Six Cats A Slayin' by Miranda James

Six Cats A Slaying by Miranda James is one of the most thoughtful cozy mystery books I have ever read. The main character Charlie Harris is one of my most favorites and it is because of the care and attention that Miranda James has put into developing the most kind and decent man who is often missing from cozy mysteries. Diesel the cat, made me from book one want to bring a rescue cat into my own family. I have read every book in the Cat in the Stacks Mystery series and have come to love and adore the characters as if they were family of my own. Filled with southern charm and respect these cozy mystery stories are also fun to read and discover. In six cats a slaying, Miranda James tackles some truly great themes. Set around the holidays,  with all the struggles that brings anxiety  for most people, Charlie finds he is not exactly in the holiday spirit, yet his perseverance and calm serve him well. Uninvited holiday guests, ( 5 furry kittens), a family crisis, a pushy neighbor, a friend in a tough spot and the holidays fast approaching are just some of the things Charlie is juggling this year.  Miranda James touches on a family subject that is very close to my heart and I encourage you to pick up this book and series, to get to know Charlie and the wonderful people in Athena.  This one is out October 23 from Berkley Prime and a most excellent read.

Charlie Harris and his Maine Coon cat, Diesel, are busy decking the halls for the holidays when an unexpected delivery and a shocking murder conspire to shake up the season in this all new installment of the New York Times bestselling series.December twenty-fifth is right around the corner, and Charlie is making his list and checking it twice. He is doing his best to show some peace and goodwill toward his nosy neighbor Gerry Arbitron, a real estate agent who seems to have designs on his house (and maybe on him, as well), while preparing for a very important role, indeed--his first Christmas as a grandfather. The last thing Charlie expects is to gain several new additions to his family. Charlie finds a box on his doorstep with five kittens inside and a note begging him to keep them safe. With Diesel's help, Charlie welcomes the tiny felines into the Harris household just as Gerry decides it is time to throw a lavish holiday party. Determined to make her mark on Athena, Gerry instead winds up dead at her very own party. Though attempts to dig into her past come up empty, Charlie and his girlfriend, Helen Louise, witness two heated exchanges involving Gerry before her death: one with a leading citizen and another with the wife of a good friend. Will one of these ladies wind up on the sheriff's naughty list? Charlie and Diesel have to wrap up the case before the special season is ruined by a sinister scrooge.

My own rescue cat Squirrel...

You can find Six Cats a Slayin' on Amazon by clicking here. 

Thank you for joining me here for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com 

On My Table and In My Cup February 3rd-10th

Greetings of peace from my table here on the West Coast of Canada, my salute to the Olympics with my morning tea. I watched the opening ceremonies last night and was very impressed. I cannot help but feel pride and excitement as I look upon the faces of each and every athlete that entered the stadium and think of all that must first happen to get them to that moment. I find it moving to see. I prefer the Winter Olympic sports to watch and cannot wait to see what happens next.

Upon my table this week Hummus and Homicide by Tana Kashian. Just started this one.

I will be sharing my review for Rhys Bowen's The Tuscan Child tomorrow. I could not put this down and I have one heck of a book hangover from this one.
Outstanding read.

Also a great read was Clairvoyant and Present Danger by Lena Gregory. I found this my most favorite of the series and the characters are so great in this one. I hope that there will be a book 4!

Miranda James Claws for Concern was one of those reads that you just have a special place in your heart for. This series has surpassed my expectations and this one was incredibly well written, with so much heart and a great mystery too!

Pawprints & Predicaments by Bethany Blake was a lovely cozy read and one that I know you will read. A great post Christmas based mystery story with lots of great animals and friends too!

Rescue cups on my table this week were a guilty pleasure for me this week, this one was a $3.99 rescue.

This Paragon rescue is a lovely light blue and it has the biggest flowers on it, I love the look and feel of it, right down to the delicate handle. This one was a bit more at $14.99 but I fell in love with it.

This $4 rescue has quite a good story which I will share next week...
In my cup this week I have had Murchie's new Sweet Heart blend of black and green tea, with fruit and delicate spices. A lovely light holiday tea. I have also been enjoying the Plumb Deluxe Readers Nook Tea, A Laura Secord Green tea, A Orange, Honeybush tea from Twinings Honeybush & Mandarin Orange tea,   and A Celestial Seasonings Chamomile & Lavender tea. I have of course started most of my days off with the Murchies Black Vanilla that is my long standing favorite!
Thank you for taking time today to join me for a cup of tea and a look back at what has been on my table and in my cup this week. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Claws for Concern by Miranda James...

