3.25.11 Sundays In Bed With...

Sorry this is so late, but allergies kept me in bed with... Sleep!  But with no further ado, I'm spending this Sunday In Bed With...

Cozy Mysteries!

Okay, bear with me while I gush a little.  Friday was a very busy, hectic day for me, but I was determined to go to my first ever author signing, so I met up with Kim from On The Wings of Books at the Short Pump Barnes and Noble to meet Ellery Adams and Lorraine Bartlett/Lorna Barrett/LL Bartlett.  Ellery Adams is also one half of Lucy Arlington (the other author that makes up Lucy Arlington lives in Bermuda), whose first book is Buried in a Book.

Lorna Barrett is on the left, and I was excited to pick up the first in her new series A Crafty Killing, as well as the second book in the Booktown series, Bookmarked for Death.  It turns out Lorna is writing powerhouse- she writes more on vacations then most people write in a lifetime.  In addition to the 3 known aliases she writes under, there's a 4th mystery one she won't, and probably can't, reveal.  Which is kind of cool for a mystery author.  

Ellery Adams is on the right, and she was so amazing and funny.  Kim and I were pretty nervous, but she completely set us at ease, and it was fun hearing her talk about fellow authors that have been to the Virginia Festival of the Book (sadly, it was too late for Kim and I to attend, but we are so on board next year). I picked up The Last Word, which is the 3rd book in her Books by the Bay series, and picked up Buried in a Book that she helped co-author.  We'd actually read her book A Killer Plot for book club last year, so I can't wait to tell the other book club members this upcoming weekend about the book signing.

I'm so glad I went to this book signing!  I'm also really glad it was authors that I've actually already read and enjoyed.  I feel so much more relaxed about going to BEA and meeting authors there, since Lorraine and Ellery were so... normal.  Well, normal by book lover's standards. I don't know what I was expecting, but it was definitely better that I could have imagined.  Plus we got swag bags full of cool book marks, buttons, and more.  My cat Riley particularly liked the ribbon on some of the plastic bags....

Speaking of Riley, he's gone all Career Tribute on me, and this is what he's spending his Sundays In Bed With:

Should I be worried?  

So what book's in your bed this Sunday?  

Comment below, or link to your own Sundays In Bed With post! 

Murder is Binding

Murder is Binding
by Lorna Barrett
From Goodreads:

When she moved to Stoneham, city slicker Tricia Miles met nothing but friendly faces. And when she opened her mystery bookstore, she met friendly competition. But when she finds Doris Gleason dead in her own cookbook store, killed by a carving knife, the atmosphere seems more cutthroat than cordial. Someone wanted to get their hands on the rare cookbook that Doris had recently purchased-and the locals think that someone is Tricia. To clear her name, Tricia will have to take a page out of one of her own mysteries-and hunt down someone who isn't killing by the book.

 My Thoughts: First off, I want to live and work in Stoneham.  I love the concept of a whole street full of specialty book stores, it makes for an interesting setting, and let's face it, an ideal town for book lovers which are the majority of the reading audience.  In a weird way I actually liked the sister of the main character better than the mc.  Actually, the secondary characters were wonderfully quirky and interesting, but Tricia's okay too.  I also like that the secondary characters actually support Tricia going all Nancy Drew on the murder mystery, it's a nice touch, and better than the "No, leave it to the police!".  I know my friends would help lead me, rather than letting rational, logical thinking interfere.  I do want to continue with the series, but I'm not in a huge rush.  Just a great cozy for lovers of mysteries or cozies.

Murder is Binding gets a Midnight Book Rating of: