en-US Fri, 13 Mar 2026 05:01:35 -0700 60 144 41 https://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 167672980
Linda knows she's lucky.

Yet every morning when she opens her eyes to a so-called new day, she feels like closing them again.

Her friends recommend medication.

But Linda wants to feel more, not less.

And so she embarks on an adventure as unexpected as it is daring, and which reawakens a side of her that she - respectable wife, loving mother, ambitious journalist - thought had disappeared.

Even she can't predict what will happen next...]]> 0 Paulo Coelho Carol 5 4.17 2012
author: Paulo Coelho
name: Carol
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/04
date added: 2026/03/13
shelves:
review:
A wonderful book on adultery.
]]> 16029333 The Seneca Scourge: A Medical Thriller

Dr. Sydney McKnight, a young physician battling the deadliest influenza pandemic of all time, joins forces with Dr. Casper Jones, an odd new research virologist whose arrival coincides with the virus’s advent, and whose presence raises more questions than answers.

As scientists around the world search for an explanation for the virus’s high mortality rate, Sydney’s distrust of Casper grows, especially after she discovers him injecting an unidentified substance into her patient. Despite a heavy patient load, rebuttals from her boss, and an increasingly strained relationship with her boyfriend, Sydney is determined to learn the truth.

But what she finds will plunge her into danger and change her life forever…]]> 327 Carrie Rubin 1611605377 Carol 5 Sydney McKnight reminded me of Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski in that she is feisty, compassionate and unwilling to give up. Seneca Scourge is a suspense novel where good versus evil but beyond the interesting plot are the author's insights regarding fate and the order of things. A medical and modern 1984.
The ending was both satisfying and surprising.]]> 4.17 2012
author: Carrie Rubin
name: Carol
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2014/02/21
date added: 2026/01/23
shelves:
review:
What if there was a cure for a deadly virus but the cure existed a hundred years in the future? Dr. Sydney McKnight faced with a highly infectious and lethal virus on her hands feels hopeless and helpless as she watches her patients and some of her colleagues die. That is until she meets Dr. Casper Jones, a virologist from the future, who holds the cure for this deadly virus. Will he be able to rescue her from hardening her heart?
Sydney McKnight reminded me of Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski in that she is feisty, compassionate and unwilling to give up. Seneca Scourge is a suspense novel where good versus evil but beyond the interesting plot are the author's insights regarding fate and the order of things. A medical and modern 1984.
The ending was both satisfying and surprising.
]]> 239292395
It’s 2005-2006 and whether they struggle to choose between an all-consuming relationship and their future or they need to beat their parents at their own dysfunctional game, these friends still manage to make the end of their school years a memorable, heart-warming adventure, defined by love, friendship, passion and copious amounts of fun.

Now that they’re about to see their dreams come true and they try to make the best decisions for their future, will they be able to let go of the past and start anew on their own?]]> 346 Ana Linden Carol 5 The novel offers an enjoyable nostalgic journey with depth and meaningfulness as the characters struggle towards adulthood.
With its fresh style and character complexity, reading Shooting Stars was a satisfying and entertaining read.

]]> 4.67
author: Ana Linden
name: Carol
average rating: 4.67
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/11/10
date added: 2025/11/11
shelves:
review:
Although I didn’t yet read book 1 and 2 of the Shooting Stars series, I was familiar with the characters from reading the author’s Christmas Reunion Series. Shooting Stars Book 3 goes back to the past when the characters were in their last days of high school and beginning university.
The novel offers an enjoyable nostalgic journey with depth and meaningfulness as the characters struggle towards adulthood.
With its fresh style and character complexity, reading Shooting Stars was a satisfying and entertaining read.


]]> 57681427 A marvelous new novel from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Lowland and Interpreter of Maladies—her first in nearly a decade.

Exuberance and dread, attachment and in this novel, Jhumpa Lahiri stretches her themes to the limit. The woman at the centre wavers between stasis and movement, between the need to belong and the refusal to form lasting ties. The city she calls home, an engaging backdrop to her days, acts as a the sidewalks around her house, parks, bridges, piazzas, streets, stores, coffee bars. We follow her to the pool she frequents and to the train station that sometimes leads her to her mother, mired in a desperate solitude after her father's untimely death. In addition to colleagues at work, where she never quite feels at ease, she has girl friends, guy friends, and "him," a shadow who both consoles and unsettles her. But in the arc of a year, as one season gives way to the next, transformation awaits.

One day at the sea, both overwhelmed and replenished by the sun's vital heat, her perspective will change. This is Jhumpa Lahiri's first novel written in Italian. It brims with the impulse to cross barriers. By grafting herself onto a new literary language, Lahiri has pushed herself ever farther from the shore.]]> 176 Jhumpa Lahiri 0735281475 Carol 0 4.29 2018
author: Jhumpa Lahiri
name: Carol
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves:
review:

]]> 41879316 114 Ana Linden 0463897307 Carol 5 Then there is the single woman’s paranoia and fears that accompany what it’s like to live alone after being robbed.
And the story about the affair. “The moment we met, we knew the week spent together would be one of those times so essentially shallow, that it can have nothing less than a profound effect on both of us.”
Ana Linden has the ability to surprise and at times shock. Her characters are often “running away from someone, something or running to catch them, him, whoever.”

]]> 5.00
author: Ana Linden
name: Carol
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/18
date added: 2024/11/18
shelves:
review:
In Albatross, the opening story, Linden gives us an honest perspective of husband and wife regarding the staleness of their marriage.
Then there is the single woman’s paranoia and fears that accompany what it’s like to live alone after being robbed.
And the story about the affair. “The moment we met, we knew the week spent together would be one of those times so essentially shallow, that it can have nothing less than a profound effect on both of us.”
Ana Linden has the ability to surprise and at times shock. Her characters are often “running away from someone, something or running to catch them, him, whoever.”


]]> 53495157 208 Ana Linden Carol 5 The subjects of her stories range from the damaged educational system, the cruelty of abuse, loneliness, losers and guilt.
Sometimes you just need to feel a bad day for what it is. Unpleasant. Unexplicable. Normal.
In the opening story, Choices, two strangers meet on a plane. One is planning a vacation while the other has been hired to follow her. It is a fresh twist to the “strangers on a train” theme, filled with its high dosage of suspense and an intriguing love story in a noir atmosphere.
The second story, titled Frames, is about two retired teachers, married to each other and disillusioned with the educational system and marriage. As the story progresses each character individually and separately finds meaning in his/her life and a closer connection to each other. It is a story filled with empathy, kindness and hope. Life is not all doom and gloom. There are treasures to be recognized.
Drive, the third story in the collection presents the sad, long term effects of abuse and the power of guilt. In this story, Ana Linden makes us see child abuse from the opposite angle where it is the mother who is the abuser and the father who silently stands by. The secret the son shares with his father is both touching and sad and as the young boy becomes adult we see how his abuse affects his relationships with women until he meets a woman who is worse battered than himself.

]]> 5.00
author: Ana Linden
name: Carol
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/18
date added: 2024/11/18
shelves:
review:
Frames consists of four short character driven stories. These are not ordinary characters and through their flaws Ana Linden gives us insight into relationships and human nature.
The subjects of her stories range from the damaged educational system, the cruelty of abuse, loneliness, losers and guilt.
Sometimes you just need to feel a bad day for what it is. Unpleasant. Unexplicable. Normal.
In the opening story, Choices, two strangers meet on a plane. One is planning a vacation while the other has been hired to follow her. It is a fresh twist to the “strangers on a train” theme, filled with its high dosage of suspense and an intriguing love story in a noir atmosphere.
The second story, titled Frames, is about two retired teachers, married to each other and disillusioned with the educational system and marriage. As the story progresses each character individually and separately finds meaning in his/her life and a closer connection to each other. It is a story filled with empathy, kindness and hope. Life is not all doom and gloom. There are treasures to be recognized.
Drive, the third story in the collection presents the sad, long term effects of abuse and the power of guilt. In this story, Ana Linden makes us see child abuse from the opposite angle where it is the mother who is the abuser and the father who silently stands by. The secret the son shares with his father is both touching and sad and as the young boy becomes adult we see how his abuse affects his relationships with women until he meets a woman who is worse battered than himself.


]]> 20871712 342 Ana Linden 1311884742 Carol 5 5.00 2014
author: Ana Linden
name: Carol
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/11/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 217959426 bring light in the darkest of circumstances. In the novelette, A Perfect Ghostly Christmas, Julie has survived the foster care system and finally comes home. She now owns her grandparents’ house and has received an offer that appears too good to be true. On top of that, the family she felt had abandoned her during her difficult times has reentered her life. But it’s the otherworldly experiences that lead her to something her grandparents left behind. This discovery changes everything and opens a door to danger. The seven short stories explore fractured families, a widower's loneliness, a mall shooting, financial struggles, strained relationships, woodland kittens, and a woman haunted by a red truck. Whether it’s a ghost, an angel, or Santa, some unseen force is there to provide help when needed. A reminder in the busy holiday season or anytime we are never alone, and miracles are possible.]]> 132 D.L. Finn Carol 5 Although the stories contain tragic deaths (many of them accidents) the ghosts are loved ones which made the stories endearing. Whether the “ghost” appears as Santa, an angel, or the appearance of a grandmother who tragically passed away they all managed to put aside my suspension of disbelief.
The stories’ satisfying endings are a testament that in the end, justice does prevail and fairy tales do come true.
These stories are bound to lift your spirits.

]]> 4.83
author: D.L. Finn
name: Carol
average rating: 4.83
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/18
date added: 2024/11/18
shelves:
review:
Starting off with a novelette followed by a collection of short stories where ghosts and magic bring to mind that in this holiday season miracles are possible.
Although the stories contain tragic deaths (many of them accidents) the ghosts are loved ones which made the stories endearing. Whether the “ghost” appears as Santa, an angel, or the appearance of a grandmother who tragically passed away they all managed to put aside my suspension of disbelief.
The stories’ satisfying endings are a testament that in the end, justice does prevail and fairy tales do come true.
These stories are bound to lift your spirits.


]]> 213696924
At the root of present conflicts are past events, and a variety of colourful incursions in the characters’ childhood and youth reveals the reasons behind their behaviour, helping them heal and grow.

The third and last book in the series captures the group of friends from a deeper, more mature perspective, despite their trademark romantic games and inevitably dramatic clashes. Whether read on its own or following the first two novels, it is ultimately about the love, understanding and generosity uniting a less than conventional group of friends who rely on each other on their path to growth, romance and true intimacy.]]> 336 Ana Linden Carol 5 Ana Linden does a great job in re-introducing her solid cast of characters, letting the reader get to know more about them and their childhood relationships with each other. Along with the instability of romantic relationships and trying to make friendships survive, the author smoothly and effortlessly takes us along break-ups, pre-wedding jitters, prenups, unexpected engagements, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered.
Christmas Reunion Book 3 is filled with heart and hope and a relaxing way to spend a few cozy hours during the Christmas holidays.
]]> 5.00
author: Ana Linden
name: Carol
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/18
date added: 2024/11/18
shelves:
review:
Friends since they were children, this group, now in their thirties, gathers at Edelweiss Inn to celebrate both a wedding and Christmas in a winter wonderland outside with its “…mesmerizing view of snowy mountain peeks on the backdrop.”
Ana Linden does a great job in re-introducing her solid cast of characters, letting the reader get to know more about them and their childhood relationships with each other. Along with the instability of romantic relationships and trying to make friendships survive, the author smoothly and effortlessly takes us along break-ups, pre-wedding jitters, prenups, unexpected engagements, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered.
Christmas Reunion Book 3 is filled with heart and hope and a relaxing way to spend a few cozy hours during the Christmas holidays.

