Julie

What a delightful book. I am so glad I read it. What started out as a very sad tale developed slowly into a wonderful heartwarming story of grief, perseverance and joy.

Second attempt to read—pure agony. DNF

Never actually read this before; Not my cup of tea but I have now finally read it. It is a weird book that reminds me of a dream you may have when you are sick. I think for children it is probably fun to imagine all the talking animal creatures and Alice changing sizes. For older teens and adults you get the implications of growing up, figuring out who you are, maybe some warnings of the type situations to avoid or to keep your wits about you. I just wasn’t interested in figuring it all out.

First in a series. This is police procedural involving a body discovered in an impossible position in a cave. The victim was a greatly disliked character in the small Yorkshire community. Soon there is another murder. The investigating team includes a new to town transfer from London, an experienced lead detective and a female detective who was experiencing some personal problems. The caving or pot holing as it is called in the book was exhaustively discussed in the book. It was a little too much for me, however it is a critical part of storyline so I understand. This is normally the kind of novel I enjoy but I found it to be just average. I am hoping that the series will grow on me.

Next in series The Quartet Murders

I really enjoyed this debut novel by Sarah Crouch. The book captured my interest from the beginning, though as the pages passed by I did wonder where we were going. But then, it became obvious, or so it seemed. The remainder of the book led us to what really happened. Was our first instinct right, or was there something more sinister afoot? There is a little romance in the novel to break the tension, it is set in Washington state, told in a back and forth time frame with several points of view. I picked this book up on the recommendation of Adrena Monic in her Books Books & more books, let’s chat video and I am so glad I saw it.

This was a very good book. It was informative for one who knows little of the late Baptise early Castro era. The introduction of the family as young women and the as older women or via their children and grandchildren was interesting. I will definitely read this again to make certain I understood who everyone was as there are a lot of characters but also because it is so good and I want to experience it again. I am certain that I will see things in it that I did not before. Settings are Florida and Cuba. The time frame is 1959 through 2017 ish.

Not my typical read, but I am oh so glad I did. This contemporary romance contains little gems of wisdom throughout. Daphne and Peter met “cute” and were on their way to matrimony until Peter’s best friend, Petra, proclaimed her love for him. What ensues is a story of heartache, determination, chance taking with many funny and poignant moments in between. If ever there was a life is what happens to you while you are making other plans, this is it. The setting for the story is Michigan in current times.

It has been decades since I read this book originally. From that perspective, as well as the perspective of a reader of many, many books can I just gush over what a talent Mrs. Christie was. I mean we have a ton of characters, many with quite developed back stories, we have a mysterious murder, many, many suspects, bits of romance, clever dialog between characters, twists and turns and in the end all tidied up for us is a satisfying way. Having read a lot, I know that is not always easy to pull off.

This did nothing for me. I thought it would never in. Probably should have DNF it but I stubbornly read on. The whole thing seemed improbable to me. I just didn’t believe a minute of it. I didn’t find our protagonist loveable at all which I think for these cozy mysteries you need to have.

Will and Sarah are now married and on a honeymoon set up by Will near a camp that held memories for him from his days in the foster care system. He was never able to go there but always wanted to. The resort he chose to is near that same property. The old camp has been defunct for a number of years. The story involves the death of one of the owner/operators. This family is dysfunctional to the max. I don’t know that I have ever been more disgusted by a mother than I have with this mom. The other family members are just as bad or nearly so with the exception of the victim. Man oh man is she a victim. What a miserable life she endured. Was Will and his team able to find justice for her? Read it to find out. What an ending.

This was a new to me author. It was ok. It was certainly mysterious, I enjoyed the multiple POV writing and and there were certainly unexpected twists and turns. Still it left me unsatisfied. Also, I don’t understand the relevance of the title.

Miss Julia finds herself an executrix on a desperate hunt for a valuable antique so she can honor an acquaintance’s last wishes. As usual, Miss Julia get all involved and entangled in the goings on of her community. She is a feisty, older woman with a heart of gold. She is a mother in of sorts to all sorts of folks and she always triumphs in the end while learning something in the process. She began the series as a sheltered, rather rigid woman and quickly blossomed into the spunky, capable gal she is now. These are cozy mystery books, with a group of family and friends you grow to love.The story is told from a first person POV which allows the reader to experience the events, thoughts and reactions of Julia herself. Throw in her charming southern sensibilities and you have a fun little book.

Really fine entry in the Will Trent series. This one finds Will and Sarah on their honeymoon in a locatysweetly chosen by Will. The location is vital to the storyline and I appreciated that. The cast of characters were mostly disgusting it felt like though to be honest a few were just flawed human beings. Others, however, we truly evil. Several are victims in one way or another either in the past or currently.

This is a cautionary tale of the generational damage in a family. It also ties in Will’s past in an interesting way. Trigger warning for child abuse, domestic violence, alcohol and drug abuse.

