as you said, it's all about about the characters and writing.

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  6. Sounds like a series I need to read too! Happy weekend!

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    1. Freda - I hope you like it if you give the series a try! I hope you are enjoying your weekend as well!

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  7. This looks like a good story. Enjoy your current read!

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  8. I've had my eye on this one for a while. Enjoy!

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    1. Laurel-Rain - They were both good books. :-) Thank you.

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  9. Both cozies sound good and I do so like the covers.

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    1. Mystica - Cozies often have the cutest covers, don't they?

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  10. This sounds like such a fun series! Hope you have a great weekend! :)

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    1. Ashley - I've enjoyed the series. :-) I hope you are enjoying your weekend too!

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  11. I love the Allison Brook series. I still need to read the latest one. Have a great weekend!

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    1. Yvonne - I am glad you read the series too! I hope you enjoy this latest one when you read it. Have a great weekend too!

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  12. Both of these books sound like a lot of fun! Have a good weekend. :)

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    1. Lark - They are fun. I am enjoying the series. :-) I hope you are having a good weekend too.

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  13. Read and Gone looks so fun! I have to admit I'm a sucker for a good christmasy cover. :)

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    1. Greg - It's hard to resist a book with a Christmas-y cover. :-)

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  14. Great time of year for cozies; these featured look fun. I haven't read much the last week; too many stressors. Have a great week Wendy

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    1. Diane - Yes, it does feel like the perfect time to curl up with a cozy or two. I haven't been reading much this month, unfortunately. Nothing like last month. I hope you have a better week this week. You've sure been through a lot lately.

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  15. This sounds like such a fun series! I love a good cozy every once in a while.

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  16. It's the perfect time of year for cozy reads. Hope you enjoyed your weekend!

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  17. I really enjoy this series and it really seems to be getting stronger. I thought the relationship with her dad was well done. That's a relationship that's never exactly simple - especially if the parent is like hers is!

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    1. Katherine - I really liked the way her relationship with her dad was portrayed as well. I will be curious to see how it goes with her mother in the next book.

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