]]> 59049948 Come. Stay. The Abigael Inn has plans for you…

“A chilling supernatural tale with indelible characters.”—Kirkus Reviews

Ben Oris, an orthopedic surgery resident in Philadelphia, is looking forward to his December vacation. After the year he’s had, he could use a little R&R. But when a lawyer delivers some bizarre news, a week of rest and relaxation is the last thing he gets. A great aunt he never knew existed has willed a hotel to him.

Bewildered, Ben now heads to Western Massachusetts where the three-century-year-old Abigael Inn awaits, up on a secluded hill overlooking the Berkshires. At least Laurette will join him in a few days. He and his girlfriend will have some fun, meet with a realtor, and then put the place up for sale and get back to their lives. In, out, done.

Unfortunately for them, The Abigael Inn has other plans…

*Although a standalone novel, The Bone Elixir is the third book in the Benjamin Oris series about a man of science who faces otherworldly situations.]]> 310 Carrie Rubin 173285419X Carol 5 Carrie Rubin’s rational minded orthopedic surgery resident Benjamin Oris (and the protagonist of her last two novels) has just inherited an inn in Massachusetts. Trouble is that the inn is haunted and Benjamin doesn’t believe all that hocus-pocus stuff. Until he visits the inn and stays in it alone for a week as he waits for his girlfriend Laurette along with her sixth sense to join him.
In the meantime, Ben is confronted with secret passages, doors that creek open in the middle of the night, lights that turn on and off and a basement pit that raises the hair on his neck.
Benjamin is designated to become the heir of the inn by taking part in one of the spookiest ceremonies I’ve ever read. He must drive away the evil spirits inhabiting the house along with its promise of immortality and free from sickness – which, by the way, is pretty enticing for a medical doctor.
Once Laurette arrives, there are Ouija boards, crystals, levitations, a manuscript describing people disappearing after visiting the inn, remnants of an insane asylum, people murdered and lingering spirits.
This is not the genre of book that I usually read but Carrie’s usage of suspense kept me turning the pages wanting to know the next thing that Ben would be confronted with and how he would handle it.
Besides the spooky part of the novel there is lots of very interesting writing. For example. “Come morning, he (Benjamin) felt about as rested as a squirrel on crack.”
If you’re thinking of getting into the Halloween mood of haunted houses, gravestones, ghosts and divinations this is certainly the book for you.
Well done, Carrie!

]]> 4.36
author: Carrie Rubin
name: Carol
average rating: 4.36
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2021/10/22
date added: 2024/09/30
shelves:
review:
Are you looking to get in the mood for a really scary, macabre novel to read this Halloween season? A novel that, although it will frighten you, you won’t be able to stop reading it.
Carrie Rubin’s rational minded orthopedic surgery resident Benjamin Oris (and the protagonist of her last two novels) has just inherited an inn in Massachusetts. Trouble is that the inn is haunted and Benjamin doesn’t believe all that hocus-pocus stuff. Until he visits the inn and stays in it alone for a week as he waits for his girlfriend Laurette along with her sixth sense to join him.
In the meantime, Ben is confronted with secret passages, doors that creek open in the middle of the night, lights that turn on and off and a basement pit that raises the hair on his neck.
Benjamin is designated to become the heir of the inn by taking part in one of the spookiest ceremonies I’ve ever read. He must drive away the evil spirits inhabiting the house along with its promise of immortality and free from sickness – which, by the way, is pretty enticing for a medical doctor.
Once Laurette arrives, there are Ouija boards, crystals, levitations, a manuscript describing people disappearing after visiting the inn, remnants of an insane asylum, people murdered and lingering spirits.
This is not the genre of book that I usually read but Carrie’s usage of suspense kept me turning the pages wanting to know the next thing that Ben would be confronted with and how he would handle it.
Besides the spooky part of the novel there is lots of very interesting writing. For example. “Come morning, he (Benjamin) felt about as rested as a squirrel on crack.”
If you’re thinking of getting into the Halloween mood of haunted houses, gravestones, ghosts and divinations this is certainly the book for you.
Well done, Carrie!


]]> 51529458
To give her daughter a brighter future…
she must leave the past behind.

Inheriting a house, money and a camp is the fresh start Janie Edmiston has been praying for. But the will stipulates Janie must work with her childhood friend—and crush—Drew Brenner, to get the camp running…or lose it all. The newly divorced mother and the widower aren’t looking for love, but sometimes it takes a child to show two broken hearts the way forward…together.]]> 235 Jill Weatherholt 1488060401 Carol 5 4.51
author: Jill Weatherholt
name: Carol
average rating: 4.51
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves:
review:

]]> 27259240
Jeremy, a lonely and obese teenager, shoots into the limelight when a headstrong public health nurse persuades him to sue the food industry. Tossed into a storm of media buzz and bullying, the teen draws the attention of a serial killer who’s targeting the obese. Soon the boy, the nurse, and their loved ones take center stage in a delusional man’s drama.

Through fiction, Eating Bull explores the real-life issues of bullying, fat-shaming, food addiction, and the food industry’s role in obesity.

“A solid thriller that manages to infuse one boy’s coming-of-age with a whole lot of murder.”—Kirkus Reviews

**Content Advisory: This book contains some profanity and brief scenes of graphic violence.]]> 310 Carrie Rubin 1940419115 Carol 5 The characters are well drawn and I particularly liked Sue (a tongue in cheek name), a no-nonsense bossy nurse for the public health department who takes it upon herself to sue the fast food industry and engages Jeremy a sweet obese teenager as the poster child for her case.
My one criticism about this novel is the detailed violence at the beginning of the book. Violence which is also repeated in a subsequent chapter. Once stated, I got the extent of the violence and didn’t need to have to have it repeated. But the author did tone down the violence toward the end which didn’t take anything away from the reader’s knowledge of how sick this individual was. Kudos to her for doing that and not hitting the reader over and over with violent details.
Because violence is not the point of this novel. In fact, one of the things which the author did (and I much appreciated) was drop hints to explain this violent behavior. Not that she condoned or excused the perpetrator but, like obesity, she points out that violence does not grow in a vacuum but is fed by factors other than an individual’s innate personality or genetic make-up.
There’s mastery of craft in this novel for sure. Rubin excels in vocabulary choice “choking glob in her throat.” There’s also terrific dialogue. One example that comes to mind is the scene between Sue and Sunny, the lawyer. LOL.
As eerie as the serial killer’s murders, is Rubin’s description of the Dallas Holocaust Museum where she describes the horror she sees with utmost respect for the victims. It was a scene which I felt was sacred in tone.
For many reasons I found that this novel was more than a thriller. Although obesity is at the heart of the novel the author also juxtaposes it with the other end of the spectrum: anorexia. Eating Bull offers a lot more than the nail-biting suspense of a thriller. Though it certainly does offer that
]]> 4.11 2015
author: Carrie Rubin
name: Carol
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2016/01/11
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves:
review:
How much should the fast food industry be responsible for propagating obesity? Through the vehicle of a well scripted thriller Carrie Rubin raises awareness not only about the fast food industry’s role in obesity but also tackles how bullying contributes to this problem.
The characters are well drawn and I particularly liked Sue (a tongue in cheek name), a no-nonsense bossy nurse for the public health department who takes it upon herself to sue the fast food industry and engages Jeremy a sweet obese teenager as the poster child for her case.
My one criticism about this novel is the detailed violence at the beginning of the book. Violence which is also repeated in a subsequent chapter. Once stated, I got the extent of the violence and didn’t need to have to have it repeated. But the author did tone down the violence toward the end which didn’t take anything away from the reader’s knowledge of how sick this individual was. Kudos to her for doing that and not hitting the reader over and over with violent details.
Because violence is not the point of this novel. In fact, one of the things which the author did (and I much appreciated) was drop hints to explain this violent behavior. Not that she condoned or excused the perpetrator but, like obesity, she points out that violence does not grow in a vacuum but is fed by factors other than an individual’s innate personality or genetic make-up.
There’s mastery of craft in this novel for sure. Rubin excels in vocabulary choice “choking glob in her throat.” There’s also terrific dialogue. One example that comes to mind is the scene between Sue and Sunny, the lawyer. LOL.
As eerie as the serial killer’s murders, is Rubin’s description of the Dallas Holocaust Museum where she describes the horror she sees with utmost respect for the victims. It was a scene which I felt was sacred in tone.
For many reasons I found that this novel was more than a thriller. Although obesity is at the heart of the novel the author also juxtaposes it with the other end of the spectrum: anorexia. Eating Bull offers a lot more than the nail-biting suspense of a thriller. Though it certainly does offer that

]]> 22881637
From PMS to menopause to what the hell?

D.G. adds a touch of humor to a tale about a not-so-humorous time. While bidding farewell to her dearly departing estrogen, D.G. struggles to tame her raging hormones of fire, relentless dryness, flooding and droughts and other unflattering symptoms.

Join D.G. on her meno-journey to slay the dragons of menopause as she tries to hold on to her sanity, memory, hair, and so much more!]]> 76 D.G. Kaye 0992097444 Carol 5 You don’t have to be in peri-meno or meno or post meno to appreciate this fast read. D.G. Kaye takes us on a ride through the various symptoms of the “meno dragon” from hot flashes to losing hair to swollen feet and of course, mood swings:
“Seriously, what do people think sleeping for only ten minutes out of every twenty, night after night, will do to our tolerance levels?’
Meno-What? is funny material (think Nora Ephron) but also beneath it serious survival tactics from homeopathic remedies, skin care products and what to wear in the hot flash war.
“My flashes were like a rush of seething flames through the core of my body straight up to my head. It felt as though I should have been able to life a lid off my head to let the steam escape.”
Read this book. It’s a hoot! (does anyone say hoot anymore?)
]]> 4.86 2014
author: D.G. Kaye
name: Carol
average rating: 4.86
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2014/06/29
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves:
review:
Can menopause be fun? According to DG Kaye it can.
You don’t have to be in peri-meno or meno or post meno to appreciate this fast read. D.G. Kaye takes us on a ride through the various symptoms of the “meno dragon” from hot flashes to losing hair to swollen feet and of course, mood swings:
“Seriously, what do people think sleeping for only ten minutes out of every twenty, night after night, will do to our tolerance levels?’
Meno-What? is funny material (think Nora Ephron) but also beneath it serious survival tactics from homeopathic remedies, skin care products and what to wear in the hot flash war.
“My flashes were like a rush of seething flames through the core of my body straight up to my head. It felt as though I should have been able to life a lid off my head to let the steam escape.”
Read this book. It’s a hoot! (does anyone say hoot anymore?)

]]> 22174553 In her eagerly awaited new novel, beloved New York Times bestselling author Emily Giffin returns with an extraordinary story of love and loyalty—and an unconventional heroine struggling to reconcile both.
 
Thirty-three-year-old Shea Rigsby has spent her entire life in Walker, Texas—a small college town that lives and dies by football, a passion she unabashedly shares. Raised alongside her best friend, Lucy, the daughter of Walker’s legendary head coach, Clive Carr, Shea was too devoted to her hometown team to leave. Instead she stayed in Walker for college, even taking a job in the university athletic department after graduation, where she has remained for more than a decade.
 
But when an unexpected tragedy strikes the tight-knit Walker community, Shea’s comfortable world is upended, and she begins to wonder if the life she’s chosen is really enough for her. As she finally gives up her safety net to set out on an unexpected path, Shea discovers unsettling truths about the people and things she has always trusted most—and is forced to confront her deepest desires, fears, and secrets.
 
