October Books!

October Reads!!

Books Read:

1.  Storm Front by Jim Butcher

2.  Fool Moon by Jim Butcher

3.  Grave Peril by Jim Butcher

4.  Summer Knight by Jim Butcher

                 

September Books Read/Reviewed!!

September's Books and Review Links!

1.  Night of the Living Deed by E.J. Cooperman

2.  An Uninvited Ghost by E.J. Cooperman

3.  A Deadly Game of Magic by Joan Lowery Nixon

4.  Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams

5.  Buried in a Bog by Sheila Connolly

6.  Death of a Tart by Kate Borden

               

          

New Ways.....

Due to many life changes this last year, things are going to start to look and operate a bit differently on my blog from here on out.  I do plan to continue reading, that is a given, but I will not be doing as detailed of reviews anymore.  I simply now do not have the extra time.  The new way I am going to try from here on out is this...I will use my Goodreads account to do a quick review on there when I finish a book.  Just a quick what was good or bad or what I liked or didn't like and just an overall of what I thought of the book.  This way all the book details and summary are right there for me and I don't have to retype them here.  I will do a post here at the end of every month with links to my reviews on Goodreads for the books I get read/reviewed.  So look for a post once a month here that will give a list of the books read with links to my reviews.  

As you will notice in my sidebar, I have dropped all but one of my 2016 challenges.  I just was too far behind to even try, but the Charity one is the perfect one to keep.  I also have all my perpetual challenges still up.  You can also find links to all of my reviews under the "2016 Book Reviews" tab in my sidebar.

I just am finding that my new life responsibilities are a bit more than I had expected and time is not always on my side.  I love reading and sharing what I think of books though, which is why I felt I should try things like this for awhile and see if that helps. 

Thanks for following and I hope the new changes I have made make it easier for me to provide the reviews I still love to give!

Book Review: Down the Rabbit Hole

Title:  Down the Rabbit Hole
Author:  Peter Abrahams
Pages:  407
Publication Date:  2006
Version:  Paperback
Genre:  Adult Fiction/Mystery

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"Welcome to Echo Falls, home of a thousand secrets.

Ingrid is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or at least her shoes are. And getting them back will mean getting tangled up in a murder investigation as complicated as the mysteries solved by her idol, Sherlock Holmes. With soccer practice, schoolwork, and the lead role in her town's production of Alice in Wonderland, Ingrid is swamped. But as things in Echo Falls keep getting curiouser and curiouser, Ingrid realizes she must solve the murder on her own -- before it's too late!"

My Review:

All Ingrid wants is to be like her idol, Sherlock Holmes.  Soon she is thrown into a murder mystery of epic proportions.   She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and now she is in a real pickle.  She can't tell the police chief the truth, she was in the wrong and the chief is her new found boy crush's Dad.  How would that look?  Besides she has read every Sherlock Holmes book at least twice, she can figure this murder out on her own, she just knows it.  Teenager or not, she is sure she can do it.  Trouble is, solving mysteries is way harder than she read about in her books.  Can she really solve the murder she is hoping to solve?  Will it be her that is being investigated next...for murdering or being murdered.

This was a good book, but I have to admit, it wasn't one that was a fast read by any stretch of the imagination for me.  I didn't want to toss it aside to the "give up on" pile, but it wasn't one I was drawn to read on in either really.  I wanted to see what happened, but I thought it took a long time to get there.  The characters were pretty great though, which is why I kept on reading.  I also loved the unique spin to the book of the teen girl working to solve the murder and purely on guidance from her favorite mystery book set.  The descriptive words and writing was also a highlight of the book to me.  It was very easy to picture what was going on and where in this book.  So all in all a good read, but not a great great great read in my opinion.

3/5 Stars 

Book Review: A Deadly Game of Magic

Title:  A Deadly Game of Magic
Author:  Joan Lowery Nixon
Pages:  
Publication Date:  2004
Version:  Paperback 
Genre:  Young Adult Fiction/Mystery

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"Seeking shelter from a fierce Texas storm, four teens are trapped inside a strange house as unwitting players in a magician's evil games. The phone goes dead. A plaster head suddenly appears. A disembodied hand taps the mantel. Then the magic turns even more sinister, leading inevitably toward murder."

