Reading right now:

            “Foreign Eclairs” by Julie Hyzy. I’ve enjoyed this series since its inception in 2008 with “State of the Onion” and the latest addition to the series is no exception. Working in the White House has proved hazardous over the years for executive chef Ollie Paras, but this time around Ollie faces a personal attack from the terrorist she helped put away a few years before. Hyzy recently announced in her blog that she would no longer be writing the White House chef series so “Foreign Eclairs” will probably be the last book in the series written by Hyzy. I will really miss the series since I always watch for a new book to come out each year and enjoy the unusual story and characters.

On hold right now:

            “The Dirt on Ninth Grave” by Darynda Jones. “Foreign Eclairs” is the ninth book in Hyzy’s White House chef series, and “The Dirt on Ninth Grave” shares that same spot in Jones’ Charley Davidson Grim Reaper series. In this latest installment in what is a paranormal fantasy with mystery overtones, Charley is suffering from amnesia and must relearn what her place is in the universe. This sexy, fascinating series is a great read with many twists and turns.

Other mysterious things:

            There are many good authors writing only in paperback. While their writing may not have reached a large enough audience to push them into hardback, they are writing fun and fascinating books that you may not want to miss. Recently released was Ellie Alexander’s “On Thin Icing” which is book three in her bakeshop mystery series. “Give Up the Ghost” by Juliet Blackwell came out in December. Blackwell is one of my favorite fantasy mystery writers and this is book six in the Haunted Home Renovation series.  Leslie Budewitz’s “Guilty as Cinnamon” is the second book in the Spice Shop mystery series. J.J. Cook is another one of the writer’s in paperback that I really love, her book “Fat Tuesday Fricassee” which is the third book in the Biscuit Bowl Food Truck series, and “Sweet Pepper Hero,” the forth book in the Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade series, both came out recently. Another great mystery series with a ghost is E. J. Copperman’s Haunted Guest House series. His seventh book in that series just came out and is called “Ghost in the Wind.” The fantastic fantasy mystery author Victoria Laurie’s 10^th book in the Ghost Hunter mystery series came out in January (“A Ghoul’s Guide to Love and Murder”). December and January are proving great months for me since many of my favorite authors have new books out.