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Merissa (11938 KP) created a post

Feb 2, 2022  
"The world’s largest oil painting. A 400-year-old murder. A disembodied whisper: “Amore mio.” My love."

Tour: The Prisoner of Paradise (The Paradise Series #1) by Rob Samborn - @Archaeolibrary, @maryanneyarde, @robsamborn, #CoffeePotBookClub, #BlogTour, #Tintoretto, #Venice, #UnlockThePast, #CommercialThriller, #HistoricalFiction, #MagicalRealism,

https://archaeolibrarian.wixsite.com/website/post/theprisonerofparadise-theparadiseseries-1-byrobsamborn
     
Above the Timberline
Above the Timberline
Gregory Manchess | 2017 | Comics & Graphic Novels, Science Fiction/Fantasy
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I'm calling this a graphic novel because that's really what it is - it's not a comic, though. Each spread of pages is a mixture of text and oil painting - sometimes just a painting.

If it was just the text, it would be a very lackluster book. There are aspects of the story that are unexplained, and aspects that are explained only by the accompanying paintings. It's really the paintings that make this book unique. It's almost like - an adult picture book, I suppose. It actually reads more like someone found the series of paintings and constructed a story to support what they imagined was happening in the pictures.

Regardless, it's a unique experience. Manchess is a remarkable artist. The paintings are gorgeous, and the book does that thing where the text and art play around each other on the page, creating unique formatting that helps tell the story on its own, like when a full two-page spread of a painting has two lines of text to emphasize them.

Fascinating, beautiful book.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2163 KP) rated Long Island Iced Tina in Books

Feb 24, 2021 (Updated Feb 24, 2021)  
Long Island Iced Tina
Long Island Iced Tina
Maria DiRico | 2021 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Reappearing Painting and Murder
Mia Carina is thrilled for her friend Nicole, who is expecting her first baby. Nicole has chosen Mia’s catering hall, Belle View, as the location for one of her baby showers. Despite Mia’s best efforts, the baby shower is interrupted by a fight between Nicole’s mother and step-mother. Then, one of Nicole’s presents turns out to be a valuable painting stolen years before. Things only get worse when Mia finds the body of a shower guest the next morning. Is the murder linked to the painting?

I enjoyed the first book in the series, and this one was great as well. The painting added a fun element to the mystery, and I really enjoyed seeing how that played out. The mystery had some great zigs and zags along the way. The climax was a bit complicated, but I was able to think it through, and it did make sense. All the characters were wonderful, with some interesting growth for the series regulars. Mia’s grandmother provides a very funny sub-plot, and there are other great moments of humor throughout the book. At the end, we get four recipes and a hit for hosting events yourself. The series is set in Queens, and Mia’s family is involved in the mob. Even so, this is most definitely still a cozy series. Grab some ice tea and enjoy this delightful book.