Tag Archives: Kate Carlisle

Book Review – Deck the Hallways

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Deck the Hallways book coverDeck the Hallways by Kate Carlisle

The whole town of Lighthouse Cove has turned out to turn an old Victorian mansion into apartments for homeless families. Shannon Hammer, contractor extraordinaire, is leading the rehab and her volunteers include friends, a whole brigade of Santa Clauses, and even her father, Jack, who’s supposed to be retired. But the festive mood is dimmed when a dead body shows up at the work site killed with one of Jack’s tools. Shannon must find the culprit before her father spends Christmas in jail. Kate Carlisle’s stories are filled with quirky characters and interesting storylines. Deck the Hallways is a fun mystery that will help you get in the holiday spirit!

15 Literary Heroines That I Wish Were Real

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Sadly, this list was harder to compile than the male counterpart. Not in any particular order.
Add yours in the comments!

15 Literary Heroines (from books I’ve read) That I Wish Were Real
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 1. Elizabeth Bennet
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde 2. Thursday Next
Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling 3. Hermione Granger
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis 4. Lucy Pevensie
Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson 5. Leslie Burke
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Kristy's Great Idea by Ann M. Martin 6. Kristy Thomas
The Babysitters’ Club series by Ann M. Martin
A Rather Lovely Inheritance by C.A. Belmond 7. Penny Nichols
Rather series by C.A. Belmond
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 8. Cather Avery
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares 9. Tibby Rollins
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares
The Thousand Dollar Tan Line 10. Veronica Mars
The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham
Homicide in Hardcover by Kate Carlisle 11. Brooklyn Wainwright
Bibliophile Mystery series by Kate Carlisle
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling 12. Luna Lovegood
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Persuasion by Jane Austen 13. Anne Elliot
Persuasion by Jane Austen
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith 14. Cassandra Mortmain
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams 15. Trillian aka Tricia McMillan
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

15 Literary Guys That I Wish Were Real

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Not in any particular order.
Add yours in the comments!

15 Literary Guys (from books I’ve read) That I Wish Were Real
Persuasion by Jane Austen 1. Captain Frederick Wentworth
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Homicide in Hardcover by Kate Carlisle 2. Derek Stone
Bibliophile Mystery Series by Kate Carlisle
The Mysterious Affair at Styles 3. Hercule Poirot
Poirot Mysteries by Agatha Christie
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins 4. Étienne St. Clair
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Vision in White by Nora Roberts 5. Carter Maguire
Vision in White by Nora Roberts
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 6. Augustus Waters
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan 7. Percy Jackson
Percy Jackson & the Olympians series &
The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 8. Sirius Black
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman 9. Will Parry
His Dark Material series by Philip Pullman
The Start of Me and You 10. Max Watson
The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord
A Rather Lovely Inheritance by C.A. Belmond 11. Jeremy Laidley
Rather series by C.A. Belmond
Emma by Jane Austen 12. George Knightley
Emma by Jane Austen
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett 13. Dickon Sowerby
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle by Hugh Lofting 14. Dr. John Dolittle
The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
Stardust by Neil Gaiman 15. Tristran Thorn
Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Book Review – Ripped from the Pages

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Ripped from the Pages book coverRipped from the Pages by Kate Carlisle

Kate Carlisle is one of my favorite authors. She really knows how to create a good, casual mystery. Brooklyn Wainwright, bookbinder extraordinaire and unfortunate dead body magnet, is back for another murder mystery this time in her hometown of Dharma. When the family winery begins an excavation of one of their storage caves, no one expects to find a 70-year-old dead body along with priceless treasures. Of course, Brooklyn and her hunky ex-MI6 boyfriend Derek are on the case. Ripped from the Pages is an easy summer read with a few twists to keep it interesting. I love the characters of Brooklyn and Derek and how they have evolved through the series. If you like mysteries, give Kate Carlisle a try!

Book Review – A High-End Finish

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A High-End FinishA High-End Finish by Kate Carlisle

This is another gem that includes everything that I’ve come to expect from Kate Carlisle. Like her Bibliophile series, “A High-End Finish,” the first in her new Fixer-Upper Mystery series, revolves around a whip-smart, independent woman mixed-up in a satisfying murder mystery. The protagonist, Shannon Hammer, owns a general contracting business that refurbishes old Victorian-style homes in the small Northern California town of Lighthouse Cove. The writing is funny and polished. Ms. Carlisle’s characters are well-rounded and compelling. I couldn’t put it down and recommend “A High-End Finish,” as well as all of Kate Carlisle’s other mystery novels.

Mystery, Intrigue, Suspense

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15 Great Murder Mysteries (that I’ve read)
  1. Murder on the Orient Express
  2. The Da Vinci Code
  3. The Flanders Panel
  4. Homicide in Hardcover
  5. The Eight
  6. The Daughter of Time
  7. The Big Over Easy
  8. The Dante Club
  9. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
  10. The Malice of Fortune
  11. The A.B.C. Murders
  12. The Rossetti Letter
  13. The Egyptologist
  14. The Club Dumas
  15. The Sherlockian

Side question: Why do you think so many mystery title start with “The”?

Book Review – A Cookbook Conspiracy

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A Cookbook ConspiracyA Cookbook Conspiracy by Kate Carlisle

Review: Another entertaining Brooklyn Wainwright mystery involving blackmail, British spies during the American Revolution and a ton of gourmet food. I enjoy Ms. Carlisle’s mysteries immensely. Her characters feel real and unique.

Author Profile: Kate Carlisle

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Born: Los Angeles, California Kate Carlisle

 Kate Carlisle began writing after a twenty plus year career as an Associate Director for various television game and variety shows. She worked as a Dating Game chaperone and performed on The Gong Show. After deciding to get out of show biz, Carlisle went to law school and during her first year she started writing fiction as a way to escape studying. She soon dropped out of law school and began taking writing classes. The rest, as they say, is history.

 Carlisle’s Bibliophile Mystery Series is currently seven novels plus one short story. The series centers on heroine Brooklyn Wainwright who is a rare book expert and bookbinder living in San Francisco. Brooklyn has a knack for solving mysteries in the books she restores and a proclivity for discovering dead bodies. I happen to love Brooklyn as a character because of her wit and passion for good books and good food.

In addition to writing mystery and crime novels, Carlisle is also a romance author. She has written five steamy romance novels. Carlisle is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers and Romance Writers of America. She lives in Southern California with her husband.

Bibliography: 

Bibliophile Mystery Series

Romance Novels

Happy Summer!

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In honor of the first day of summer, enjoy a list of some great beach reads!

15 Reads for a Summer Day at the Beach (in no particular  order)

  1. A Rather Lovely Inheritance by C.A. Belmond
  2. Pride & Prescience by Carrie Bebris
  3. The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde
  4. Chasing Shakespeares by Sarah Smith
  5. Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie
  6. The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour
  7. Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte
  8. Homicide in Hardcover by Kate Carlisle
  9. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
  10. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
  11. The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen by Syrie James
  12. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
  13. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
  14. A Salty Piece of Land by Jimmy Buffett
  15. The Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot

52 Books in 52 Weeks – Week #14

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Peril in PaperbackPeril in Paperback by Kate Carlisle

Total Reading Time: 3.75 hours

Review: Kate Carlisle’s latest addition to her Bibliophile Mystery series is entertaining as always. Heroine Brooklyn Wainwright is funny and accessible and her man, Derek Stone, is a modern-day Mr. Darcy without the haughtiness. I especially like Brooklyn’s predilection for good food. It was very enjoyable. On a side note, I’ve decided that I’m a good consumer of mysteries because I sorta just go with the flow and therefore end up always surprised at the ending. Or maybe I’m just a bit dim in this area… can’t tell. Either way, I enjoy a good whodunit.