My Review:

Bo, Teena, Julian, and Lisa are four teens who would never be together if it weren't for a project for school.  Things only get worse for them when Bo's car breaks down and they are forced to pull into an old home to use a phone for help.  They soon find that they are alone in the house waiting for the auto club, but a storm outside may delay their rescue.  Soon odd things start happening in the house, things that are making the four teens realize they need to help each other and stick together to make it to the rescue from the auto club.  Lisa discovers things in the house that shouldn't be scary, but are just down right terrifying when the setting is so dark and dreary.  All the teens want is to go home, preferably soon and even more preferably alive.  Someone seems to be in this spooky house, but they never really show themselves.  Who is in the house and do they mean the teens harm?  What about the little old lady that owns this house?  Is she really stuck in town because of the weather or did she come home and come to some harm by the mysterious someone in her home?  Is the someone in the home a hitchhiker or are they someone more mysterious than that....more other worldly?

This book had me from the first word on the first page all the way to the last word on the last page.  I was absolutely sucked into this book and story.  This author absolutely nailed the bullseye in the writing and flow of this book!  I was so into this book by the wonderful descriptions given that I found myself jumpy as I read because of how focused I was on what was going on in the book.  A noise would happen in my own home as I was reading and I jumped thinking I was in the story.  The characters were so realistic and fun and so well developed that I felt they were real people that I knew of.  They all were so different, yet all so much alike.  I loved the bonds they started to form as the book progressed.  This was a bit different than most mystery books I've read, but in a great way.  It wasn't this .... so and so was murdered and now we must find who done it.... it was a what is happening here and what is really going on in this house and with these teens mystery.  I loved every minute of it!  Nice change of pace in my reading.  The ending was a bit of a disappointment to me, as it left some things unanswered, but all in all my love of the rest of the book outweighed the way things ended.

If you like mysteries with a twist, this is the book for you.  This is a great book for young adults and adults and is a great easy breezy read.  I highly recommend this book!!!

5/5 Stars!!!!

Book Review: An Uninvited Ghost

Title:  An Uninvited Ghost
Author:  E.J. Cooperman
Pages:  293
Publication Date:  2011
Version:  Paperback
Genre:  Adult Fiction/Mystery/Paranormal

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"Alison and her resident gumshoe ghost are on their next case when the deceased Scott MacFarlane floats in worried that he accidentally killed a prominent local woman. Turns out she's still alive...that is, of course, until she's murdered-in Alison's house. Now, between the demands of her guests and the arrival of a reality television crew, Alison must find the killer before she sees reality from the other side."

My Review:
Alison, her daughter, and her ghostly friends/roommates are finally getting the business of their home becoming a guesthouse off the ground.  Alison is excited to have her first guests arriving for a week long stay.  She couldn't be happier, things seem to be looking up!  That is until a prominent local woman drops dead in her living room.  Now Alison has to put her newly acquired PI license to use and try to solve the whole mystery behind how this woman came to die in her house.  She soon is trying to balance a murder investigation, being a good Mom, and being a great host to her guests.  Her ghostly housemate, who happens to be a PI also, is great help to her, but he is limited on his help as he is unable to leave her property.  Soon Alison finds that there is much she never knew about the small town she is living in again.  To top it all off a popular TV show has set up shop in and around her home for filming.  Good money and good for getting word out about her guesthouse, but also a pain in her rear end.  Especially now that one of the cast has gone missing and they want to hire her to find her.  Can she find a lost cast member and a murderer?  Are they in any way connected?  How will people like hearing things they don't understand?  Can Alison really solve a murder without becoming a ghost herself?

I simply could not pass up reading this book!  I simply loved the first book in this series, so I had to continue on when I saw this book.  I read them in order, but they would make great stand alone books also.  The second one gives enough insight when needed, that you would never be left confused.  It may make you want to read the first book out of curiosity, but it wouldn't be a case of having to read it to understand this second book.  This author did not disappoint me at all.  I went into this book with high hopes and expectations because of how much I loved and enjoyed the first book I read in this series.  I was not disappointed at all.  The same wonderful descriptions, writing, and characters were in this book as with the first one.  The characters grow more in this book and you get to learn a bit more about some of them, which was wonderful.  This book had me hooked from page one all the way to the last word on the last page!  Never a dull moment!  If you love mysteries with a paranormal twist to them then this is the book for you by far.  It has a wonderful balance of the paranormal side and the living people side and how they all work together.  Alison is one of my favorite characters I have read about in a long time.  She is a super independent woman who knows what she wants out of life now and will do anything to get it for herself and for her family and ghostly friends too.  Highly recommend this read!!!

5/5 Stars!

Book Review: Night of The Living Deed

Title:  Night of The Living Deed
Author:  E.J. Cooperman
Pages:  325
Publication Date:  2010
Version:  Paperback
Genre:  Adult Fiction/Mystery/Paranormal

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"Welcome to the first Haunted Guest House mystery-the getaway every reader can afford. 

Newly divorced Alison Kerby wants a second chance for herself and her nine-year-old daughter. She's returned to her hometown on the Jersey Shore to transform a Victorian fixer-upper into a charming-and profitable-guest house. One small problem: the house is haunted, and the two ghosts insist Alison must find out who killed them."

My Review:
All Alison really wants to do is be successful at her new endeavor of turning a beautiful historic house into a beautiful guesthouse she can live in with her daughter and rent out the extra rooms to tourists to.  She got the house for a steal of a price, but maybe there is good reason for that...as Alison soon learns.  There is a lot of work to be done before it is even live in ready, much less ready to be rented out to tourists.  Alison is not put off by this though because she is a wiz at handyman, or handywoman, work thanks to her father teaching her from little up.  Soon she discovers that she may not be alone in the house, and she's not referring to her daughter either.  After a run in with a bucket and a ladder, she discovers she can see ghosts....not from her meds either, real ghosts....in her house.  Soon she is mixed up in an investigation to help these ghosts find out who killed them.  She's no detective, but she did take acting courses in college, so that must come in helpful some how when she's digging around for answers.  This is an old crime though, so can she possibly keep digging around without the killer noticing or caring that she is snooping?  Won't this put her and her daughter in danger?  What secrets does this small town and its people in it really have?  Even her own Mother and her own daughter seem to have secrets!  Can she find a killer before the killer snaps and "takes care of her"?

Oh my gosh!  I simply LOVED this book!  The paranormal end with the ghosts was very well written and the mystery end of it was edge of my seat amazing!  The descriptions in this book had me looking around my own home in wonder because they seemed so real and so intimately described.  The writing just flowed right along throughout the whole book.  I never had a moment that I wanted to put down the book.  I wanted to keep reading until the end, but alas life just doesn't always allow that.  When I was reading this book, it was as if my own world stopped and I was transported into the one that I was reading about.  I could see the house, the people, the cracks in the walls....I could smell the paint, the dust, the fresh air....I could feel the warm breeze.  I have never had a book that was so intense for me and so real to me before.  This is due to amazing writing on the author's part that's for sure.  The characters were nothing to sneeze at either.  They were simply amazing!  I felt like I was able to become friends with some of them and others know enough that I didn't want to be friends with them.  They were so well developed and so complex, yet easy to relate to or get to know.  There is so much I want to say about this book, but I am not one to give spoilers, so instead I will leave it at the point of this....you just need to read this book!  I mean it, don't let this book go unread!  If you love mysteries and you are also a fan of some paranormal twists, this is definitely the book for you!

5/5 Stars and then some!!!!

Book Review: Needled To Death

Title:  Needled to Death
Author:  Maggie Sefton
Pages:  239
Publication Date:  2005
Version:  Paperback
Genre:  Adult Fiction/Mystery

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"Taking a troop of tourists to Vickie Claymore's alpaca farm doesn't earn knitter Kelly Flynn a warm welcome. Instead she finds Vickie splayed out on her original hand-woven rug, her blood seeping into the design."