What an honor to have read the ARC of Miranda James Claws for Concern. This is one of my favorite all time series and as many of you may know my own cat adoptions were because of this book series and how Miranda James helps the reader fall in love with Diesel! In Claws for Concern I was drawn in right away and the mysteries were so intriguing, and almost all consuming. I could not wait to get back to the book when I had to put it down. I found myself at one point trying to draw vendigarms to try to figure out who the killer was and find the connection. This book was better than I could have imagined and I loved the big reveal. It was outstanding, start to finish. If you ever need a series to binge read start with book one and you will never be disappointed, each book gets better and better and feels like you are with friends. Southern Charm, A strong and wonderful Male character, perfect companion and a setting and with heart that will have you wishing you too lived in the South. This one is a Berkeley Mystery and it is out February 20th.

Charlie Harris and his Maine Coon cat, Diesel, are embroiled in a new mystery when a cold case suddenly heats up in the latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series.Charlie Harris is busy enjoying his new grandson when a mysterious man with a connection to Charlie's family starts visiting the library, bringing with him troubling questions about an unsolved murder...Charlie may be a proud new grandfather, but he and Diesel still have work to do at Athena College and the small Mississippi town's public library. He's too busy to deal with true-crime writer Jack Pemberton, who wants Charlie as the subject of his latest book--and who won't take no for an answer.  A more appealing proposition for Charlie is spending time helping a kind, elderly man navigate the library's genealogical database. But he's shocked when he learns that the visitor's search is focused on a member of his own family: his late aunt's husband.Charlie befriends the man and considers inviting him to stay in his home, but he's soon given reason to question that notion. Jack is certain that Charlie's new houseguest was involved in a shocking homicide that took place years ago in a small town near Athena. As this cold case heats up, Charlie and Diesel have to uncover a killer who may already be too close to home...

You can find Claws for Concern by Miranda James on Amazon by clicking here. 
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery review I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Twelve Angry Librarians is now out in paperback!

Today I am writing about one of my most treasured series, that is The Cat in the Stacks Mystery series written by Miranda James. Twelve Angry Librarians has just come out in paperback from Berkley Crime.  This cozy mystery series stands out to me so much because of the main character Charlie Harris and his Main Coon Sidekick Diesel. I have read many cozy mysteries and series but this one stands out to me most because of the perspective of the main character and how author Miranda James is able to show enormous empathy and capacity for a male main character in a cozy setting. Charlie is written with great sophistication, grit and sincerity. He feels like he could be your friend, father, neighbor or coworker. There is a great respect and endearment that Miranda James encorperates in Charlie  and an undeniable bond between man and cat with Diesel.  It is really easy to relate to Charlie, to Diesel and to all of the characters I have become attached too over the many books in this series. This is one of the best binge worthy cozy mystery series ever written.

For me this series had a profound and deep effect on me. After reading the first three books, we rescued a cat of our own, or I should say our cat Squirrel rescued us. It was all the things Miranda James did in writing the character of Diesel that convinced us it was time to bring a cat home to our own family. We adopted her as a two year old rescue and she is one of the most wonderful things that ever happened to our family.

Squirrel has also become a trusted reading companion and she has joined me through reading so many of Miranda James books. It is as if she knows the special bond between reader and cat and the Cat in the Stacks Mystery series. 

We have now had our second rescue cat Mia, for two years and she as well is a fan of the series. She I think has more of Diesel's coloring! If you are a cat lover this is a series for you. If you are looking for a series with a great setting, a  main character that exceeds stereotypical cozy mystery standards then this is the series you have been waiting for. Twelve Angry Librarians is book 8 in the series and is now out in paperback. You can find it on Amazon by clicking here. 
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a look at a favorite cozy mystery series. It is my hope that you will find it as endearing as I have.
I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Miranda James Fixing To Die

Miranda James  writes some fantastic characters in A Southern Ladies Mystery, the two main characters are a pair of sisters who are North of 30, closer to 80 and they prove that life, mystery and the pursuit of  a purposeful life are not only possible but a very classy way to spend your twilight years.  It is very easy to picture the Ducote Sisters, who are very different from each other but a perfect balance. Not having had children these sisters are far from spinsters but have a wonderful heart having taking in a 19 year old "ward" something from the beginning of the series that has blossomed beautifully by this fourth book. Beautiful animal companions in this series and a fun story in a "historical haunted house", this however is far from a paranormal book.  Rich in history and character this is a series I am enjoying watching it grow.

