In a Witch's Wardrobe by Juliet Blackwell

I'm really not much of a mystery person, but I've enjoyed these. The main character is a witch who owns a vintage clothing shop in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. The mystery always involves something supernatural, with ghosts and curses and secret societies. This one centers on a murder and a half-one woman's body is in a coma, while her spirit is trapped in a mirror. I also enjoy the character development across the books, as we see Lily slowly trusting people after coming from a less than supportive Texan upbringing. And Oscar, her potbellied pig/half-gargoyle/half-goblin is too stinkin' cute! All in all, this book was a fun weekend read.

322 pages

"Lost Cat: A True Story of Love, Desperation and GPS Technology" by Caroline Paul, illustrated by Wendy MacNaughton

This very cute true story covers the adventures of Tibby, a cat who wonders off for five weeks, worrying her human, Caroline Paul, who is recovering from injuries sustained in a plane crash.  She and her girlfriend, illustrator MacNaughton, post fliers and comb the neighborhood but cannot locate him.  However, he wanders back home one day fatter and sleeker than when he left.  He also won't eat his usual food, so Paul knows he was being fed somewhere.  She tries two tech devices to track his gallivanting when he leaves again:  a tiny camera attached to his collar and then a GPS device.  Will one of them give her a clue about where he goes and who feeds him?

I really liked this book for several reasons:  amusing writing, wonderful watercolors of the cats (Tibby has a twin sister, Fibby), and an entertaining adventure.  Read more about Tibby and his adventures here.  Highly recommended for cat lovers!  176 pages.

"Time and Tide" by E.M. Lindsey

This lovely story starts in 1897 when William Owens returns to Maryland after graduating from Oxford to find himself engaged to a woman he's never met.  His overbearing mother has arranged it, and he doesn't have the courage to say no.  However, he soon meets a blind, French writer, Theodore Renard, who changes Will's life in drastic ways.  But with a pregnant and miserable wife and a job he hates, Will must stand up to his mother and be his true self in order to be happy. 

This is the first book that I have read by this author and found it to flow very well with two very strong and empathetic main characters.  I can't explain more about the story without giving away major plot points, but I'll just say that I really liked the writing and the characters of Theo and Will.  203 pages (Kindle edition).

14th Deadly Sin by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

(Posted for Paul Mathews) 

Women’s Murder Club investigator on one case comes across another.

Audio: 7 hrs. 20 min.

Print:  349 pages

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Summary: "Budding costume designer Lola lives an extraordinary life in San Francisco with her two dads and beloved dog, dating a punk rocker, but when the Bell twins return to the house next door, Lola recalls both the friendship-ending fight with Calliope, a figure skater, and the childhood crush she had on cricket."

The sweetest surprise of this book is the reappearance of 2 favorite characters from Anna and the French Kiss! I love that Stephanie Perkins is connecting her lovely characters in a cute, easy fashion. It's nice to have familiar faces in an unfamiliar setting. This book moves even faster than Anna, but it's even more heartwarming in its tale of the triumph of first loves. It's so sweet and fluffy, it might give you a tooth-ache. 

338 pages

A Cookbook Conspiracy by Kate Carlisle

A cozy mystery, in the Bibliophile series, featuring Brooklyn Wainwright as a bookbinder and foodie who happens to keep getting involved in solving murders.  This time the story revolves around an old cookbook and a group of diva chefs, one of whom is Brooklyn's sister. One of the chefs, the bad boy of the group, is killed on the opening night for his new restaurant. Brooklyn's sister, Savannah (yes, the siblings are all named after cities), is found with the bloody murder weapon in her hand. The plot has a few interesting twists but Brooklyn does way too much gushing about her divinely sweet and handsome boyfriend and how she doesn't deserve him.  A few recipes are included at the end.  305 p.