My Review:
Vickie has the most beautiful alpacas you could ever see.  Their wool is beautiful in color and is so soft it's like touching a cloud.  This is the draw for a group of tourists who want to see the working alpaca farm.  Kelly and her friends agree to be the "guides" for this tour, what they did not agree to was walking right onto a murder scene.  Someone has murdered Vickie, the questions are who and why.  Kelly has her own things to attend to, being she inherited a huge running ranch from a relative.  She is no ranch hand and has to decide what to do with the ranch, the animals, and the hired help that keep it running.  However, being the ever curious accountant she is, Kelly can't help but become deeply involved when she is asked to help settle the accounting matters for Vickie's estate.  Soon she is drawn into the worst who done it she can imagine.  The murderer has killed twice to keep secrets just that; secret.  So will Kelly be safe trying to solve the murders?  Who could have such anger in their heart to kill for a secret?

This is the second book in the series and I just had to continue reading the series after book one.  I must say, however, that I was a tiny bit disappointed in this book.  It really hit the ground running and then seemed to fizzle out and then picked up again at the end.  What do I mean by fizzled out?  Well, it's like the murder happened and then instead of following the murder the book kind of veered off to follow more of what was going on with the ranch Kelly inherited and the trip to see said ranch.  Now, I realize it all kind of played a part in the continuation of the plot, but I just felt it didn't have the drive there for me to want to continue reading.  I did keep going, but it was slower going, as I didn't really feel there was that, cant put it down, feel.  Once I got through the middle of the book, it did begin to pick up again and the last section of the book was easy to keep reading to see what happened.  The writing, as far as descriptions, was great.  The characters were also great.  The characters and their development is what, I believe, kept me reading on.  I enjoy seeing where they are all headed and who they are all becoming as the book, and the series continued on.  All in all this was an ok read, just a bit disappointing for me in the middle.

3/5 Stars

Book Review: The Ghost's Grave

Title:  The Ghost's Grave
Author:  Peg Kehret
Pages:  210
Publication Date:  2005
Version:  Paperback
Genre:  Young Adult Fiction/Paranormal Mystery

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"What Josh thought would be the dullest summer of his life, spent with his eccentric great-aunt, turns chilling when he meets the ghost of a coal miner killed in a mine explosion. Willie has been waiting years for some kind soul to dig up his leg and rebury it with the rest of him--only then will he be at peace. Josh agrees to do the grisly deed, but when he digs in the old cemetery, he finds more than Willie's leg bones! Who buried the box of cash in the grave, and why? How far will that person go to get the money back? The Ghost's Grave is a deliciously spooky adventure from a master of suspense."

My Review:
Josh was so excited to tell his parents that he secretly tried out for, and made, the summer baseball team!  He quickly is brought down from his happiness when they tell him that they are traveling for work over the summer and he is actually going to stay with his great aunt instead.  He is less than thrilled with this little "adventure", but soon realizes that his Aunt Ethel is not just another little boring old lady.....oh no, she is quite the lady indeed, as is her property she lives on.  Soon Josh is enjoying the old treehouse, helping with dishes, watching his Aunt Ethel care for his other Aunt Florence...who just happens to be a peacock, figuring out the mystery of an old metal box that looks to have been buried years and years ago, and helping his new friend bury his leg bones with the rest of him...seeing he is a ghost.  Why does this ghost haunt the treehouse?  Where did the metal box really come from and who's is it?

This book was probably the best read I have had in awhile!  I can't give too much description without ruining something for someone, but I will say this is a book that never has a dull page!  The descriptions were amazing, I felt like I was right there with Josh as he explored things and encountered things.  I actually was so drawn into the book that I felt Josh's emotions.  As for the flow of this book, it would be equivalent to a raging river!  One thing to the next to the next.  I absolutely loved the characters in this book too.  How could I not come to love the quirky, fun, caring, and carefree Aunt Ethel or the adventurous, funny, sometimes dramatic Josh?!  And Willie the ghost was a huge favorite of mine!  If what you are looking for is action, adventure, and a book that is a great read and a real page turner, then this book is very much for you!

5/5 Stars FOR SURE!!

March Wrap Up!

Colored by Angie@Angels Are Kids And Furkids
Part of an Adult Color Calendar

March....the Luck 'o the Irish was with me this month.  I managed to read the books I hoped to, despite the added hours in my work schedule and extra Scout things that were on my plate!  

HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL MY FOLLOWERS AND TO ALL YOU LOVELY VISITORS THAT STOP IN TO READ MY BLOG!!!  I APPRECIATE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU EVERY DAY!

Here's what I have read in March: 3 Grand Total of  Books!!

You can click on the title of the book to get to my review of that book.  :-)

~ 1 Young Adult Fiction:

~Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost by Cornelia Funke

~ 2 Adult Fiction:

~Cold Hands, Warm Hearts by Jenny Jacobs
~Christmas Key by Kim O'Brien

~ 0 Children Fiction:

Below is my running list with the challenge name, a link to my post, a brief description, how I am doing, and wrap up post links.  They will be highlighted as I complete them.

2016 Reading Challenges:

1.   2016 Reading Challenge Addict Challenge  Complete Reading Challenges.  Level ~ In Flight ~ Complete 11-15 Challenges Entered.

1/15 Completed!

Wrap Up Post:  

2.  2016 Color Coded Reading Challenge  Read Books With Colors In The Titles.

0/9 Completed!

Wrap Up Post:  

3.  2016 Mount TBR Reading Challenge  Read Books From TBR Pile.  Mt Vancouver ~ 36 Books

7/36 Completed!

Wrap Up Post:  

4.  2016 Paranormal Genre Reading Challenge  Read Paranormal Books.  Dipping The Toes ~ 12 Books

2/12 Completed! 

Wrap Up Post:  

5.  2016 Mystery Genre Reading Challenge  Read Mystery Books.  Wading In ~ 25 Books

1/25 Completed!

Wrap Up Post:  

6.  2016 Craving For Cozies Reading Challenge  Read Cozy Mysteries.  Starving ~ 11-20 Books

0/20 Completed!

Wrap Up Post:  

7.  2016 New Release Reading Challenge  Read Books Released in 2016.  New Release Newbie ~ 1-15 Books

0/15 Completed!

Wrap Up Post:  

8.  2016 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge  Read Books Starting With Alphabet Letters.

4/26 Completed!

Wrap Up Post:  

9.  2016 Cloak And Dagger Reading Challenge  Read Mystery/Suspense Books.  Inspector ~ 21-30 Books.

1/30 Completed!

Wrap Up Post:    

10.  2016 Crafty Cozy Reading Challenge  Read Cozy Mysteries Involving Crafting.  

0/10 Completed!

Wrap Up Post:  

11.  2016 Cruizen' Thru The Cozies Reading Challenge  Read Cozy Mysteries.  Super Sleuth ~ 13-20 Books

0/20 Completed!

Wrap Up Post:  

12.  2016 What An Animal IX Reading Challenge  Read Books With Animals As Main Character Or On Cover.  Level 2 ~ 7-12 Books

0/12 Complete!

Wrap Up Post:  

13.  2016 What's In A Name Reading Challenge  Read Books With Specifications.

1/6 Complete!

Wrap Up Post:  

14.  2016 100+ Books Reading Challenge  Read 100+ Books

7/100 Complete!

Wrap Up Post:  

15.  2016 Charity Reading Challenge  Donate .25 Cents/Book Read to Charities of Choice (Ronald McDonald House and Saving Paws Animal Rescue).

7/100 Complete!

Wrap Up Post:  

16.  2016 Finishing The Series Reading Challenge  Finish A Series.  Novice Series Reader ~ 1 Series

0/1 Complete!

Wrap Up Post:  

17.  2016 Foodies Reading Challenge  Read Books With Food As Main Part.  Pastry Chef ~ 4-8 Books.

0/8 Complete!

Wrap Up Post:  

18.  2016 I Love Libraries Reading Challenge  Read Library Books.  Early Reader ~ 9 Books.

0/9 Complete!

Wrap Up Post:  

19.  2016 I Love Picture Books Reading Challenge  Read Children's Picture Books.  52 Books

0/52 Complete!

Wrap Up Post:  

20.  2016 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge  Read More Books Than In 2015.  (Read 28 In 2015)  Out Of Breath ~ 6-10 More Books.

0/10 Complete!

