Audio Book Review: Murder in Her Stocking by G. A. McKevett

This cozy mystery wasn't a hit for me. (I love the cover though.)

Murder in Her Stocking
by G. A. McKevett
Read by Mil Nicholson

A Granny Reid Mystery
Run Time 9h 36min
Release Date: October 30, 2018
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Genre: Christmas, Cozy, Mystery, Women Sleuth
My Rating: 3.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 3.5; Narration 3.25.

Publisher Description
Christmas has arrived in sleepy McGill, Georgia, but holiday cheer can’t keep temperamental Stella Reid from swinging a rolling pin at anyone who crosses her bad side.
This season, there are plenty. First, an anonymous grinch vandalizes a celebrated nativity display. Far worse, the scandalous Prissy Carr is found dead in an alley behind a tavern. With police puzzled over the murder, Stella decides to stir the local gossip pot for clues on the culprit’s identity, and it turns out that Prissy held a prominent spot on the naughty list. Soon, suspects are piling up like presents on Christmas morning.
Unfortunately, the more progress Stella makes, the more she must confront. With a neighbor in peril and the future of her beloved grandchildren at risk, Stella must somehow set everything straight and bring a cunning criminal to justice before December 25th....

Review:
Stella is a disciplinarian but sweet grandmother to her seven grandchildren. She can be considered pretty fierce by others especially if she is protecting those grandchildren. One night Stella hears a sound in the alley behind the tavern and she arrives in time to hold Prissy Carr as she is dying from an attack. Prissy is a known ‘loose woman’, so she has developed some enemies along the way. The police are investigating but Stella thinks she might be able to uncover the real culprit before Christmas.

Meanwhile Stella is trying to cheer her long-time friend whose husband has left taking all the wealth. Also, Stella is trying to keep her grandchildren from being damaged by their alcoholic mother. The eldest granddaughter, twelve-year-old Savannah, does her best to handle the others but it isn’t easy.

The story is set in the 1980s in Georgia. Stella is a widow in her 60s. The sheriff in town has had a long-time crush on her. It’s been several years since her husband died and maybe its time to accept the help of a willing man.

The story is sweet but has a dreary feel with the level of poverty and struggles for Stella and her family. There are less than likeable characters with cigarettes and booze and perhaps that influenced my view. There is warmth in the grandmotherly wisdom and the strength of the sheriff. Unfortunately, I felt the mystery was disjointed as it shared the spotlight with Stella’s family traumas. There are plenty of favorable reviews so cozy fans might want to try this. I understand it is a spin off from another popular series by this author.

Audio Notes: My lower review may also be the result of my being uncomfortable with the narrator. It may be that Mil Nicholson was a fitting voice for the setting and characters. It just wasn’t comfortable for me. In this instance, the narration detracted from my enjoyment of the story.

Source: 12/16/2021 Purchased at Chirp for $2.99. This qualifies for 2022TBR and 2022Audiobook goals.

#NetGalley Book Review: The Pugly Duckling by Carla Siravo

This is very cute but has a major flaw.

The Pugly Duckling
by Carla Siravo
P. Santiago (Illustrator)

Publisher : Indigo River Pub (December 8, 2020)
Paperback : 36 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-1950906802
Reading age : 5 - 6 years
Genre: Animals, Children
My Rating: 3.25 of 5.0

Jean and Joe Duck were oh-so-surprised, When their duckling hatched, not quite the right size, With a curly-swirly tail and hairy-scary paws, And furry fat rolls and sharp beast claws. They loved their son, though he was ugly, Not quite a duckling, and a little bit pugly.

Review:
Jean and Joe Duck really want a child. They are thrilled when they finally have an egg to care for, even if it is a "ugly-wugly". And they are thrilled too when the egg hatches and produces their own pugly child. The problems come when the adorable pug tries to pretend to the other ducks that he is one of them. They are ready to accept him if he would stop pretending to be something he is not.

The story is a bit of a twist on the classic Ugly Duckling story. It is very cute and has wonderful rhyming that kids would surely like. I think the illustrations are adorable, like the cover. The story has a good message about being yourself and allowing others to accept you for the real you.

It was hard to give this only a 3.25 rating but I didn't feel right rounding up to 4.0. I wasn't thrilled with the repeated 'ugly" descriptions for the pug as that might give children the idea it is okay to call others "ugly" instead of finding kinder word choices. But the big flaw for me was that dogs don’t come from eggs. An adult understands this but it would have to be explained to children and, for me, that lessens the effectiveness of the story and message. Dressing up in a cute duck costume and trying to fit in with the ducks can be explained. But I think each parent/teacher who might share this book would have to think how they would address the egg issue.

Source: 2020 NetGalley. This qualifies for 2021TBR, 2021NetGalley and 2021Alphabet goals.