Thoughtful, funny, and brilliantly observed, The One & Only is a luminous novel about finding your passion, following your heart, and, most of all, believing in something bigger than yourself . . . the one and only thing that truly makes life worth living.]]> 433 Emily Giffin 0385680430 Carol 5 3.61 2014
author: Emily Giffin
name: Carol
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2014/08/26
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves:
review:
Aside from the football talk, which was way too much (although Giffin really did her research on this) I found The One & Only to be a good read. I thought that the way she handled grief, friendship, love and father/daughter relationship to be very compelling. Her writing is sharp,clean and flowed. You can tell that she's a pro in this genre - interesting vocabulary, great dialogue and her protagonist's relationship with her best girlfriend was endearing. In her final paragraph Giffin offers wonderful advice regarding victory: effort, passion, faith...what she likely put into writing this book.
]]> 34607899
Samantha Cross is all grown up, busy with art school, and free of romantic entanglements. That's how she prefers it, having renounced love ever since Ben Swift came between her and her sister Veronica four years ago, changing their lives forever.
Quite the opposite, Veronica rides the dating circuit with every eligible guy she meets. The rift between the sisters is still intact, troubling Samantha and raising questions about Veronica's lifestyle choices.

But when an old friend turned sexy bass player rocks Samantha into a wild infatuation, she rethinks her abstinence. While feeling out this intense relationship, Ben barges back into their world with devastating news, sending both sisters into a tailspin. Is Samantha fated to fall under his spell again, or will she side with Veronica against dire new threats facing their family?

In an explosive climax, Veronica reveals long-buried secrets of her own, secrets that could impact all their futures and any hope of reconciliation between the Cross women — a.k.a. the Calmer Girls.]]> 300 Jennifer Kelland Perry 0995308527 Carol 5 4.32
author: Jennifer Kelland Perry
name: Carol
average rating: 4.32
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves:
review:

]]> 20504604
Burdened with constant worry for her father and the guilt caused by her mother’s narcissism, D.G. Kaye had a short childhood. When she moved away from home at age eighteen, she began to grow into herself, overcoming her lack of guidance and her insecurities. Her life experiences became her teachers, and she learned from the mistakes and choices she made along the way, plagued by the guilt she carried for her mother.

Conflicted Hearts is a heartfelt journey of self-discovery and acceptance, an exploration of the quest for solace from emotional guilt.]]> 209 D.G. Kaye 0992097401 Carol 5 The story has many layers: her loving relationship with her father, her siblings, her dear aunt and her different romances.
But basically it is a memoir of letting go of guilt. Kaye shows us how strong a mother/daughter bond is, even when it is destructive. Her wish to get out of the relationship is held back by guilt - a guilt which in itself is toxic.
Kaye is not a best selling author, nor is she a rock or movie star nor won any Olympic Gold medals. As memoirs go, she is on the bottom rung of "important" people to read about. Yet, her memoir is one of these books that I couldn't put down.
She especially shines in the romance sections and writes with a good mastery of suspense.
Perhaps its only flaw is that it is at times a bit repetitious but overall for anyone who loves strong, courageous and loving protagonist MG Kaye proves to be one in her own memoir.]]> 4.35 2013
author: D.G. Kaye
name: Carol
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2014/01/01
date added: 2024/09/18
shelves:
review:
This is a memoir about the power of guilt. It is a story about a woman's boundless compassion towards an emotionally abusive mother and the toll it takes on her own health and happiness.
The story has many layers: her loving relationship with her father, her siblings, her dear aunt and her different romances.
But basically it is a memoir of letting go of guilt. Kaye shows us how strong a mother/daughter bond is, even when it is destructive. Her wish to get out of the relationship is held back by guilt - a guilt which in itself is toxic.
Kaye is not a best selling author, nor is she a rock or movie star nor won any Olympic Gold medals. As memoirs go, she is on the bottom rung of "important" people to read about. Yet, her memoir is one of these books that I couldn't put down.
She especially shines in the romance sections and writes with a good mastery of suspense.
Perhaps its only flaw is that it is at times a bit repetitious but overall for anyone who loves strong, courageous and loving protagonist MG Kaye proves to be one in her own memoir.
]]> 9651708 304 Joan Hall Hovey Carol 4 The plot is intriguing and her female protagonist is smart and surrounded by a cast of interesting people.
Joan Hall Hovey has the skill to play on the readers’ emotions with her Hitchcockian imagination.
My only criticism of her novel is that it could use a good editor. There are often no paragraph breaks whereby she abruptly switches scene and character which takes away from the flow of the novel. I had to stop a few times to figure out who was speaking thus detracting from what is otherwise a very good story.
You can read more of my critique of this novel on my blog at:
https://wordpress.com/post/carolbalaw...]]> 3.84
author: Joan Hall Hovey
name: Carol
average rating: 3.84
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2021/12/16
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:
This is the third Joan Hall Hovey novel that I have read. Like her other two novels, Chill Waters is filled with the kind of heart pumping suspense that I like.
The plot is intriguing and her female protagonist is smart and surrounded by a cast of interesting people.
Joan Hall Hovey has the skill to play on the readers’ emotions with her Hitchcockian imagination.
My only criticism of her novel is that it could use a good editor. There are often no paragraph breaks whereby she abruptly switches scene and character which takes away from the flow of the novel. I had to stop a few times to figure out who was speaking thus detracting from what is otherwise a very good story.
You can read more of my critique of this novel on my blog at:
https://wordpress.com/post/carolbalaw...
]]> 44290858 260 D.L. Finn 0997751983 Carol 5 For a city girl, as myself, it was refreshing to be taken down that journey into her mind where colors are brighter and sounds sharper.
“These spring sounds soothe my mind (A)s green bursts through the glory of winter” while fall is “not only a time to harvest our crops, but harvest our perceptions.”
An unexpected wonderful ride behind a Harley awaits where “on the back of a Harley, on, my husband’s backbones…I write.” I have never been on a Harley but the ride she takes us through as every turn a new scenery is revealed accompanied by the chill of air. The scent of pines, cedars and ferns as they fly peacefully made me feel right there with her lively presence.
Then, her poetry turns more serious as she juxtaposes fear with love – where a world can be safe and unsafe. Here she exposes her spiritual side: her anger, her sadness, her pain, strength and hope. “Love isn’t a thing and can’t be bought. It comes from the heart, soul, and above…. Fear leaves you empty, but love will fill your life with joy. It’s your choice fear and hate or love and kindness.”
In her poems about her family, she realistically captures how she put work above the smiles…the laughter…the joy “Too bad we never figured it out when we should, which is why grandparents are so important.”
]]> 4.75
author: D.L. Finn
name: Carol
average rating: 4.75
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/19
date added: 2024/04/19
shelves:
review:
D.L. Finn’s diverse collection ranges from her soothing celebration of Nature around her of which she is as much a part of as the music of the humming bees and the beauty, joy and wonder of summer. I sensed that she lives on the same level with her surroundings. Her season poems flow like they are one solid piece as she captures life’s fleeting nature.
For a city girl, as myself, it was refreshing to be taken down that journey into her mind where colors are brighter and sounds sharper.
“These spring sounds soothe my mind (A)s green bursts through the glory of winter” while fall is “not only a time to harvest our crops, but harvest our perceptions.”
An unexpected wonderful ride behind a Harley awaits where “on the back of a Harley, on, my husband’s backbones…I write.” I have never been on a Harley but the ride she takes us through as every turn a new scenery is revealed accompanied by the chill of air. The scent of pines, cedars and ferns as they fly peacefully made me feel right there with her lively presence.
Then, her poetry turns more serious as she juxtaposes fear with love – where a world can be safe and unsafe. Here she exposes her spiritual side: her anger, her sadness, her pain, strength and hope. “Love isn’t a thing and can’t be bought. It comes from the heart, soul, and above…. Fear leaves you empty, but love will fill your life with joy. It’s your choice fear and hate or love and kindness.”
In her poems about her family, she realistically captures how she put work above the smiles…the laughter…the joy “Too bad we never figured it out when we should, which is why grandparents are so important.”

]]> 58065033 390 Bonnie Garmus Carol 5 In her TV show Supper at Six she illustrates that cooking is chemistry and encourages her viewers to think beyond cultural simplicity. To think sensibly.
Elizabeth Zott is a brilliant chemist who is confident and fearlessly certain of who she is and her beliefs. She is the type of woman I’d love to have as a friend…Or better still the type of woman I aspire to be like.
More than lots of fun, Lessons in Chemistry is inspirational:
“Whenever you start doubting yourself,” she said, turning back to the audience, “whenever you feel afraid, just remember. Courage is the root of change – and change is what we’re chemically designed to do. So, when you wake up tomorrow, make this pledge. No more holding yourself back. No more subscribing to others’ opinions of what you can and cannot achieve. And no more allowing anyone to pigeonhole you into useless categories of sex, race, economic status, and religion. Do not allow your talents to lie dormant, ladies. Design your own future. When you go home today, ask yourself what you will change. And then get started.”]]> 4.23 2022
author: Bonnie Garmus
name: Carol
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/22
date added: 2024/03/22
shelves:
review:
Lessons in Chemistry is one of these books that is at the top of my list of my favorite books. I loved and admired the protagonist Elizabeth Zott - Her young daughter Madeline is delightful and to top things off she has has a dog able to understand over 200 words.
In her TV show Supper at Six she illustrates that cooking is chemistry and encourages her viewers to think beyond cultural simplicity. To think sensibly.
Elizabeth Zott is a brilliant chemist who is confident and fearlessly certain of who she is and her beliefs. She is the type of woman I’d love to have as a friend…Or better still the type of woman I aspire to be like.
More than lots of fun, Lessons in Chemistry is inspirational:
“Whenever you start doubting yourself,” she said, turning back to the audience, “whenever you feel afraid, just remember. Courage is the root of change – and change is what we’re chemically designed to do. So, when you wake up tomorrow, make this pledge. No more holding yourself back. No more subscribing to others’ opinions of what you can and cannot achieve. And no more allowing anyone to pigeonhole you into useless categories of sex, race, economic status, and religion. Do not allow your talents to lie dormant, ladies. Design your own future. When you go home today, ask yourself what you will change. And then get started.”
]]> 25152052
Decades later, Alma is nearing the end of her long and eventful life. Irina Bazili, a care worker struggling to come to terms with her own troubled past, meets the elderly woman and her grandson, Seth, at San Francisco's charmingly eccentric Lark House nursing home. As Irina and Seth forge a friendship, they become intrigued by a series of mysterious gifts and letters sent to Alma, eventually learning about Ichimei and this extraordinary secret passion that has endured for nearly seventy years.]]> 337 Isabel Allende 1501116975 Carol 5 3.79 2015
author: Isabel Allende
name: Carol
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/04
date added: 2024/03/04
shelves:
review:
A beautiful love story but also insights on both social and economical cultures.
]]> 53443227 WINNER OF THE 2022 NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE

Another masterpiece of remembering from Annie Ernaux, the Man Booker International Prize–shortlisted author of The Years.

In A Girl’s Story, Annie Ernaux revisits the season fifty years earlier when she found herself overpowered by another’s will and desire. In the summer of 1958, eighteen-year-old Ernaux submits her will to a man’s, and then he moves on, leaving her without a “master,” bereft. Now, fifty years later, she realizes she can obliterate the intervening years and return to consider this young woman that she wanted to forget completely. And to discover that here, submerged in shame, humiliation, and betrayal, but also in self-discovery and self-reliance, lies the origin of her writing life.]]> 160 Annie Ernaux Carol 5 4.00 2016
author: Annie Ernaux
name: Carol
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/04
date added: 2024/03/04
shelves:
review:
Annie Ernauxès writer is superb. I keep re-reading sections of this book for inspiration on writing.
]]> 17707102 232 Stacey May Fowles 1770411410 Carol 5 Infidelity is packed with gems such as this one. From the very first sentence "They say it takes a lot of nerve to leave someone at the altar" I was hooked.

It was not only the plot that grabbed me. With a title like infidelity we know already what it's going to be about. In this case, a sought after, married writer with an autistic child and a soon to be married hairdresser.

That's interesting enough. But the real sparkles of this novel is the writing. Stacey May Fowles not only writes beautiful sentences but she takes literary risks that wowed me. For example, shifting points of views so smoothly and artistically. As a writer, I was fascinated with her style of writing.

She is a new discovery for me and I look forward to reading more of her]]> 3.47 2013
author: Stacey May Fowles
name: Carol
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/04
date added: 2024/03/04
shelves:
review:
"People who commit infidelity all seem to end up in the same shitty hotel room."
Infidelity is packed with gems such as this one. From the very first sentence "They say it takes a lot of nerve to leave someone at the altar" I was hooked.

It was not only the plot that grabbed me. With a title like infidelity we know already what it's going to be about. In this case, a sought after, married writer with an autistic child and a soon to be married hairdresser.

That's interesting enough. But the real sparkles of this novel is the writing. Stacey May Fowles not only writes beautiful sentences but she takes literary risks that wowed me. For example, shifting points of views so smoothly and artistically. As a writer, I was fascinated with her style of writing.

She is a new discovery for me and I look forward to reading more of her
]]> 5439 Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found here

Navigating between the Indian traditions they've inherited and the baffling new world, the characters in Jhumpa Lahiri's elegant, touching stories seek love beyond the barriers of culture and generations. In "A Temporary Matter," published in The New Yorker, a young Indian-American couple faces the heartbreak of a stillborn birth while their Boston neighborhood copes with a nightly blackout. In the title story, an interpreter guides an American family through the India of their ancestors and hears an astonishing confession. Lahiri writes with deft cultural insight reminiscent of Anita Desai and a nuanced depth that recalls Mavis Gallant.]]> 198 Jhumpa Lahiri 0618101365 Carol 5 4.19 1999
author: Jhumpa Lahiri
name: Carol
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/04
date added: 2024/03/04
shelves:
review:
So happy I discovered this author. A great read.
]]> 9279177
If the moment doesn't pass, that's it―you're done. And if the moment does pass, it never goes that far. It stands in the distance, ready for whenever you want it back. Sometimes it's even there when you thought you were searching for something else, like an escape route, or your lover's face.

How does one talk about love? Do we even have the right words to describe something that can be both utterly mundane and completely transcendent, pulling us out of our everyday lives and making us feel a part of something greater than ourselves? Taking a unique approach to this problem, the nameless narrator of David Levithan's The Lover's Dictionary has constructed the story of his relationship as a dictionary. Through these short entries, he provides an intimate window into the great events and quotidian trifles of being within a couple, giving us an indelible and deeply moving portrait of love in our time.]]> 211 David Levithan 0374193681 Carol 5 3.87 2011
author: David Levithan
name: Carol
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/04
date added: 2024/03/04
shelves:
review:
A very unique and entertaining novel.
]]> 177317676 New York Times Bestseller

If life were a house, then every room holds a story. What do we do when a room we’re in is no longer a room where we belong?

What do you do when you start to feel a shift and must decide if it’s time to make a change? When it comes to navigating big decisions about when to stay and go, how can we know for sure when the time is right? Though we enter and exit many rooms over the course of our life—jobs, relationships, communities, life stages—knowing how and when it’s time to leave is a decision that rarely has a clear answer.

Podcast host, spiritual director, and bestselling author of The Next Right Thing, Emily P. Freeman offers guidance to help us recognize when it’s time to move on from situations that no longer fit, allowing us to find new spaces where we can flourish and grow.

How to Walk Into a Room helps us begin to uncover the silent, nuanced, and hidden arrows for anyone asking questions How do I know if it’s time to move on? What if I stay and nothing changes? What if I leave and everything falls apart?

Through thought-provoking questions, spiritual practices, and personal stories, How to Walk into a Room will help you to know and name the caution flags in your current spaces, discern the difference between true peace and discomfort avoidance, navigate endings even when there is no closure, find peace for when you feel ready but it isn’t time, and courage for when it’s time but you don’t feel ready. 

For anyone standing in a threshold, here’s a book to help discern the how, when, and what now of walking out of rooms and into new ones with peace, confidence, and a whole heart.]]> 232 Emily P. Freeman 0063328844 Carol 0 currently-reading 3.86
author: Emily P. Freeman
name: Carol
average rating: 3.86
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/20
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 30634122 Canadian girl...
So what is she doing thousands of kilometres from home in the United Arab Emirates?

It's her own fault really, she wished for adventure and travel when she blew out those candles on her last birthday cake.

Little did she know that a whole different world awaited her on the other side of the globe, one full of intrigue, mystery and folklore. A world with a beautiful princess, a dangerous desert and wonderful friends.

Join Amanda on her first adventure, as she discovers the secrets behind The Perfume Flask.
*-*

Be sure to follow Amanda on her journeys around the world in the exciting series, Amanda's Travels:
Book 1: Amanda in Arabia: The Perfume Flask
Book 2: Amanda in Spain: The Girl in the Painting
Book 3: Amanda in England: The Missing Novel
Book 4: Amanda in Alberta: The Writing on the Stone
Book 5: Amanda on the Danube: The Sounds of Music
Book 6: Amanda in New Mexico: Ghosts in the Wind
Book 7: Amanda in Holland: Missing in Action
Book 8: Amanda in Malta: The Sleeping Lady
]]> 110 Darlene Foster Carol 0 Lately, I’d been emersed in a lot of adult literary fiction and so this past weekend, I was looking for something to read which wouldn’t be too demanding on my exhausted brain. A book that a middle school child could handle.
So far, Darlene has eight Amanda adventure books, each one set in different countries: Spain, Holland, England, Arabia and Malta or in different states or provinces: Alberta, New Mexico or The Danube.
I had debated whether I wanted to read one of the adventures set in a place I had already visited but finally settled on the exotic, the foreign, somewhere I will likely never visit: The United Arab Emirates or as the locals refer to it as either the UAE or simply the Emirates.
Amanda, a twelve-year-old girl from Alberta, Canada, is visiting her aunt and uncle in the Emirates where she befriends an English girl living in the same apartment building. The two girls explore powder-soft white sandy, spotless beaches with its clear blue water, a deserted Bedouin village and riding camels in the desert with its changing colors of sand, its impressive dunes and sandstorms.
Then, there is the magical “Lawrence of Arabia” fairy-tale (After all there is a perfume flask which reminded me of Aladdin’s lamp and Arabian nights and reference to flying carpets and a princess who needs saving). There is also the chaos of camel races and a kidnapping.
My favorite part was Amanda riding a camel in the desert - I never thought I’d be so interested in camels before reading this book.
There is also a scene where a boy is sand boarding in the desert dunes which brought back tender memories of my visit to Mui Ne Sand Dunes in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where there too boys sand boarded.
Reading Amanda in Arabia was like taking a mini vacation to a colorful and fascinating country learning a bit about their culture. It was refreshing how Amanda found everything about the country amazing, whether it was the women covering their faces, the soothing sounding call to prayer five times a day, the friendliness of the people and the little goats climbing trees.
When I was ten or so I would order a bunch of Scholastic novels for my summer reading and would be so excited when they arrived. It is easy for me to imagine that I would have been just as excited to have received Darlene Foster’s Amanda series had they existed then.
]]> 3.96 2009
author: Darlene Foster
name: Carol
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at: 2024/02/20
date added: 2024/02/20
shelves:
review:
I have been following Darlene Foster’s blog for sometime now and had often told myself that I would want to read one of her books.
Lately, I’d been emersed in a lot of adult literary fiction and so this past weekend, I was looking for something to read which wouldn’t be too demanding on my exhausted brain. A book that a middle school child could handle.
So far, Darlene has eight Amanda adventure books, each one set in different countries: Spain, Holland, England, Arabia and Malta or in different states or provinces: Alberta, New Mexico or The Danube.
I had debated whether I wanted to read one of the adventures set in a place I had already visited but finally settled on the exotic, the foreign, somewhere I will likely never visit: The United Arab Emirates or as the locals refer to it as either the UAE or simply the Emirates.
Amanda, a twelve-year-old girl from Alberta, Canada, is visiting her aunt and uncle in the Emirates where she befriends an English girl living in the same apartment building. The two girls explore powder-soft white sandy, spotless beaches with its clear blue water, a deserted Bedouin village and riding camels in the desert with its changing colors of sand, its impressive dunes and sandstorms.
Then, there is the magical “Lawrence of Arabia” fairy-tale (After all there is a perfume flask which reminded me of Aladdin’s lamp and Arabian nights and reference to flying carpets and a princess who needs saving). There is also the chaos of camel races and a kidnapping.
My favorite part was Amanda riding a camel in the desert - I never thought I’d be so interested in camels before reading this book.
There is also a scene where a boy is sand boarding in the desert dunes which brought back tender memories of my visit to Mui Ne Sand Dunes in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where there too boys sand boarded.
Reading Amanda in Arabia was like taking a mini vacation to a colorful and fascinating country learning a bit about their culture. It was refreshing how Amanda found everything about the country amazing, whether it was the women covering their faces, the soothing sounding call to prayer five times a day, the friendliness of the people and the little goats climbing trees.
When I was ten or so I would order a bunch of Scholastic novels for my summer reading and would be so excited when they arrived. It is easy for me to imagine that I would have been just as excited to have received Darlene Foster’s Amanda series had they existed then.

]]> 61964535 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Award Gold Medalist
2023 RONE Award Gold Medalist
2023 Reader's Favorite Silver Medalist

A healer with the talent to unravel death. A stillborn child brought to life. A father lusting for vengeance. And a son torn between justice, faith, and love. Caught in a chase spanning kingdoms, each must decide the nature of good and evil, the lengths they will go to survive, and what they are willing to lose.

A healer and dabbler in the dark arts of life and death, Barus is as gnarled as an ancient tree. Forgotten in the chaos of the dying queen’s chamber, he spirits away her stillborn infant and in a hovel at the meadow’s edge, breathes life into the wisp of a child. He names her Aster for the lea’s white flowers. Raised as his daughter, she, too, learns to heal death.

Denied a living heir, the widowed king spies from a distance. But he heeds the claims of the fiery Vicar of the Red Order—in the eyes of the Blessed One, Aster is an abomination, and to embrace the evil of resurrection will doom his rule.

As the king’s life nears its end, he defies the vicar’s warning and summons the necromancer’s daughter. For his boldness, he falls to an assassin’s blade. Armed with righteousness and iron-clad conviction, the Order’s brothers ride into the leas to cleanse the land of evil.

