Staging is Murder By: Grace Topping

Easy, breezy, beautiful...murder!  There is an ease to the writing in the fantastic cozy!  There is a breezy freshness in it's heroine, characters, setting and plot.  There is beauty in work Laura Bishop undertakes when staging a house, as well as in how she approaches any problems that arise.  Oh, and there's a murder!  Really, it's a perfect cozy and an exceptional start to, what will hopefully, be a long running series!

The Vision of Emma Blau By: Ursula Hegi

I wasn't sure what to think of this one while I was reading it-frankly now that I've finished, I'm still not sure what to think.  It was well written, vivid word pictures put right into the locales, and the characters are fascinating.  However, I don't know what the point of the story is.  Is it a family saga-too many family members' stories were left hanging for it to have succeeded as this; is it a story about a building-it's future is not clearly defined for it to have succeeded at this.  I still enjoyed reading it, I just am not sure of what I read.

Murder Once Removed By: S.C. Perkins

Could this book have ticked off any more of my "favorites" boxes?!  I think not!  Genealogy, history, mystery-it's got it all!  An amazing combination, great characters, and exceedingly well plotted.  A gift to the mystery canon!

A Miscellany of Murder Executed By: The Monday Murder Club

A quick and fun romp through the world of murder, via the lens of each of the 7 deadly sins.  Great little tidbits on how real life murders have affected pop culture and vice versa.  Chock full of humorous quotes and fascinating trivia.  A most for true crime, and/or mystery/thriller/cozy fans.

Charity's Burden By: Edith Maxwell

A difficult topic handled with care and intelligence, fronts this great addition to the Quaker Midwife Series. Rose delves into action to find out who killed one of her patients, while a wedding is in the works.  Artfully rendered characters and settings, make this a great read.

Turning the Tide By: Edith Maxwell

A twisted who done it with the intrepid midwife, Rose and her police help, Kevin.  Set during the presidential election week in the late 1880's, a local suffragette is killed and the suspects are many!  Leave it to Rose to deliver the truth and the babies!  This series is such a treat!

Delivering the Truth By: Edith Maxwell

An intriguing new heroine is in the offing in the start of this new series.  Rose, a Quaker and a midwife, finds herself embroiled in horrific fire and two mysterious deaths in her quaint 1880's Massachusetts town.  Strong willed, curious, intelligent and full of heart, Rose is a fantastic protagonist, and this book is a great start to this series.  Smartly written and with plenty of plot twists, you'll be happy to spend a little time with Rose and her Friends.

The Land of Stories: The Ultimate Book Hugger's Guide By: Chris Colfer

I can't praise this series enough! The Land of Stories is so thoughtfully written, creative and ingenious and the Ultimate Book Hugger's Guide is the perfect compendium to the series.  Filled with gorgeous illustrations, encyclopedic information on the series, and insight from the author himself all combine to elevate this wonderful series.  A must!

With a Kiss I Die By : J. A. Hennrikus

Several plot lines intertwine with several different people, holding different strands of information.  Yet, the writing in this series is so tight, that it's easy for the reader to follow.  Sully is an ingenious character and her world is populated with murder, drama and drama queens.  A great series!!

 

The Nap By: Richard Bean

An absolutely hilarious romp through the world of Snooker, illegal betting, an f***ed up family, true love (?), and the poor Snooker hopefully stuck in the middle of it all!

Ink By: James Graham

Fast paced and elegant in it's devastation, this is the dramatization of the re-birth of the Tabloid The Sun, and what the price of "winning" really is.  This piece flows like an intricate ballet, and doesn't let up.  You will laugh, you will be disgusted, you'll think and you'll be moved.

Choir Boy By: Tarell Alvin McCraney

Set in an all boy's, all African-American school, this play follows Pharus, a junior, finding his way in the way in the world, at school and in general. The use of songs is brilliant-obviously one can't hear the characters sing, but pay attention to the lyrics as written, they inform the characters and the story.  Funny and deeply moving-a great piece of theatre!

Network Adapted for the Stage by Lee Hall based on the Paddy Chayefsky Film

As a fan of the movie, I was a little skeptical of the play-I shouldn't have been.  Mr. Hall has kept the majority, if not all, of Mr. Chayefsky's original dialogue in all of it's stunning, biting brilliance.  The really sad thing is, is that absolutely NOTHING has changed between the time of the original movie and the current play. NOTHING-and that make me "mad as hell"!

The Ferryman By: Jez Butterworth

A stunning, moving, and upsetting drama following a family at harvest time during the "troubles"in Ireland in the 80's.  Epic in scope-the writing is stunningly beautiful.  Just reading the dialogue will make you misty-it's that powerfully written.  The language gives the reader a complete sense of time, place, and atmosphere. An amazing read!

Torch Song Trilogy: The celebrated landmark play, in both it's original and newly revised versions By: Harvey Fierstein

It was great to revisit one of my favorite plays, in it's newly re-envisioned form.  Doesn't feel dated and is still brilliant and contains some of the best dialogue ever!

The Big Book of Female Detectives Edited By: Otto Penzler

I can't rave enough about how fantastic this compilation is!  Mr. Penzler has curated an amazing collection of stories that trace the rise and evolution of the female detective in literature from the 1800s to now, also includes a nod to female villains.  A great number of authors featured, I'd happily read previously, and now I've got a whole list of new (to me) authors to hunt down and enjoy!