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Title: Cherry Cheesecake Murder
Author: Joanne Fluke
Number of Pages: 352
Genre: Mystery
Book Number/Goal: 72/75 in 2009

Review: A-typically, I did not figure this one out before the big reveal. It *might* have had something to do with the fact that I was highly distracted by cherry cheesecake though. I'm craving cheesecake SO MUCH right now.

I was very happy to have this book available immediately following the last one because of the character-cliffy. I don't think I could have waited very patiently to find out what happened. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait AND I was happy with the resolution.

The mystery itself was a bit different from her norm. We actually get to read the murder scene in the prologue and then start two-weeks prior to it in Chapter One and catch up to the murder about 1/2 way (a little more) through the book. It was a different approach than her other books, but I think it worked out OK.

Title: Fudge Cupcake Murder (Hannah Swensen #5)
Author: Joanne Fluke
Number of Pages: 304
Genre: Mystery
Book Number/Goal: 69/75 in 2009

Review: Forget the mystery (though it was a very good read) I can't wait to try out the recipes in this book, namely the fudge icing and the raspberry chocolate cupcakes! Yumm.

Title: Sugar Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen #6)
Author: Joanne Fluke
Number of Pages: 380 (200 for the mystery, 174 for the cook book)
Genre: Mystery
Book Number/Goal: 70/75 in 2009

Review: This is by far the shortest of the mysteries thus far, which was quite surprising since the book was so thick. It was a pleasant surprise to discover that half of the book is a mystery, and the other half of the book is the Lake Eden Holliday Buffet Cookbook that has been a major plot point for the last couple of books. Even thought the mystery was on the shorter side, I thought it was well done and I'm looking forward to starting the next book in the series. The recipes look really good too, and I fully intend to try a lot of them out. I just love small-town home-cookin’.

It looks like I have a lot of catching up to do. I've done lots of reading, not so much reviewing...


Title: The Scarpetta Factor (Scarpetta Series #17)
Author: Patricia Cornwell
Number of Pages: 512
Genre: Mystery/Forensic Thriller
Book Number/Goal: 59/75 in 2009

Review: Not the best one of the series, but certainly not one of the worst. It was an enjoyable read. It was nice to get another installment into the character's lives. The plot was definitely secondary, in my opinion. I just wonder how long I'll have to wait for another one.

( ***SPOILERS*** )


Title: The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen Series #1)
Author: Joanne Fluke
Number of Pages: 304
Genre: Mystery
Book Number/Goal: 58/75 in 2009

Review: I'm definitely hooked on this series. Hannah is an extremely likable main character, as are the supporting characters. She's sweet, she's smart, and she seems very "real".

I wasn't sure how convoluted this mystery was going to be (though I should have guessed not very based on the genre) so I couldn't quite figure out whodunnit. I was hoping throughout the whole book that it wasn't X, Y, or Z because I just liked them too much.

In addition to just being a fun and entertaining read, you really can't go wrong with a book that has cookie recipes included every few chapters!

Title: Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera Book One)
Author: Jim Butcher
Number of Pages: 512
Genre: Fantasy
Book Number/Goal: 57/75 in 2009

Review: FANTASTIC!!! Epic-fantasy done so very right.

I absolutely LOVED this book. I literally couldn't read it fast enough. It's like LOTR on speed. It's simply amazing. Butcher is a fantastic writer, and it really comes through right out of the gate. I can't wait to read the rest of the series. I wouldn't normally pick up a fantasy novel, but I decided to give it a try since I'm such a fan of Butcher's Dresden Files series. While nothing like DF, I'm so glad I gave it a chance!

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (Wimpy Kid Series #4)
Author: Jeff Kinney
Number of Pages: 224
Genre: Fiction/Humor
Book Number/Goal: 56/75 in 2009

Review: Another good installment of the Wimpy Kid series. The original is still my favorite, but this was an enjoyable read.