Reading: WONTON TERROR - Vivien Chien

Lana Lee seems to be settling into her role as manager of her family's Ho-Lee Noodle House, as well as into the role of girlfriend to her cop boyfriend Adam Trudeau, as the summer season in Cleveland begins with the opening of the night market - a weekly festival of food and fun put on by local merchants and musicians, where customers can stroll past food trucks or tents set up by retailers to get their grub on and sample local wares, all while listening to home-based music. But among setting up the noodle shop's tent with friend and cook Peter, Lana notices throughout the night that Ronnie Chow, owner of the Wonton on Wheels food truck down the way, seems to be arguing or picking a fight with first his wife and then his adult son, prior to opening for business. Later, when the Wonton on Wheels truck explodes, killing the cranky owner who was alone in it at the time, Lana senses immediately that something isn't right within the Chow family (Was wife Sandra deliberately away from the truck when it exploded? Why did son Calvin hurry from the night market with his Uncle Gene just prior to the explosion?), and takes it upon herself to start inquiring into the accident/potential murder ... putting herself into the sites of a killer adept at ending lives with a bang. Though book #4, this was my introduction to the Noodle Shop cozy mystery series, and I really loved it; being my first, I wasn't sure who the recurring versus new characters were, yet all seemed to come 100% to life on the page, each with his or her own voice. Also wonderfully gratifying was to find a cozy series with a predominantly Asian cast of characters - from Lana to her family and friends, to co-workers and other business owners at Asian Village plaza and beyond - that added real depth to the book as subplots and Lana's interactions with family and friends provided peeks into a culture rarely even mentioned in mysteries (unless accompanied by tropes where everything comes off "mysterious" or "exotic"), let alone cozies. You never felt you were reading of Asian characters but of characters - people - who just happened to be Asian, and that was terrific. Chien's writing style is also so fluid and laidback, bringing you into the restaurant or the apartment Lana shares with her roommate Meagan (just two examples) in a way that makes you feel like you belong there; it's a very visual, easy-to-read style that makes the book play like an film in your mind, complete with comic touches. The mystery itself was solid; for a hot minute I thought Lana almost too focused on one particular person as the culprit, but then in the end Lana herself addresses that - and the solution of the murder, while you may get there just before Lana does, makes for no less an impact on the book's suspenseful resolution. Lana Lee and Company have a new fan in me, can't wait to catch up with the series and my only regret is that I can't go to Cleveland right now and hug Kikko or hang out with the Mahjong Matrons for breakfast; that's how real the characters were, at least to me. 4.5/5 stars

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title from the author and publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

August Wrap-Up: Raider of Some Nearly-Lost ARCs!

First of all, the important stuff: THANK YOU! A month ago I was looking forward to breaking 10K in pageviews, now heading into September this blog stands at nearly 11,000 pageviews already! So, so grateful, and thanks to all who have come by; please visit again and again, and sign up for email alerts (scroll down a bit on the left, you'll see it) to be made aware of new posts!

Again - thank you. Hopefully you'll stick with me as the blog continues to grow.

August ended up being a slight catch-up, particularly for graphic novels, on just some of the advanced reader's copies (ARCs) I had to get back to the publishers about, via a read and review, either on or close to publication date (note: you'll still find some reviews missing from July and August; those weren't ARCs, and reviews will be filled in sometime during September). The graphic novels really went the extreme from bad to good and back, but also discovering Ruth Ware for the first time and finally starting V.M. Burns's Dog Club cozy mystery series rounded things out nicely! Again, please check for reviews here, anything missing will be popping up before too long - and as always, click on any image here to enlarge, should you be unable to clearly see any of the books.

The film buff in me? Not so happy. August also saw some transitions in my personal life, including a new job, so - and I can't believe this - I watched NO new films for the month (and still have to get up the review for Slice from July, not to mention other film reviews from, gulp, JUNE that haven't been posted yet!). Seriously ashamed of myself and this trend will stop in September; I love movies too much to go even a month without seeing one.

Meanwhile, wherever and whoever you are, I hope your reading month of September sees you enjoying some great books, as well as some good films that keep you munching popcorn in the dark. Again, thanks for getting me up to nearly 11K, and please keep checking back or following. Welcome September!