To save her father’s life, Aster leads them beyond Verdane’s wall into the Forest of Silvern Cats, a wilderness of dragons and barbarian tribes. Unprepared for a world rife with danger and unchecked power, a world divided by those who practice magic and those who hunt them, she must choose whether to trust the one man offering her aid, the one man most likely to betray her—her enemy’s son.~*~

From best-selling fantasy author D. Wallace Peach comes a retelling of the legend of Kwan-yin, the Chinese Goddess of Mercy. Set in a winter world of dragons, intrigue, and magic, The Necromancer's Daughter is a story about duty, defiance, cruelty, and sacrifice— an epic tale of compassion and deep abiding love where good and evil aren’t what they seem.]]> 348 D. Wallace Peach Carol 5 Taking up the challenge, D. Wallace Peach created the royal daughter Aster, a sweet, innocent and fearless girl who was born dead but brought to life by Barus, an old, slight, crippled man who practices the art of bringing the dead back to life through necromancy.
Necromancy: The Summoning, Manipulation, and Resurrection of the Dead.
The loving bond between Aster and Barus is one of the most touching and beautiful father/daughter relationships in literature. This is expressed in letters which Barus wrote while separated from Aster:
You were my first attempt at necromancy that mattered. I knew then that you would become my snow fairy and transform my lonely days with your bright spirit.
Besides the plot, the novel shines with its exquisite, poetic descriptions.
D. Wallace Peach has succeeded in creating a beautiful character with a beautiful heart, a truly good person. One of literature’s heroines.
Finally, I was most impressed by D. Wallace Peach’s talent and vivid imagination.]]> 4.77
author: D. Wallace Peach
name: Carol
average rating: 4.77
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/20
date added: 2024/02/20
shelves:
review:
In her acknowledgment page D. Wallace Peach writes how Cathleen Townsend, a beta reader and editor challenged her to write a book “with one beautiful character, not someone physically stunning, but someone with a beautiful heart, a truly good person.”
Taking up the challenge, D. Wallace Peach created the royal daughter Aster, a sweet, innocent and fearless girl who was born dead but brought to life by Barus, an old, slight, crippled man who practices the art of bringing the dead back to life through necromancy.
Necromancy: The Summoning, Manipulation, and Resurrection of the Dead.
The loving bond between Aster and Barus is one of the most touching and beautiful father/daughter relationships in literature. This is expressed in letters which Barus wrote while separated from Aster:
You were my first attempt at necromancy that mattered. I knew then that you would become my snow fairy and transform my lonely days with your bright spirit.
Besides the plot, the novel shines with its exquisite, poetic descriptions.
D. Wallace Peach has succeeded in creating a beautiful character with a beautiful heart, a truly good person. One of literature’s heroines.
Finally, I was most impressed by D. Wallace Peach’s talent and vivid imagination.
]]> 36694577
In this personal accounting, D.G. Kaye shares the insights and wisdom she has accrued through twenty years of keeping her marriage strong and thriving despite the everyday changes and challenges of aging. Kaye reveals how a little creative planning, acceptance, and unconditional love can create a bond no obstacle will break. Kaye’s stories are informative, inspiring, and a testament to love eclipsing all when two people understand, respect, and honor their vows. She adds that a daily sprinkling of laughter is a staple in nourishing a healthy marriage.

Twenty years began with a promise. As Kaye recounts what transpired within that time, she shows that true love has no limits, even when one spouse ages ahead of the other.]]> 140 D.G. Kaye 0994793863 Carol 5 Although Twenty Years: After I Do focuses on growing old with a partner who is much older than herself, D.G. Kaye’s message is ageless as she tackles the issues of health, finance, mortality and children with clarity, authenticity and her usual grace.
D.G. Kaye is known for her ability to tell it like it is. There’s no sugar coating here although there is a lot of tenderness, affection, kind heartedness and insight drawn from her life experiences. In fact this is D.G. Kaye’s trademark – using her life experiences to help people.
Anyone who has followed her blog is surely aware of D.G. Kaye’s generosity in sharing her knowledge. Much of her blog is about that and this munificence is evident throughout this book.
The book is an easy and enjoyable read. But make no mistake; it is by no means frivolous or meaningless. The book is filled with insights regarding the author’s reflections on keeping the flames of a relationship alive.
Sure, it’s not always easy, as she points out. Her and her husband do have disagreements, as all couples do, but their commitment to each other in sickness and in health, till death do us part and even after is a model for anyone to follow.
One last thing, Gordon (Puppy) her husband is a lucky guy to have such a loving wife.
]]> 4.88
author: D.G. Kaye
name: Carol
average rating: 4.88
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/20
date added: 2024/02/20
shelves:
review:
I am always enthusiastic about reading a book by D.G. Kaye. I have read all of her books so far and have enjoyed them all. Her sixth book Twenty Years: After I Do doesn’t disappoint. In fact, it’s probably her best, which is normal I guess. We do tend to get better with practice.
Although Twenty Years: After I Do focuses on growing old with a partner who is much older than herself, D.G. Kaye’s message is ageless as she tackles the issues of health, finance, mortality and children with clarity, authenticity and her usual grace.
D.G. Kaye is known for her ability to tell it like it is. There’s no sugar coating here although there is a lot of tenderness, affection, kind heartedness and insight drawn from her life experiences. In fact this is D.G. Kaye’s trademark – using her life experiences to help people.
Anyone who has followed her blog is surely aware of D.G. Kaye’s generosity in sharing her knowledge. Much of her blog is about that and this munificence is evident throughout this book.
The book is an easy and enjoyable read. But make no mistake; it is by no means frivolous or meaningless. The book is filled with insights regarding the author’s reflections on keeping the flames of a relationship alive.
Sure, it’s not always easy, as she points out. Her and her husband do have disagreements, as all couples do, but their commitment to each other in sickness and in health, till death do us part and even after is a model for anyone to follow.
One last thing, Gordon (Puppy) her husband is a lucky guy to have such a loving wife.

]]> 46023166
Tyler Thompson is Australia’s young, brilliant and charismatic Prime Minister, riding high on a wave of popularity. But the past has come back to haunt him and there is a shocking secret from his childhood that he will do almost anything to conceal.

The one man who knows what happened twenty-five years ago is back – and he is hellbent on revenge. Tyler’s precious wife and baby have disappeared and their safe return will cost him everything: family, career and freedom.

But even that may not be enough to satisfy his nemesis – and the truth may be more terrible than he could possibly imagine.

A chilling novel about deceit, betrayal and murder, with twists and turns that you will not see coming.]]> 193 Toni Pike Carol 5 The basis of the plot is not discovering Tyler’s secret. We know it from the brutal opening pages of the novel. What follows is how Tyler hides his secret. One could argue that this is the story about the horrific effects on child abuse. This could almost make us feel sorry for Tyler if he had left it at that.
Suspense mounts as young Tyler becomes more and more successful from top student in high school, debating champion, top in athletics and mathematics. Too good to be true yet we follow him with curiosity wondering how long he’ll be able to keep his secret from being a model citizen and later as Prime Minister.
He has a lot to lose about coming clean: Disappointing his loving, generous and so proud of him foster parents and later losing his lovely wife and campaign manager who has unfailing trust in him.
I found the theme of the story lies in this line from Tyler: “I hated myself for betraying Joshua but I didn’t want to be punished or tell the truth.”
I didn’t at all see the ending coming. It was a complete surprise with the addition of another secret for Tyler.
I enjoyed the Australian setting of the dessert and big cities and particularly was drawn to its political background.
If you enjoy political thrillers this is a book for you. Dead Dry Heart is definitely a page turner.

]]> 4.05 2018
author: Toni Pike
name: Carol
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/20
date added: 2024/02/20
shelves:
review:
Tyler Thompson has a deep, dark secret that can destroy his political career, his life and the lives of those he most cares about.
The basis of the plot is not discovering Tyler’s secret. We know it from the brutal opening pages of the novel. What follows is how Tyler hides his secret. One could argue that this is the story about the horrific effects on child abuse. This could almost make us feel sorry for Tyler if he had left it at that.
Suspense mounts as young Tyler becomes more and more successful from top student in high school, debating champion, top in athletics and mathematics. Too good to be true yet we follow him with curiosity wondering how long he’ll be able to keep his secret from being a model citizen and later as Prime Minister.
He has a lot to lose about coming clean: Disappointing his loving, generous and so proud of him foster parents and later losing his lovely wife and campaign manager who has unfailing trust in him.
I found the theme of the story lies in this line from Tyler: “I hated myself for betraying Joshua but I didn’t want to be punished or tell the truth.”
I didn’t at all see the ending coming. It was a complete surprise with the addition of another secret for Tyler.
I enjoyed the Australian setting of the dessert and big cities and particularly was drawn to its political background.
If you enjoy political thrillers this is a book for you. Dead Dry Heart is definitely a page turner.


]]> 201226673
Sandra and her friends thought they found their soul mates at their Christmas reunion, but a year later their relationships are fraught with insecurity, jealousy, disappointment and resentment. Old flames reignite and ghosts of their past come back to haunt them as they rely on their friendship for solace, strength and answers.

No matter how well they think they know their friends and lovers, there is always room for shocking news, unexpected twists and surprising secrets, they are reminded as they struggle to make the right decisions. But behind deceptive appearances and funny incidents lie love, friendship, growth and generosity.]]> 303 Ana Linden Carol 5 In the beginning, all seems to go well as these mid-thirties, career women find themselves in the charming Inn where they had spent their holidays as children. The novel takes up from Ana Linden’s Christmas Reunion Book 1 where last Christmas, the group, along with their partners, had gone for their Christmas holiday.
Ana Linden has done a terrific job of providing references to Book 1 so that the reader can easily follow Book 2 without being at a loss as to the dynamics and conflicts occurring in Book 1.
The women happily catch up on their lives, sharing their relationship troubles while enjoying the Inn’s amenities. The men on the other hand, are frustrated about spending their Christmas holidays without their girlfriends and decide to book their own Christmas holiday together in another inn in the same mountain village as Edelweiss Inn. Problems arise when a booking mistake is made and the men find themselves (much to the women’s discontent and annoyance) booking rooms where the women are.
Although a rom-com romance bringing to mind the sit-com FRIENDS, Christmas Reunion Book 2 is not a fluffy novel at all. True to her trademark of writing stories with emotional depth, Ana Linden draws deep into the characters’ fears, secrets, and real-life challenges, exploring themes as abandonment, financial worries, jealousy, the pitfalls of living together, and betrayals. This is not only a fun novel but an intelligent and sophisticated one.
The characters, though mostly successful in their professional lives are a mess in their personal lives. Sparks and conflicts surge as the group finds themselves snowbound and are forced to work out their disparities. Bored by not being able to ski, skate or go pubbing they embark in a game of True or Dare. Imbedded with alcohol, the characters grapple with the challenges they have with their respective partners, confessing their deepest hopes and fears. Love, desires and reconciliation are imminent if only the characters would have the courage to face the truth about their feelings.
The novel flows smoothly, which is remarkable as the author holds it together with so many characters all with different personalities and quirks.
The setting is magical including fireplaces, spa services, pubs, indoor pool, sparkling Christmas lights and seasonal music.
This Christmas holiday, pull on a cozy sweater, and snuggle up with your favorite drink and immerse yourself into an entertaining and satisfying read. I’ve left out a lot of juicy parts for you to discover and enjoy.]]> 5.00
author: Ana Linden
name: Carol
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/20
date added: 2024/02/20
shelves:
review:
What happens when your relationship no longer seems to be working? This is the dilemma which five women face as they decide to spend their Christmas holiday at the charming idyllic Edelweiss Inn sans their partners
In the beginning, all seems to go well as these mid-thirties, career women find themselves in the charming Inn where they had spent their holidays as children. The novel takes up from Ana Linden’s Christmas Reunion Book 1 where last Christmas, the group, along with their partners, had gone for their Christmas holiday.
Ana Linden has done a terrific job of providing references to Book 1 so that the reader can easily follow Book 2 without being at a loss as to the dynamics and conflicts occurring in Book 1.
The women happily catch up on their lives, sharing their relationship troubles while enjoying the Inn’s amenities. The men on the other hand, are frustrated about spending their Christmas holidays without their girlfriends and decide to book their own Christmas holiday together in another inn in the same mountain village as Edelweiss Inn. Problems arise when a booking mistake is made and the men find themselves (much to the women’s discontent and annoyance) booking rooms where the women are.
Although a rom-com romance bringing to mind the sit-com FRIENDS, Christmas Reunion Book 2 is not a fluffy novel at all. True to her trademark of writing stories with emotional depth, Ana Linden draws deep into the characters’ fears, secrets, and real-life challenges, exploring themes as abandonment, financial worries, jealousy, the pitfalls of living together, and betrayals. This is not only a fun novel but an intelligent and sophisticated one.
The characters, though mostly successful in their professional lives are a mess in their personal lives. Sparks and conflicts surge as the group finds themselves snowbound and are forced to work out their disparities. Bored by not being able to ski, skate or go pubbing they embark in a game of True or Dare. Imbedded with alcohol, the characters grapple with the challenges they have with their respective partners, confessing their deepest hopes and fears. Love, desires and reconciliation are imminent if only the characters would have the courage to face the truth about their feelings.
The novel flows smoothly, which is remarkable as the author holds it together with so many characters all with different personalities and quirks.
The setting is magical including fireplaces, spa services, pubs, indoor pool, sparkling Christmas lights and seasonal music.
This Christmas holiday, pull on a cozy sweater, and snuggle up with your favorite drink and immerse yourself into an entertaining and satisfying read. I’ve left out a lot of juicy parts for you to discover and enjoy.
]]> 194528723
Miriam Hurdle shared about going from having no grandkids, to getting the joyful news, to then having the pandemic limit travel to see this growing family. Her chapter left us with uplifting familial warmth.