Wrap Up Post:  

21.  2016 The Series That Never Ends Reading Challenge  Read Books From A Series, Trying To Catch Up Some.  Surviving The Book Tsunami ~ 5-9 Books.

0/9 Complete!

Wrap Up Post:  

22.  2016 Shelf Love Reading Challenge  Read Books Off Shelf.  Pat Your Shelves On The Back ~ 11-20 Books.

7/20 Complete!

Wrap Up Post:  

23.  2016 Royal Reading Challenge  Read Royalty Books.  Knight Level ~ 1-3 Books.

0/3 Complete!

Wrap Up Post: 

24. 2016 TBR Pile Reading Challenge  Sweet Summer Fling ~ 31-40 Books off TBR Pile.

7/40 Complete!

Wrap Up Post: 

25.  2016 Challenge Challenge  Complete Challenges Signed Up For.  Level 4 ~ Coo Coo For Cocoa Puffs ~ Complete at least 15 Challenges.

1/15 Complete!

Wrap Up Post: 

26.  2016 Jan to April Triple Dog Dare  From Jan to April read ONLY books owned.

5/5 Complete!

Wrap Up Post: COMPLETED!

27.  2016 Spooks, Howls, and Fangs Reading Challenge  Read Paranormal Romance Books.  Shifter Cub Taking Risks In The Forest Level ~ 1-15 Books

0/15 Complete!

Wrap Up Post:  

28.  2016 Rock My TBR Reading Challenge  Read 2 books off TBR Shelf per month.  One Adult and One Young Adult.

6/24 Complete!

Wrap Up Post:  

29.  2016 Pages Read Challenge  Read 13,000 pages in 2016.

1403/13,000 Complete!

Wrap Up Post:  

30.  2016 You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge  Read 100 books in the year.

7/100 Complete! 

Wrap Up Post:  

31.  2016 eBook Reading Challenge  Read eBooks.  Bits Level ~ 5 eBooks.

0/5 Complete!

Wrap Up Post:  

32.  2016 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge  Initiate Level of reading 1-5 Witchy Books.

0/5 Complete!

Wrap Up Post:  

33.  2016 Women Reading Challenge  Girl Power Level of reading 6-15 books written by women authors.

6/15 Complete!

Wrap Up Post:  

34.  2016 Lady Detectives Reading Challenge  Jane Level: Read 4-6 books with a lady detective as main character.

0/6 Complete!

Wrap Up Post:  

35.  2016 Audiobook Challenge  Weekend Warrior Level: 5-10 Audiobooks.

0/10 Complete!

Wrap Up Post:  

36.  2016 New Narrator Reading Challenge  Listener Level: 3-4 Audiobooks by new to you narrators.

0/4 Complete!

Wrap Up Post:  

37.  2016 Southern Literature Reading Challenge  Level 3: Have a glass of sweet iced tea, honey.  5-6 Books with Southern Feel.  Example: Southern State.

0/6 Complete!

Wrap Up Post:  

38.  2016 Mocha Girls Reading Challenge  "Off Like a Rocket" Spell it out challenge.  Read a book with each needed letter or number.  MOCHA GIRLS 16

2/12 Complete!

Wrap Up Post:  

Perpetual:

1.  Stephanie Plum Reading Challenge  Read all the books in this series.

Wrap Up Post:  

2.  Tea Shop Mystery Book Series  Read all the books in this series.

Wrap Up Post:  

3.  Kelly Flynn Mystery Book Series  Read all the books in this series.

Wrap Up Post:  

4.  Hannah Swensen Mystery Book Series  Read all the books in this series.

Wrap Up Post:  

5.  Alex Cross Series  Read all the books in the series.

Wrap Up Post:  

6.  Fresh Baked Mystery Series  Read all the books in the series.

Wrap Up Post:  

7.  Goldy Bear Mystery Series  Read all the books in the series.

Wrap Up Post:  

8.  Lucy Stone Mystery Series  Read all the books in the series.

Wrap Up Post:  

9.  Black Dagger Brotherhood Series  Read all the books in the series.
Wrap Up Post:  

10.  Nightwalkers Series  Read all the books in the series.
Wrap Up Post:  

11.  Game Of Thrones Series  Read all the books in the series.
Wrap Up Post:  

Book Review: Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost!