This book drug on too long. It was a bit ambitious in scope, in my opinion. There were at least three seperate but related situations dealt with. Just when you thought that one was put away, it led to an offshoot and so on. I appreciate what the author tried to do, but in the end it was just above average for me. I will read the next in the series to see how I feel. I am uncertain how many books will actually be in this one.

The next in the series is The Final Twist.

Read this because I saw that the television series was based on a book series. I found the book to be entertaining and the subject matter of video gaming turned into a method of murder was interesting. It’s not a world I know much about. The location Colter hails from is of some interest because my son and daughter-in-law live in the mountains there. There were several times I thought many authors would have ended the storyline there or there; Deaver did not, he kept digging and I liked that. I will read the next in the series for sure.

By the way, The “Never” Game - Colts father had a list of rules he taught his children that began with “Never”.

Damn. So many questions answered, so many things revealed you didn’t know you needed to know. Riveting. Painful. Damn.

Cozy mystery featuring a newly divorced mom of adult children and her talented rescue dog. They have relocated to a new, small town in the Texas Hill country where they have discovered a body in their back yard upon theur arrival. Soon, our protagonist is meeting all sorts of neighbors, flirting and being flirted with by the sheriff and helping figure out who is responsible for all the missing cats in the neighborhood as well as who killed the man from next door. First in a series. I will continue when in the mood for a light read.

Wow, what a ride and talk about a most devious character! This murder mystery is set in the 1920’s and is a “country house” murder. Charles Knox has returned to England from South Africa after a number of years after building his fortune . He is invited by his dear friend Bobs to join him at the country home of Sir Neville Strickland and his wife Rosamund. Yes, that Rosamund to whom Charles had previously been engaged to. He agrees to go with Bobs and Bob’s sister Sylvia. Once there, a fine time is had drinking, playing games, dancing and visiting. One morning, Sir Neville is found dead, murdered in fact. Who did it? Was it an inside job or did someone come into the home from the outside. Knox finds himself, as well as several others suspected of the death. Angela Marchmont is one of the guests and figures things out just in time.

Next in series is The Mystery at Underwood House.

I enjoyed this book, wish I could remember how I found out about it. The book takes place in Key West, in 1935 and centers around the massive hurricane that hit the island. I found it to be written in a very sensory way; I felt it, I saw it, I experienced it. Quite remarkable. The storyline follows three women. What interested me mostly were the WW I veterans who were sent to the area to construct the railroad. What a harsh life. It is number 3 in a series so I want to read others in the series.

First Review - 3 Stars Tana French's 2018 standalone novel, The Witch Elm, is a crime thriller that follows the unlikable Toby Hennessy who was brutally attacked in his Dublin apartment after a night out with workmates. He is left for dead and suffering from TBI/PTSD. Toby eventually seeks refuge at his ancestral home, Ivy House, to care for his dying uncle. While there, a skull is discovered in the garden's elm tree, forcing Toby to confront the possibility that his past and who he is, is not what he thought.

I missed seeing this dealt with TBI as well as murder. Just a heads up if you love a TBI survivor. I almost stopped reading this book in the beginning. However, it was written by Tana French who has written several books I really enjoyed so I hung in there. I was glad I did. There were some twists and turns you may not anticipate, and who doesn’t love that?! This is not the first Tana French book I would recommend though.

Second Reading - 4 stars. While I still found some of the characters in this extremely unappealing, I gained new appreciation for some of the others, including Toby. In my second reading, I discovered the delicious way with words that the author always has. I also discovered more depth in the main characters and a linking of stories, lies and consequences than I saw before. While not a favorite Tana French book, it is a heartbreakingly compelling one. Everyone has a story, an inner life, that none of us knows about. That includes even our family and intimate friends. Glad I read it again. I will note that in addition to TBI, PTSD and sexual aggression there is also a particularly vicious murder.

The Grapes of Wrath follows the Joad family who were Oklahoma sharecroppers forced to migrate west during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. After the bank seizes their drought-stricken farm, the Joad family, head to California in search of work and a better life. Along the way, they encounter hardship and exploitation, and meet other families making the same journey. This is a five star book, in my opinion. The hardships, heartbreak and misery contained within should make you not want to read it; but it is so well done that the exact opposite happens. With themes of hardship, hope, and the resilience of the human spirit I don’t see how one could not read this book and be changed by it. There but for the grace of God go I comes to mind.

I hope this is the begin of a series as it was that interesting and had characters that lend themselves to a series. It is a medical mystery/thriller where elderly patients are dying at home after minor surgeries. Anesthesiologist Dr. Kate Downey wants to know why.

Initially, I thought it was a bit predictable, but that changed and became quite entertaining. The aunt character is particularly enjoyable.

This is a frightening book that everyone living a a free country should read. Thought police, erasing the past based on propaganda in vogue at the time and a new language where words mean what you are told they mean. I am glad I read this book; should probably read it again. Does it sound familiar; it should because we are living it now. It can (and has) happened so fast.