Yvette Prior shared about the challenges and silver linings that came with a recent move while noting that lessons learned are a gift because it can lead to humility and strength.

Ana Linden shared about perspective changes through the story about her aunt, who had the middle name of Dragonfly. Ana showed the components of perspective and empathy are intertwined and complex, just like Ana's Aunt Dragonfly was. Marsha Ingrao shared about her blogging experience that led to soft skill development, friendship, life fuel, and a way to offer customized outreach. She reminded us that when storms come, we do the best we can to respond, cope, stay stable, and grow.

Lauren Scott explored body image while reminding us that empathy consists of both affective and cognitive components. Lauren also reminded us that we cannot keep doing the same thing and expect different results. Mabel Kwong gained a deeper perspective by stopping writing, which made a huge difference in her affect and outlook. Life is not always easy and the obstacles with her writing journey remind us to stay the course and find what we need. Robbie Cheadle shared her growth over six years as she dealt with illnesses with both of her children. The vulnerable health challenges also came with joy and growth. The beauty is there if we put forth the effort to see it. Jeffrey D. Simmons used poetry to describe the cadence of his life as he has adapted to different living arrangements. Jeff chooses to adapt and find joy whether he has to anchor or move around. Trent McDonald used fiction to show us that we humans not only tend to have wrong assumptions, but assumptions are often negative. Maybe we can start assuming the best and clarify sooner to minimize distorted thinking. Mahesh Nair talked about words and accents with an example of how he once perceived a behavior as snobby to later see that it was not. He also explored how the current digital world is something many of us take for granted but it had to grow, evolve, and mature over many years. Humans are similar in how we advance and grow. Mike's chapter offered tips and advice for thriving while in caregiver mode. The physical exhaustion and mental drain can be mitigated and he also let us into his personal life as he shared about how it took time to understand relationship dynamics and then live out what he advised about in a clinical setting.

Cade reminded us that our mental filters will change as the way we view right and wrong will change too. As we learn more about individual bias and faulty thinking, we need to pay attention to other people's viewpoints.

There is a gap between what is and what we know or think something is. We hope the stories and poems in this book help readers learn about how others see the world and gain a deeper understanding to open the heart and enahnce empathy. .]]> 311 Yvette Prior Carol 5 4.75
author: Yvette Prior
name: Carol
average rating: 4.75
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/03
date added: 2023/09/03
shelves:
review:
A thought-provoking collection.
]]> 187543658 Scott shares how love has shaped her life. From that first delicious kiss to celebrating decades of marriage through a love that deepens over time. How her heart melted when she became a mom, then ached when her children started their adult lives across country. And how her adorable canine companions found their way into her heart.
Scott underscores how life presents mysteries we struggle to solve. We can't help but ponder the deeper meaning of a simple vision. She prompts you to reminisce and reflect on your past, present, and future. Through the ups and downs. what matters most is to love and live ever so gently.]]> 126 Lauren Scott Carol 5 A beautiful collection.
]]> 4.95
author: Lauren Scott
name: Carol
average rating: 4.95
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/03
date added: 2023/09/03
shelves:
review:
Lauren Scott shows that she is fearless in exposing her love, her joys, her sorrows and her dreams.
A beautiful collection.

]]> 11505253 Detective Inspector Huss.

One nurse lies dead and another vanishes after their hospital is hit by a blackout. The only witness claims to have seen Nurse Tekla doing her rounds, but Nurse Tekla died sixty years ago. Detective Inspector Irene Huss of the Violent Crimes Unit has the challenge of disentangling wandering ghosts and complex human relationships to get to the bottom of this intriguing case.

A cult hit in its first three installments, the Irene Huss series is available once again for English-language fans.]]> 336 Helene Tursten 1616950064 Carol 3 The plot revolves around a mysterious double murder that takes place in a private hospital where one night the power is cut off and A patient on a respirator dies, and a nurse is found dead in the basement. Another nurse insists she saw Tekla, the ghost of a nurse who hanged herself in the hospital fifty years ago.
Detective Huss and her team are called in to investigate. Tursten, who was a nurse herself, is very accurate in the hospital details and her family life with her two teenage girls and her chef husband offer a quiet relief to the suspense.
However, the book did not hold my attention. I found it predictable. Maybe this is because this is an English translation from the original which was published in 1999.
But I wouldn’t dismiss Tursten. She’s well established as one of Sweden’s top female crime writers and her writing style is impeccable.
]]> 3.76 1999
author: Helene Tursten
name: Carol
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at: 2014/05/03
date added: 2023/08/01
shelves:
review:
This was my first exposure to Scandinavian crime writers. My mistake was likely not reading the first of Helene Tursten’s series about Detective Irene Huss.
The plot revolves around a mysterious double murder that takes place in a private hospital where one night the power is cut off and A patient on a respirator dies, and a nurse is found dead in the basement. Another nurse insists she saw Tekla, the ghost of a nurse who hanged herself in the hospital fifty years ago.
Detective Huss and her team are called in to investigate. Tursten, who was a nurse herself, is very accurate in the hospital details and her family life with her two teenage girls and her chef husband offer a quiet relief to the suspense.
However, the book did not hold my attention. I found it predictable. Maybe this is because this is an English translation from the original which was published in 1999.
But I wouldn’t dismiss Tursten. She’s well established as one of Sweden’s top female crime writers and her writing style is impeccable.

]]> 67992860 “Comprehensive, well-researched, and above all mesmerizing”—Readers’ Favorite

It’s hard to catch a killer when the only witness is a tree.

In 1853, after Catherine Miller is murdered for daring to become a doctor in a field full of men, a molecular fusion between human decay and natural rebirth transforms her into a Northern Red Oak. One hundred and seventy years later, she remains a mute but sentient tree, rooted near a secluded Northeast Ohio house. After she watches in horror as the newest homeowner murders one of his PhD students, Catherine is resolved, somehow, to see that justice gets served.

Fortunately, present-day Catherine has an unwitting ally: Lani Whitaker, a fourth-generation detective facing mandatory retirement and sick of being treated like a dried-up relic by her young chief of police. When the body of that same PhD student turns up in the woods, Lani is determined to solve the case and go out with a win.

Two women, generations apart, linked to each other through murder. Can solving a twenty-first-century homicide shed light on a nineteenth-century killer?]]> 255 Dannie Boyd 1958160040 Carol 5

A person before they die chooses what type of tree they would like to become. Then, after death, their body is placed in the fetal position into an egg-shaped pod which is then buried. Above this pod, a tree is planted. The decomposing pod then nourishes this growing tree, such that a transformation of molecules occurs so one might, quite literally, become a tree.

Once I got over the hurdle of letting go of my disbelief and was willing to accept the novel’s unusual premise, I honestly couldn’t put it down.
There are two major murders to be solved. One which happened 175 years ago and another which happens in present time. Both are connected in the most intriguing and interesting manner.
One hundred-seventy-five years ago Catherine Miller mysteriously disappeared on the day of her commencement celebration to Med school.
Fast forward to 2023. Catherine’s decomposing body has nourished the growth of an Oak tree on the grounds of a corrupt medical researcher’s estate.
Using first person, Dannie Boyd (Carrie Rubin) does an excellent job portraying Catherine the Tree in this magical realism mystery. Catherine’s body might have metamorphosed into a tree but she still has her inquisitive mind, thoughts, sight and sensations as she witnesses a murder.
Enter Detective Lori Whitaker (who’s reluctantly about to retire) and her young, handsome protégé, to investigate the murder. Their relationship is an amusing one of banter and respect.
The novel shines on many levels:
* The intriguing link between Catherine Miller’s murder and Detective Lori’s great great grandfather, Constable Henri Whitaker, who documented his investigation into Catherine’s disappearance 175 years ago, providing a long list of suspects.
* Detective Lori’s anxiety about her upcoming retirement.
* Boyd’s lovely prose: Warblers and hawks land on my branches overnight every spring. Even the scents absorbed through my pores change with the seasons: the smoky, crisp scent of autumn, the clear frost of winter, the fecund and floral aromas of spring and summer.
* Corruption in Pharma and funding of medical research.
* The author presents social commentary on women and equality: how 175 years ago a woman entering medicine was practically unheard of. During Catherine’s time, she was one of three other women in her class among a classroom of men filled with contempt towards their female peers and their arrogant belief that a woman’s weaker constitution and intellect makes her unfit for practicing medicine. Catherine is a pioneer paving the way for women entering the field of medicine. (...that road definitely takes guts to travel).
Using Dannie Boyd as her voice, Carrie Rubin brings to this novel her medical expertise and her sense of social justice as she has done in her other more conventional medical thrillers. Having read all of Carrie Rubin’s books I have always enjoyed not only her gripping plots but also her fast paced style of writing.
The novel has a very satisfying ending in which Catherine the Tree helps solve the murder. And a surprise ending as well. Who would have thought?








]]> 4.11
author: Dannie Boyd
name: Carol
average rating: 4.11
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/24
date added: 2023/07/24
shelves:
review:
FRACTURED OAK by Dannie Boyd


A person before they die chooses what type of tree they would like to become. Then, after death, their body is placed in the fetal position into an egg-shaped pod which is then buried. Above this pod, a tree is planted. The decomposing pod then nourishes this growing tree, such that a transformation of molecules occurs so one might, quite literally, become a tree.

Once I got over the hurdle of letting go of my disbelief and was willing to accept the novel’s unusual premise, I honestly couldn’t put it down.
There are two major murders to be solved. One which happened 175 years ago and another which happens in present time. Both are connected in the most intriguing and interesting manner.
One hundred-seventy-five years ago Catherine Miller mysteriously disappeared on the day of her commencement celebration to Med school.
Fast forward to 2023. Catherine’s decomposing body has nourished the growth of an Oak tree on the grounds of a corrupt medical researcher’s estate.
Using first person, Dannie Boyd (Carrie Rubin) does an excellent job portraying Catherine the Tree in this magical realism mystery. Catherine’s body might have metamorphosed into a tree but she still has her inquisitive mind, thoughts, sight and sensations as she witnesses a murder.
Enter Detective Lori Whitaker (who’s reluctantly about to retire) and her young, handsome protégé, to investigate the murder. Their relationship is an amusing one of banter and respect.
The novel shines on many levels:
* The intriguing link between Catherine Miller’s murder and Detective Lori’s great great grandfather, Constable Henri Whitaker, who documented his investigation into Catherine’s disappearance 175 years ago, providing a long list of suspects.
* Detective Lori’s anxiety about her upcoming retirement.
* Boyd’s lovely prose: Warblers and hawks land on my branches overnight every spring. Even the scents absorbed through my pores change with the seasons: the smoky, crisp scent of autumn, the clear frost of winter, the fecund and floral aromas of spring and summer.
* Corruption in Pharma and funding of medical research.
* The author presents social commentary on women and equality: how 175 years ago a woman entering medicine was practically unheard of. During Catherine’s time, she was one of three other women in her class among a classroom of men filled with contempt towards their female peers and their arrogant belief that a woman’s weaker constitution and intellect makes her unfit for practicing medicine. Catherine is a pioneer paving the way for women entering the field of medicine. (...that road definitely takes guts to travel).
Using Dannie Boyd as her voice, Carrie Rubin brings to this novel her medical expertise and her sense of social justice as she has done in her other more conventional medical thrillers. Having read all of Carrie Rubin’s books I have always enjoyed not only her gripping plots but also her fast paced style of writing.
The novel has a very satisfying ending in which Catherine the Tree helps solve the murder. And a surprise ending as well. Who would have thought?