Title:  Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost!
Author:  Cornelia Funke
Pages:  120
Publication Date:  2006
Version:  Paperback
Genre:  Young Adult Fiction/Paranormal Mystery

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"Nine-year-old Tom can't catch a break: He's a klutz, his sister Lola pretty much hates his guts, and--and this is a BIG "and"--he just found a ghost camping out in his cellar. Lucky for Tom his grandma's best friend just happens to be the world's foremost ghosthunter. Under her expert tutelage, Tom learns the tools of the trade--which just happen to include buckets of graveyard dirt--and soon finds he has to face down not just the Averagely Spooky Ghost (ASG) in his basement but the Incredibly Revolting Ghost (IRG) in town. All while keeping the nettlesome Lola off his trail.... "

My Review:
Tom is a nine year old boy who just happens to see a ghost in his family's cellar.  He, of course, is not believed by anyone in his family...except his Grandma that is.  Good thing she believes him, because she has a friend that is a Ghosthunter and is more than willing to help Tom confront his ghost and ask him to leave.  Soon they learn that this Cellar Ghost is not there because he wishes to be, but because he was kicked out of his normal home by another ghost, one that is mean and is hard to get rid of.  Soon Tom and his Grandma's friend are in the thick of an investigation and an undertaking that neither is sure they will be able to manage.  Can they really get rid of a big, mean, and just plain nasty ghost all on their own with just some ghosthunting supplies like graveyard dirt?

This was a quick, easy, yet very fun read for me.  I sat down and ended up reading this delightful book all in one day.  I found this to be such a fun read with so many funny things that happened in it too.  I loved the descriptions used in the writing of this book!  I felt like I was right in the thick of it with Tom.  The characters were fun too!  I loved how they really became so well developed in such a relatively short book/time.  This was a light little mystery read.  If you like a bit of mystery and love the thought of paranormal and ghosts this is very much the book for you!  I highly recommend this book for any reader, young or old.

5/5 Stars!!

TBR Triple Dog Dare Wrap Up Post

(Image from kotaku.com)

Yippy!  Despite less time to read I have finished my first reading challenge!  I have completed my TBR Triple Dog Dare Challenge.  Below is my original post along with review links for the books I read.

2016 TBR Triple Dog Dare Sign Up Post

It works like this….

For the first three months of 2016 read only the books that were already in your TBR stack as of midnight December 31, 2015.

As always, you can include books you’ve ordered but not received yet as well as books you have already placed on reserve at your local library.  You can also make exceptions for certain books that will be published early next year along with book club choices and ARCS as needed.  The TBR Dare has always been about having fun, so make whatever changes to the “rules” you need to to keep it fun.

If you just want to take The TBR Dare for a month, that’s fine, too.  The TBR Triple Dog Dare will run from January 1, 2015 to April 1, 2005. Technically, it’s not a shopping ban so you can still buy books–you just can’t read them until April 1.

To sign up, just leave a comment below.  I’ll add you to the list of who’s in as quickly as I can.

And please do help spread the word by posting on your own blog, Facebook, Twitter, and anywhere else you go on-line.  Feel free to use the “button” above and to link to this page.

This is it, my friends, the last one, so if you’ve thought about joining in in the past, but haven’t, take the leap….join the fun.

Be sure to check back here from time to time.  I’ll be posting updates throughout The TBR Triple Dog Dare to see how everyone is doing.

Remember, The TBR Triple Dog Dare is not a “reading challenge”; it’s a dare.  So if you’re someone who does not sign up for reading challenges you can still participate.

I triple dog dare you.

I know I don't have to necessarily keep track of books read for this dare, but I will anyway just to see how many I manage to read that are Dare Worthy.  ;-)

1.  Conflict Of Interest by Deborah Nolan

2.  Gilda Joyce Psychic Investigator by Jennifer Allison

3.  The Zombie Chasers by John Kloepfer

4.  But Not For Me by Mona Ingram

5.  Cold Hands, Warm Hearts by Jenny Jacobs