"Through the Grinder"

The second book in the Coffeehouse mystery series by Coyle was just as entertaining as the first. This time the plot centered around dating and the trouble that Clare had to deal with. She of course found a guy at the Cappuccino Connection that is hosted in her coffee shop. However, the women this man was dating had been turning up dead. Clare of course does her own investigating to clear his name. There is a great twist at the end. Just like On What Grounds there is wonderful talk about coffee. There is one recipe I will for sure be testing in the near future. Coffee marinated steaks!! I am very excited. I think I have to pull out my old cappuccino maker so I can make the espresso for it. Then there are also tips for storing, grinding and brewing coffee. Coyle continues the story line between Clare and Detective Quinn. Now his marital life is starting to take a turn for the worse. So there is that possibility of romance and then there is the continuous relationship (not sexual) of Clare and her ex, Matteo. I believe I have a small crush on both of the men. It'll be interesting to see how the relationships develop.

"Gone With the Wind"

My mom was recently going through old boxes of papers to burn and found her old copy of Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. It is a 1961 paperback 4th printing of the original Macmillan 1936 printing. I was very excited when I came home from work and saw this book sitting on the table. I have been wanting to get a used copy so it would be waiting on a shelf for me. This copy has a movie cover. The cover advertises to "see David O. Selznick's stirring production of this immortal story of the Old South in Technicolor...starring Clark Gable & Vivian Leigh." I've actually never sat through the entire movie; only seen parts. Of course I've seen the end. But I am very excited to know that my mom owns this book. Now to slyly place it on my shelf without her realizing my intentions of keeping the book!

"On What Grounds"

I recently found a mystery series that I love! Usually it is harder for me to get into a good mystery. But after reading Cleo Coyle's On What Grounds I was hooked. Of course it didn't hurt that the mystery is based in a coffee shop and the protagonist (Clare) is the manager who talks about coffee all the time. You learn how to properly brew a cup of coffee; how beans/grounds should be stored; proper mixing of syrups and milk. The story line was also good though. Coyle keeps the reader wondering and trying to figure out who the murderer is. Clare is a woman who has decided to start the next stage in her life. She is 40 (if I'm remembering right), divorced and has a daughter who is starting culinary school. Consequently she has decided to accept the position of manager of the Village Blend; a coffee shop she used to work at and where she met her ex-husband. There are some fun twists in the short book. Of course I am addicted to the talk of coffee and must try some of the recipes at the end of the book. Especially the Cappuccino Walnut Cheesecake.

On to the next in the series and more coffee talk!

"Lake Wobegon Days"

For my first audio book I chose Lake Wobegon Days by Garrison Keillor. I had initially begun reading this book; but when I was searching for an audio book I saw this one and knew I had to listen to it. Keillor narrates it and his voice is so mellow and calming that it made my drives to work and back bearable. His descriptions of his home town are very memorable. It is like you are walking down the streets and know the people and buildings. He also throws in the long vowels and little words that are 'Minnesotan'. Of course I am not from a small town. I like to call my home town a suburb of a suburb. It is however small enough to know who lives in what house. Unfortunately as years go by I am starting to forget and people are of course moving on as they do. Keillor's writing really takes you down memory lane. There are the seasons and holidays to go with the seasons. Then the religious aspect of a small town. Then of course the 'everybody knows everybody' aspect.

I have never listened to any of Keillor's radio shows. But I have heard many good things about his shows and books. This was a very good book to choose for my first audio book.

Need more time...

This summer has gone by pretty fast. I unfortunately did not read as many books as planned. I hope everyone is able to keep up with what they've been reading. I kept forgetting to check out books on tape for my drives to work. This week there's no excuse - I will be checking out a couple. I know The Help is one of them and who knows what else I'll find. I am still reading Cannery Row by Steinbeck. I'm half way through. It was my read-on-lunch book but I'll have to just finish it at home so I know what happens.