]]> 41715227 The repercussions of an illicit affair unfold in this short story by bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Dear stranger…

A desperate young woman in Southern California sits down to write a letter to a man she’s never met—a choice that will forever change both their lives.

My heart goes out to you, David. Even though I do not know you…

The correspondence between Carrie Allsop and David Mayer reveals, piece by piece, the painful details of a devastating affair between their spouses. With each commiserating scratch of the pen, they confess their fears and bare their souls. They share the bewilderment over how things went so wrong and come to wonder where to go from here.

Told entirely through the letters of two comforting strangers and those of two illicit lovers, Evidence of the Affair explores the complex nature of the heart. And ultimately, for one woman, how liberating it can be when it’s broken.]]> 88 Taylor Jenkins Reid 1542044510 Carol 5 currently-reading 3.84 2018
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Carol
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/06/13
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 23197061 286 Sharon Marchisello Carol 0 currently-reading 4.37 2014
author: Sharon Marchisello
name: Carol
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/06
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 63362080
The poetry explores human nature, the fears, desires, expectations and achievements. Nature offers a wonderful opportunity to observe animals both domesticated and wild. Even in a back garden you can observe a wide variety of creatures and the daily challenges to survive a harsh environment.

The short stories introduces you to a healer whose gift comes with danger, a neighbour determined to protect a friend, a woman on the run, an old couple whose love has endured, an elderly retired teacher who faces a life changing accident, a secret that has been carried for over 70 years and a village who must unite as they face devastating news.]]> 127 Sally Cronin Carol 5 In the poetry section there are magpies who decorate their nests with sparkle, acrobatic starlings performing an avian ballet, the spindly legged robin as a feisty warrior and the peace-loving dove. Her poems are a mixture of delight, joy, reflection and sweetness. In them the reader will find tenderness, respect towards our ancestors, the joys of a waltz, dreams turning to dust and the miracles of nature.
I was especially touched by her sacred homage to her 20,000-year-old ancestor, Helena in which she uses the Choka form of poetry. Other forms of poetry are explored as well. she uses concrete poetry to shape her poem in The Moonlight Concerto and Dolphins the Roku-Hana for her poem 13.
These poems warmed my heart. To interpret Sally’s words, like having a bowl of strawberries with champagne.

The second part of her book, with its appealing cover, are her short stories. Here we meet kind, gentle people with well drawn characters. One of the best suspense lines in mysteries: “Darling, I have to tell you something, even if it means you hate me and walk away.” Who can resist reading.
I particularly loved the mother daughter relationship in her story The Secret and the suspense and romance in On the Run. But it was her story The Village which profoundly touched me where Sally Cronin describes the fearful reaction of the people in a closely-knit village upon the announcement that England is going to war against Germany.
Whether it is her poems or her stories, Sally Cronin’s writing is crisp and clear and contemplative.
]]> 4.89
author: Sally Cronin
name: Carol
average rating: 4.89
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/05
date added: 2023/06/05
shelves:
review:
Her latest book Variety is the Spice of Life, which has an attractive cover is an eclectic and exuberant collection of poems and short stories.
In the poetry section there are magpies who decorate their nests with sparkle, acrobatic starlings performing an avian ballet, the spindly legged robin as a feisty warrior and the peace-loving dove. Her poems are a mixture of delight, joy, reflection and sweetness. In them the reader will find tenderness, respect towards our ancestors, the joys of a waltz, dreams turning to dust and the miracles of nature.
I was especially touched by her sacred homage to her 20,000-year-old ancestor, Helena in which she uses the Choka form of poetry. Other forms of poetry are explored as well. she uses concrete poetry to shape her poem in The Moonlight Concerto and Dolphins the Roku-Hana for her poem 13.
These poems warmed my heart. To interpret Sally’s words, like having a bowl of strawberries with champagne.

The second part of her book, with its appealing cover, are her short stories. Here we meet kind, gentle people with well drawn characters. One of the best suspense lines in mysteries: “Darling, I have to tell you something, even if it means you hate me and walk away.” Who can resist reading.
I particularly loved the mother daughter relationship in her story The Secret and the suspense and romance in On the Run. But it was her story The Village which profoundly touched me where Sally Cronin describes the fearful reaction of the people in a closely-knit village upon the announcement that England is going to war against Germany.
Whether it is her poems or her stories, Sally Cronin’s writing is crisp and clear and contemplative.

]]> 62032707 331 Jacqui Murray 1942101635 Carol 5 Jacqui Murray’s third book in her series Dawn of Humanity, Natural Selection as part of her Man vs Nature series, describes Lucy’s final journey.
The nickname “Lucy” is often used by researchers on prehistoric man depicting the oldest skeleton on the origins of our genus.
Jacqui Murray’s Lucy is built on the facts drawn from these numerous scientific studies. Her bibliography at the end of the novel cites an impressive array of research done on the Lucy skeleton from the development of language, group thinking rather than authoritarianism, making tools, expressing feelings, the development of counting and thought.
Jacqui Murray dates her Lucy (Homo Habilis) about 2 million years ago. The plot is one of an adventure/thriller set in a primitive and treacherous world inhabited by dangerous predators, Lucy and her tribe struggle to survive as they face death defying odds.
Yes, there is war and seeing members of one’s tribe slaughtered. This is a novel of dangerous adventure filled with plenty of natural obstacles, finding shelter whether temporary or to set up as a base camp, fighting the weakness brought on by hunger and always avoiding being attacked by their enemies and healing members who have been injured and betrayals.
Yes, there is also the joining of other packs making Lucy’s pact an eclectic group with various skills. Lucy regards all animals as equal and some even superior to her in their ability to perform useful tasks she is incapable of doing herself.
What fascinated me about Lucy were her attributes. She is brave. She is a persistent leader who is perhaps one of our earliest feminists in that she becomes the leader to fit in a man’s world. Lucy is capable of having dreams, of passion and curiosity. Her character shows, what today we might call romantic feelings, as the mention of pairmate..
Lucy is also kind and caring. She is knowledgeable about using plants to heal and is intuitive.
Because there are many members of different tribes and animals to keep tract of, I found it useful to read the novel on my iPad alongside the characters and glossary of terms on my Kindle.
This is a series which broaden my knowledge of how we evolved to where were are today, thanks to Lucy and her tribe.
]]> 4.50
author: Jacqui Murray
name: Carol
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/05/22
date added: 2023/05/22
shelves:
review:
LUCY: A PREHISTORIC MODEL FOR DIVERSITY
Jacqui Murray’s third book in her series Dawn of Humanity, Natural Selection as part of her Man vs Nature series, describes Lucy’s final journey.
The nickname “Lucy” is often used by researchers on prehistoric man depicting the oldest skeleton on the origins of our genus.
Jacqui Murray’s Lucy is built on the facts drawn from these numerous scientific studies. Her bibliography at the end of the novel cites an impressive array of research done on the Lucy skeleton from the development of language, group thinking rather than authoritarianism, making tools, expressing feelings, the development of counting and thought.
Jacqui Murray dates her Lucy (Homo Habilis) about 2 million years ago. The plot is one of an adventure/thriller set in a primitive and treacherous world inhabited by dangerous predators, Lucy and her tribe struggle to survive as they face death defying odds.
Yes, there is war and seeing members of one’s tribe slaughtered. This is a novel of dangerous adventure filled with plenty of natural obstacles, finding shelter whether temporary or to set up as a base camp, fighting the weakness brought on by hunger and always avoiding being attacked by their enemies and healing members who have been injured and betrayals.
Yes, there is also the joining of other packs making Lucy’s pact an eclectic group with various skills. Lucy regards all animals as equal and some even superior to her in their ability to perform useful tasks she is incapable of doing herself.
What fascinated me about Lucy were her attributes. She is brave. She is a persistent leader who is perhaps one of our earliest feminists in that she becomes the leader to fit in a man’s world. Lucy is capable of having dreams, of passion and curiosity. Her character shows, what today we might call romantic feelings, as the mention of pairmate..
Lucy is also kind and caring. She is knowledgeable about using plants to heal and is intuitive.
Because there are many members of different tribes and animals to keep tract of, I found it useful to read the novel on my iPad alongside the characters and glossary of terms on my Kindle.
This is a series which broaden my knowledge of how we evolved to where were are today, thanks to Lucy and her tribe.

]]> 29946691 Turning their backs on the crisis, however, is unthinkable, it’s just not who they are]]> 270 Mark Bierman 1483448126 Carol 5 4.70 2016
author: Mark Bierman
name: Carol
average rating: 4.70
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2023/04/28
date added: 2023/04/28
shelves:
review:

]]> 95714942 Grow Damn It! is a captivating work by Cheryl Oreglia, who uses uncommon honesty and arresting humor to draw you into her cantankerous life, forty-year marriage, and revolving empty nest. She claims the space between past and future is where our potential is created or destroyed.

If you don't like where your life is going, dig deeper, and write a new story. By weeding out the things that clutter her life, she invites you into a refreshing space with some of her most popular posts from her beloved blog Living in the Gap.

She surrounds herself with a gaggle of intriguing friends, along with a large and rambunctious family who challenge both her and the reader to live fully in an ever-changing world. Her provocative writing dares us to confront our lives not only with optimism, but courage, and uproarious laughter. Oreglia uses her experience to explore what matters most in life... the degree to which we love and are loved.]]> 221 Cheryl Oreglia Carol 5 She writes about serious stuff, for sure, - her mother’s death, the sacredness of life, about retirement, middle age and even colonoscopies.
Through it all her sense of humor shines:
I’ve been running at breaking speed for nearly half a century, trying to keep up with the Jones whom I barely know.
Her writing gives hope to humanity, to kindness and doing the right thing. Something precious in our times.

]]> 4.68
author: Cheryl Oreglia
name: Carol
average rating: 4.68
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/04/28
date added: 2023/04/28
shelves:
review:
The collection of essays takes place during the pandemic and Cheryl Oreglia graciously invites us into her loving family, generously and unabashedly sharing with us the ups and downs of her daily life.
She writes about serious stuff, for sure, - her mother’s death, the sacredness of life, about retirement, middle age and even colonoscopies.
Through it all her sense of humor shines:
I’ve been running at breaking speed for nearly half a century, trying to keep up with the Jones whom I barely know.
Her writing gives hope to humanity, to kindness and doing the right thing. Something precious in our times.


