Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

The Chow Maniac by Vivien Chien

The Chow Maniac by Vivien Chien

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Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review. Great installment in the “Noodle Shop Mystery” series. I think that Chien has hit their stride. At this point you should know all of the key players and how things work. Reading this series at this point is like taking a nice warm bath. I liked this one much better because Chien included some Chinese mythology and it seemed to be more “serious” I think than previous installments. […]

A second and third helping for the Noodle Shop mysteries

Dim Sum of All Fears by Vivien Chien

Murder Lo Mein by Vivien Chien

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When work is stressful, I unwind often with a cozy mystery. Vivien Chien’s Noodle Shop mysteries really hit the spot. Last year, I reviewed the first novel, Death by Dumpling for CBR 13. The series follows Lana Lee and her family’s noodle restaurant in the Asia Village shopping center. She stumbles upon a murder and helps the cute detective, Adam, solves the case. It’s a similar formula in the next two novels in the series. It was easy to go back into the series months […]

Various Reviews During My Vacation, Some Were Brilliant, Some Were Good, Some Were Awful.

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

Once More Upon a Time: An Enchanting Romantic Fairy Tale by Roshani Chokshi

Hot and Sour Suspects by Vivien Chien

Gilded by Marissa Meyer

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

Hostage by Clare Mackintosh

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The Kaiju Preservation Society-5 stars I don’t even know what to say except this was pitch perfect. It reminded me in a good way of “Old Man’s War” and I cheered through the whole book. I loved everyone. I am so sad this is a standalone so we don’t get to follow Jamie and his friends he meets in the Kaiju Preservation Society (KPS). “The Kaiju Preservation Society” begins with Jamie Gray getting fired. Jamie lives in New York and doesn’t know how he will […]

Cozy mysteries that will make you hungry

Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien

A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette

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Sometimes you need a cozy mystery (or two) to relax your mind. If you’re looking for low-stakes mysteries featuring female amateur sleuths, give the Noodle Shop or Ice Cream Parlor books a whirl. Coincidently, these are both set in Ohio. A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette is a newer series with only two books released. In book one, we meet Bronwyn, Win for short, as she re-opens the family’s ice cream shop in the middle of winter. Not the best time, but her home-made […]

Baby’s first cozy mystery. I guess I’m Baby in this metaphor.

Death By Dumpling (A Noodle Shop Mystery, #1) by Vivien Chien

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I have slightly mixed feelings on this one, but overall I enjoyed it! I think this might actually be my first true cozy mystery, although I’ve read books that you might stretch to fit into that genre, like the Inspector Gamache books, but the cozy part is only a small part of that series. As far as I understand it, a true “cozy mystery” involves very little stress on the part of the reader, usually takes place in a small town with eccentric villagers, heavily […]

Author’s recent cancer diagnosis haunted me as I read her great, new book

Killer Kung Pao by Vivien Chien

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I’ve always assumed that Lana Lee, the main character of the Noodle Shop Mysteries, is a stand-in for the author, Vivien Chien. Near the beginning of Killer Kung Pao, Lana goes to the salon to have her hair dyed gunmetal gray. I know Chien likes to dye her hair fun colors so I checked her Instagram to see if she had tried gunmetal gray. Instead I saw her post about being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. My heart sank. Cancer is always sad and scary but […]



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