The New York Times bestselling author of the Cat in the Stacks Mysteries and Digging Up the Dirt returns with the latest Southern Ladies Mystery...It’s autumn down south, and An'gel and Dickce Ducote are in Natchez, Mississippi, at the request of Mary Turner Catlin, the granddaughter of an old friend. Mary and her husband, Henry Howard, live in Cliffwood, one of the beautiful antebellum homes for which Natchez is famous. Odd things have been happening in the house for years, and the French Room in particular has become the focal point for spooky sensations. The Ducotes suspect the ghostly goings-on are caused by the living, but when a relative of the Catlins is found dead in the room, An'gel and Dickce must sift through a haunted family history to catch a killer.

Find Miranda James Fixing to Die on Amazon by clicking here. 
Thank you for joining me here for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery review I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

On My Table and In My Cup September 23rd-30th

Welcome back to the weekend, I hope you are getting some much needed rest and reading this weekend. Speaking of reading, I am reading through Delia James Familiar Motives right now and was so pleased to find on the first page a quote I wrote about By Familiar Means, I am so excited to find in print the quote I gave about a book and a series I really enjoy!

Familiar Means is proving to be quite good also! I am very excited to be reading this one right now!

A great many books have passed over my table this week, Fixing to Die by Miranda James, A Southern Ladies Mystery made for an excellent read this week!

Double surprises this week in the book department, I feel very much blessed! Karen K you spoil me and Random House, Thank you!

Also a very lovely surprise from a lovely Facebook Friend! I am so thrilled to have this Christmas Ornament on my table! It says "It's always Tea Time!" and I am so touched by this lovely surprise and beautiful penmanship of the sender, my friend Cherry Trimble.

I reviewed Canal Days Calamity this week a true dog lovers delight,

Laughed my way through Ring In The Year with Murder, this is one of the funniest books I have ever read, a cozy that left me with a smile and one I can not wait for you to read.

I powered through A Room with A Brew, by Joyce Tremel, this one is out on Tuesday and I am hosting the release party on Tuesday!

I hope to see you there! Simply click over to the Beyond The Bookmarks Event page on Facebook, click discussion and join in the fun!

I also had reviews up on Murder on the Toy Town Express, a toy lover like me, was overjoyed to find this series!

Death on Tap by Ellie Alexander was truly special and one of the books I think should be up for first in series this year. One of the best I have ever read and one I am looking forward to seeing continue!

A week ago Friday I shared this lovely teacup I found on Etsy and I am so thrilled to report that it is now at my house and ready for my table this holiday season, it arrived and it is stunning!

Thank you so much for joining me for a cup of tea and a week in review, it has been a very busy one and one I am so thankful to have you join me here. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

On My Table and In My Cup January 28th- February 4th

As I write this weeks week in review I am watching the snowflakes continue to fall. The way they fall is not exactly romantic nor is it delicate, they are coming down hard and sticking as if to taunt us. The largely wet west coast is not used to this, nor am I. We do not enjoy this type of weather at the best of times and as it is falling steady and unending I can only hope the rain starts soon. Snow like this is unusual and we are almost always unprepared. Though this time we have salt, shovels and the clothes necessary, I have been unable to muster the childlike excitement I used to have on those very rare occasions of snow. In protest of the falling snow I put Clover Tate's new series with its very spring like cover on my table with a very pretty pink tea cup. This is the book I am reading today.

Just finished Fran Stewart's A Wee Homicide in the Hotel looking forward to sharing this review with you tomorrow.

I loved all the pet themed cozies I read this week and could really use a vacation at the Wagtail Inn, Krista Davis Paws & Claws series had me so excited this week and I hope you will enjoy this February release as well.

My cat Mia fittingly joined my morning tea photo this week with Miranda James Twelve Angry Librarians. This is a fantastic series about a very smart man and his main coon cat. I have truly enjoyed each book in this series, this one is out February 21st.

In addition to the package of books that arrived I was lucky to also have a care package from a dear friend arrive, the bird is a stunning statue and all the goodies were so delightful and a surprise. I also got a lovely notebook with a lighthouse on the front, just waiting for me to put some ideas down in.

This has been a busy week and the return of the snow will have us all slowing down a bit. I hope you find some time to read and stay warm this weekend.
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Twelve Angry Librarians by Miranda James

What an amazing honor it was to binge read Miranda James' Twelve Angry Librarians last night. Waiting on the arrival of this one with baited breath, officially is releases on February 21st . It seems that Charlie and Diesel can not seem to keep there noses out of trouble! Boy do I love it. This was a really interesting mystery. I feel so many emotions when I read anything by Miranda James, by page 12 I was already in tears, a few chapters later filled with rage, anxiety gripped a few more chapters and then blessed with that perfectly timed mystery unravel and happy ending. Miranda James has long been a favorite author of mine and this beautifully written book is one to cherish.

