9 Dragons by Michael Connelly

I've been reading Connelly's Harry Bosch books for years now, and he's never disappointed with any of his stories.

Harry Bosch is almost too human. He has his faults, sometimes he doesn't take the right action or respond in the right way, but it's his way and he means well for the most part. His life has not been all a bowl of cherries. He has his sorrows, his vices, and his own demons.

Despite all that, he's a good cop. He sometimes steps outside the lines of allowed behavior to get the criminal, but he doesn't worry about it.

This story begins with the suspicion that a Hong Kong triad has murdered a local store owner that Harry knows. But as the story escalates, there is more than one plot involved, and somehow he has to figure out the true reason the old man was shot.

In the meantime, someone near his own heart is in danger, and he is afraid that might also be the actions of the triad.

Harry still has his demons when the story ends, but you know there will be another story coming. There are still more cases in Harry's future. And more challenges in his personal life.

If you'd like my ARC of this book, please leave a comment here on the blog, and then email me at info NOSPAM @bookfaerie.com (take out the spaces and NOSPAM) and tell me why you'd like to read it. I'll choose a winner in about a week.

Easy Stuffed Pork Chops

I like quick and easy menus - probably from all those years of working and only having an hour to cook dinner!

I buy a package of pork stuffing mix (chicken will work if they don't have pork), and make it according to the package instructions, but add green pepper, celery, onion, and canned mushrooms to it.

Once the stuffing is cooked, I mix it up, put it over the top of chops on a cookie sheet, and cook at 350 degrees until done. Usually that's about 45 minutes, but it can take longer depending on the number of chops and their thickness.

Ready in about an hour. And real, real popular with my family and friends. And not real expensive to do.

Make a good meal with all food groups and add some stewed tomatoes if you'd like. My hubby loves those!

The Brick Layer by Noah Boyd

This book grabs your attention and runs off into the night without you if you don't keep up!

The Brick Layer is no ordinary guy working with mortar. He was previously in the FBI and last served as a contract investigator, but he didn't take commands well, and often "colored outside the lines". As a result, he left the FBI and went into brick work.

However, as is usual, when a big case comes up that they don't want the public to know about, they invite him back to work again - on his own terms.

It's a face paced, hard hitting story with some mean edges. But the story draws you in and holds you.

It's well written, the characters are bigger than life, and I highly recommend this book. I'm sure there will be more adventures with the Brick Layer. After all, he doesn't follow the rules...

If you'd like my ARC of this book, please leave a comment here on my blog and email me at info NOSPAM @bookfaerie.com (take the spaces and NOSPAM out) and tell me why you'd like to read it. I'll pick a lucky winner in about a week.

Locked In by Marcia Muller

I've been reading Sharon McCone mysteries for years, so I was very happy to see another one published. Marcia Muller always has a fast paced story, where Sharon's brains are her biggest safeguard against danger and death - and even then that doesn't always work.

The premise of this story scares me to death! Sharon is shot when she tries to enter her office late one night, and the bullet lodges at the top of her spine - and renders her helpless. She can't speak, she can't move, and it's a while before they realize her brain is still functioning and she's awake and aware. The prognosis isn't good.

All her husband and her staff can do it try to solve the cases she was working on because they feel one of them must have been the cause of her injury. She can't offer them input like she usually does, so they have to determine themselves what she might suggest they do.

Not being able to communicate would scare me to death, and it certainly effects all the characters in the book.

If you'd like my ARC of this mystery, leave a comment here on my blog, and send me an email at info@ NOSPAM bookfaerie.com (take out the spaces and NOSPAM) with your name and address and why you would like to win it. I'll be giving it away in about a week.

Everything for a Dog by Ann M Martin

Ann M Martin has been writing children's books for years, and she's been very successful at it. I was intrigued about the fact she writing about dogs, because I'm a dog lover second (cats are my first love) and I truly wanted to see her work.

This is great book, but it has sad spots. It's about how life is, things you need to accept if you can't understand them, and how to go on when you feel like you can't.

It's written in three voices. The dog's, the father's, and the son's voice. Ghosts of the past come to haunt the present, and the current little boy just knows he wants to have a dog!

Having a cat and various other pets doesn't take his desire away to have a dog. His father won't allow it, but doesn't tell him why.

Bone has been traveling around since his youth, because the world isn't safe for dogs unless you find an owner with love. He has several homes, sometimes thinks it will be for "forever", but no.

How father, son, and dog meet each other and resolve their issues will most likely make you cry.

If you'd like my ARC of this book, please leave a comment here on my blog and email me at info@ NOSPAM bookfaerie.com. (Remove the spaces and the NOSPAM to send it.) Tell me why you'd like to read it. I'll end the contest in about a week.