Charlie is stressed out. The Southern Academic Libraries Association is holding this year’s annual meeting at Athena College. Since Charlie is the interim library director, he must deliver the welcome speech to all the visiting librarians. And as if that weren’t bad enough, the keynote address will be delivered by Charlie’s old nemesis from library school. It’s been thirty years since Charlie has seen Gavin Fong, and he’s still an insufferable know-it-all capable of getting under everyone’s skin. In his keynote, Gavin puts forth a most unpopular opinion: that degreed librarians will be obsolete in the academic libraries of the future. So when Gavin drops dead, no one seems too upset... But Charlie, who was seen having a heated argument with Gavin the day before, has jumped to the top of the suspect list. Now Charlie and Diesel must check out every clue to refine their search for the real killer among them before the next book Charlie reads comes from a prison library...

Click here to order your own copy of Twelve Angry Librarians by Miranda James on Amazon.
Learn more about this amazing series by clicking here.

Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Digging Up The Dirt By Miranda James

Miranda James has the third book in the Southern Ladies Mystery Series coming out September 6th and it is my favorite of the entire series. I love that the main characters in this book are in their 80's. That these characters are so full of life and so relevant, active and important members of their community. The story behind the mystery in Digging Up the Dirt is exceptionally well written. I was easily transported to Athena, feeling like I was a guest in the Ducote sister's home as well as an active member of the Garden Club. I was very happy with the story line of their ward Benji as well as the mention of our good friends Charlie Harris and Diesel from James' Cat in the Stacks Mystery series. I hung on every southern word and heard that wonderful southern drawl come through as I read. I very much hope that the characters that are introduced in Digging Up the Dirt make appearances in up coming mysteries in book 4. I think this series really speaks to the need of characters of all ages and the Ducote Sisters are proving that main characters of older ages are viable, fun and much needed.

An’gel and Dickce Ducote, busy with plans for the Athena Garden Club’s spring tour of grand old homes, are having trouble getting the other club members to help. The rest of the group is all a-flutter now that dashing and still-eligible Hadley Partridge is back to restore his family mansion. But the idle chatter soon turns deadly serious when a body turns up on the Partridge estate after a storm... The remains might belong to Hadley’s long-lost sister-in-law, Callie, who everyone thought ran off with Hadley years ago. And if it’s not Callie, who could it be? As the Ducotes begin uncovering secrets, they discover that more than one person in Athena would kill to be Mrs. Partridge. Now An’gel and Dickce will need to get their hands dirty if they hope to reveal a killer’s deep-buried motives before someone else’s name is mud...

A Southern Ladies Mystery by Miranda James has fast become a favorite of mine. I hope you will give them a try! To find out more about Miranda James and this series please click here. 
To order your own copy from Amazon please click here.
The Book Depository please click here.
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy review I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

On My Table And In My Cup August 20th-27th

Saturday and what a week it has been, I have actually been home now since Monday, what a great time I had! I love to go away but there is something about being home I think is fantastic and that I truly miss. My cat Squirrel seems to be the most put out by my leaving, though I hope she has mostly forgiven me now. We were in the State of Oregon, my husband and I. It was a great get away.  We left the boys and the cats at home and headed for the eclectic and fun bookstores, fresh air of the Pacific North West and even got to fulfill a life long dream of visiting and being inside a lighthouse.

 A dream trip for sure and only about 6 hours from my home. Quite a delight for sure. I also had the great fortune to visit the Stash Tea Store and now I am wishing I bought way more then I did. I can order on line but the shipping will kill me! The Portland loose leaf Stash Blend was way beyond my expectations and perfectly reflects the state. You can taste the culture and the communities, the quirkiness and the sweetness of great outdoors in each sip. Click here to see how you can order your own from the Stash Tea Website.

Monday we arrived home and waiting for me was Jessica Estevao's Whispers Beyond The Veil.  I am looking forward to reading this one.

Also waiting for me when I got home but on my Kindle App was Warren Adler's cozy mystery Flanagan's Dolls. This book is out now and as a Doll lover this book appeals to me.

Tuesday's mail brought some lovely treasures from my friend Lisa! I love the napkins and watching my TBR pile grow!

Wednesday the mail man dropped off 8 more lovelies to my pile. Not hard to dive into this bunch. I am so excited to read some familiar series and some that are totally new to me. So hard to know where to start! Great problem to have!

Thursday brought me my friend Lisa's suggestion of Susan Bernhardt's The Ginseng Conspiracy! Good friends, tea, pastries and set at Halloween this one looks really good! I hear it is also out in paperback now too!
Friday no mail came but that is just as well. I have a very full and thankful table at the moment. Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy week in review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com