]]> 26554473
Through fiction, "Eating Bull" explores the real-life issues of bullying, fat-shaming, food addiction, and the food industry’s role in obesity.]]> 310 Carrie Rubin Carol 5 The characters are well drawn and I particularly liked Sue (a tongue in cheek name), a no-nonsense bossy nurse for the public health department who takes it upon herself to sue the fast food industry and engages Jeremy a sweet obese teenager as the poster child for her case.
My one criticism about this novel is the detailed violence at the beginning of the book. Violence which is also repeated in a subsequent chapter. Once stated, I got the extent of the violence and didn’t need to have to have it repeated. But the author did tone down the violence toward the end which didn’t take anything away from the reader’s knowledge of how sick this individual was. Kudos to her for doing that and not hitting the reader over and over with violent details.
Because violence is not the point of this novel. In fact, one of the things which the author did (and I much appreciated) was drop hints to explain this violent behavior. Not that she condoned or excused the perpetrator but, like obesity, she points out that violence does not grow in a vacuum but is fed by factors other than an individual’s innate personality or genetic make-up.
There’s mastery of craft in this novel for sure. Rubin excels in vocabulary choice “choking glob in her throat.” There’s also terrific dialogue. One example that comes to mind is the scene between Sue and Sunny, the lawyer. LOL.
As eerie as the serial killer’s murders, is Rubin’s description of the Dallas Holocaust Museum where she describes the horror she sees with utmost respect for the victims. It was a scene which I felt was sacred in tone.
For many reasons I found that this novel was more than a thriller. Although obesity is at the heart of the novel the author also juxtaposes it with the other end of the spectrum: anorexia. Eating Bull offers a lot more than the nail-biting suspense of a thriller. Though it certainly does offer that]]> 3.84 2015
author: Carrie Rubin
name: Carol
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/04/20
shelves:
review:
How much should the fast food industry be responsible for propagating obesity? Through the vehicle of a well scripted thriller Carrie Rubin raises awareness not only about the fast food industry’s role in obesity but also tackles how bullying contributes to this problem.
The characters are well drawn and I particularly liked Sue (a tongue in cheek name), a no-nonsense bossy nurse for the public health department who takes it upon herself to sue the fast food industry and engages Jeremy a sweet obese teenager as the poster child for her case.
My one criticism about this novel is the detailed violence at the beginning of the book. Violence which is also repeated in a subsequent chapter. Once stated, I got the extent of the violence and didn’t need to have to have it repeated. But the author did tone down the violence toward the end which didn’t take anything away from the reader’s knowledge of how sick this individual was. Kudos to her for doing that and not hitting the reader over and over with violent details.
Because violence is not the point of this novel. In fact, one of the things which the author did (and I much appreciated) was drop hints to explain this violent behavior. Not that she condoned or excused the perpetrator but, like obesity, she points out that violence does not grow in a vacuum but is fed by factors other than an individual’s innate personality or genetic make-up.
There’s mastery of craft in this novel for sure. Rubin excels in vocabulary choice “choking glob in her throat.” There’s also terrific dialogue. One example that comes to mind is the scene between Sue and Sunny, the lawyer. LOL.
As eerie as the serial killer’s murders, is Rubin’s description of the Dallas Holocaust Museum where she describes the horror she sees with utmost respect for the victims. It was a scene which I felt was sacred in tone.
For many reasons I found that this novel was more than a thriller. Although obesity is at the heart of the novel the author also juxtaposes it with the other end of the spectrum: anorexia. Eating Bull offers a lot more than the nail-biting suspense of a thriller. Though it certainly does offer that
]]> 58985513 76 Lauren Scott 0578892456 Carol 5 The book is a mixture of prose and poetry with some touching lines.
For example, she describes meeting her husband as “All wrapped up in one handsome and charming package.”
More Than Coffee is a love story and pretty much a fairy-tale.
Other sweet lines sprinkled throughout the book include from the poem Belonging:
Time is but a memory. Its existence leaves no trace on the path where we tread. There is only you, me, and the intensity of belonging to each other.
From The Gift the poet offers: ...our time here is a gift, and when we depart, the gift will belong to someone else.
And the tenderest line of all in the poem To My Babies: You are a new bloom in our family garden.
More Than Coffee is about a strong marriage, parenting, empty nests and a legacy to her family.
...the magic is knowing my love travels wherever your dreams may guide you.
]]> 4.93
author: Lauren Scott
name: Carol
average rating: 4.93
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/04/13
date added: 2023/04/13
shelves:
review:
More Than Coffee is a tribute of love to her family. It is an intimate look at her thirty-two-year-old marriage - a husband whom she met serendipitously by selling a fridge.
The book is a mixture of prose and poetry with some touching lines.
For example, she describes meeting her husband as “All wrapped up in one handsome and charming package.”
More Than Coffee is a love story and pretty much a fairy-tale.
Other sweet lines sprinkled throughout the book include from the poem Belonging:
Time is but a memory. Its existence leaves no trace on the path where we tread. There is only you, me, and the intensity of belonging to each other.
From The Gift the poet offers: ...our time here is a gift, and when we depart, the gift will belong to someone else.
And the tenderest line of all in the poem To My Babies: You are a new bloom in our family garden.
More Than Coffee is about a strong marriage, parenting, empty nests and a legacy to her family.
...the magic is knowing my love travels wherever your dreams may guide you.

]]> 62113706 When the stalkee becomes the stalker...

“Rubin makes the most out of an uber-creepy premise in this superior medical thriller.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Liza Larkin, a recent med-school graduate on the cusp of her pathology internship, isn’t like most people. She would rather study the human brain or pound the heavy bag at the gym than spend time with others, and as an outsider she doesn’t let societal norms confine her.

So when a stranger’s picture sends Liza’s schizophrenic mother deeper into psychosis, Liza does a reverse-image search to identify him. Upon discovering he is a trauma surgeon at a Massachusetts teaching hospital, she impulsively changes her pathology residency program of choice to his center.

She wants to be near him. She wants to know what he’s up to. She wants to protect her family.

See you in the ring soon, Dr. Sam Donovan. The bell has rung.]]> 294 Carrie Rubin Carol 5 I have read many of Carrie Rubin’s books, including her Benjamin Oris series and the book she wrote under her penname Morgan Mayer. Fatal Rounds, in my opinion, is her best book so far. That is not to say that the other books were not great. This one is simply greater.
So, what’s so great about it? Well, for one thing it’s her main character. Liza Larkin is a spirited character in spite of her flaws: she has difficulty fitting in, whether with her colleagues and social event stress her. She has a schizoid personality disorder. By her own admission she can be deceitful, has a history of aggression, meddles with criminal evidence.
However, her deceased father’s words often come to her mind: You are not a list of symptoms, Liza.
On the flip side, she is dedicated to her work in pathology, has a few close friends, has a concerned and loving relationship with her delusional mother who is in a care unit. She is also grieving the loss of her father with whom she had a close relationship, and in many ways still does. She will always stand up for those who are victimized, even at the risk of being ostracized and regarded as delusional. She is a character with courage, persistence and a sense of humor.
Liza’s background is a healthy one. No absent parent, abuse or neglect. Hers is a stable, loving childhood relationship which is wonderful to read.
All of this makes Liza Larkin a believable and sympathetic character.
Sure, some (very few) might question her integrity in her tactics to prove her suspicions that one of her colleagues is a murderer. Or, one might cheer, her sense of conviction and guts.
Besides reading about an endearing yet odd character, I really enjoyed all the medical knowledge regarding autopsies and pathology. As a physician herself, Carrie Rubin credibly takes us into the morgue as she describes so vividly the smells and sounds that you are in the morgue with her.
The novel is written in the first person which adds intimacy towards the main character. Carrie’s tone is without pretention and often sparkles with a sense of humor. Her writing is smooth as she navigates between different scenes be it at the hospital, with her mother at her special care facility, with colleagues and her own investigation into the murder suspect.
The murder’s M.O. is brilliant. Of course, you’ll have to read the book to find out what it is.
This is Carrie Rubin’s first novel in the Liza Larkin series and hopefully, Ms. Robin is churning up number 2 in this series.]]> 3.91 2022
author: Carrie Rubin
name: Carol
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/04/12
date added: 2023/04/12
shelves:
review:
If I have dark circles under my eyes blame it on Carrie Rubin’s latest book, Fatal Rounds.
I have read many of Carrie Rubin’s books, including her Benjamin Oris series and the book she wrote under her penname Morgan Mayer. Fatal Rounds, in my opinion, is her best book so far. That is not to say that the other books were not great. This one is simply greater.
So, what’s so great about it? Well, for one thing it’s her main character. Liza Larkin is a spirited character in spite of her flaws: she has difficulty fitting in, whether with her colleagues and social event stress her. She has a schizoid personality disorder. By her own admission she can be deceitful, has a history of aggression, meddles with criminal evidence.
However, her deceased father’s words often come to her mind: You are not a list of symptoms, Liza.
On the flip side, she is dedicated to her work in pathology, has a few close friends, has a concerned and loving relationship with her delusional mother who is in a care unit. She is also grieving the loss of her father with whom she had a close relationship, and in many ways still does. She will always stand up for those who are victimized, even at the risk of being ostracized and regarded as delusional. She is a character with courage, persistence and a sense of humor.
Liza’s background is a healthy one. No absent parent, abuse or neglect. Hers is a stable, loving childhood relationship which is wonderful to read.
All of this makes Liza Larkin a believable and sympathetic character.
Sure, some (very few) might question her integrity in her tactics to prove her suspicions that one of her colleagues is a murderer. Or, one might cheer, her sense of conviction and guts.
Besides reading about an endearing yet odd character, I really enjoyed all the medical knowledge regarding autopsies and pathology. As a physician herself, Carrie Rubin credibly takes us into the morgue as she describes so vividly the smells and sounds that you are in the morgue with her.
The novel is written in the first person which adds intimacy towards the main character. Carrie’s tone is without pretention and often sparkles with a sense of humor. Her writing is smooth as she navigates between different scenes be it at the hospital, with her mother at her special care facility, with colleagues and her own investigation into the murder suspect.
The murder’s M.O. is brilliant. Of course, you’ll have to read the book to find out what it is.
This is Carrie Rubin’s first novel in the Liza Larkin series and hopefully, Ms. Robin is churning up number 2 in this series.
]]> 62589030
James Hynde, fortified by several tots of whiskey, climbs up onto the roof of Parker Mews’ multi-storey car park and peers over the parapet. The game is up. The police will soon seize his millions, the Maserati, the London townhouse, and the Caribbean mansion on Windjammer Island.

Should he jump feet first or hold out his arms and topple over and over like a somersaulting gymnast? He closes his eyes, feels the breeze on his face, and pitches forward into the unknown.

Sixty feet below, Olivia Benet, a budding ballerina, rushes along Parker Mews towards the entrance to the multi-storey. Her interview for the Royal Ballet had taken much longer than expected, and she has but a few short minutes left before her parking ticket expires.

James has no idea of the consequences his action will have on his and Olivia’s lives.

'Falling' made the finals of the 2022 Page Turner Writing Award.]]> 279 Stevie Turner 1838017194 Carol 5 Wheelchair bound, Olivia is intent on getting her revenge to the man who ruined her life.
Falling is a novel with two very well rounded characters filled with greed, money, revenge and yes, even romance as a relationship between Olivia and James ensues. Not an ordinary love story though, where, James’ motivation is guilt for having ruined Olivia’s dream while Olivia’s is one of bitter revenge. Two people marrying each other for the wrong reason.
About a quarter of the way through the novel Olivia’s revenge is blocked by several obstacles involving a mother-in-law, tainted money and the appearance of an ex-wife.
Life keeps knocking Olivia down while James, on the otherhand, is out to prove that he is not a deadbeat loser.
When Olivia discovers that her dream of opening up a ballet school is squashed by James’ dark secret, their marriage turns for the worse. Olivia wants a divorce which James refuses to give her and they end up being business partners.
In lockdown, will their business partnership survive?
I enjoyed this novel. It is a fun, light read with twists and turns that make it unpredictable.
The moral of the story, in my opinion, is spoken by Olivia’s mother:
“Don’t let what’s happened to you make you bitter. It’ll destroy the rest of your life.”]]> 4.80
author: Stevie Turner
name: Carol
average rating: 4.80
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2022/10/19
date added: 2022/10/19
shelves:
review:
Falling has a unique premise: James Hynde, at the end of his rope, decides to commit suicide by jumping off a building. He lands on Olivia who is coming from an interview with the Royal Ballet Company and her dreams of becoming a ballerina are literally crushed while James has failed his suicide attempt.
Wheelchair bound, Olivia is intent on getting her revenge to the man who ruined her life.
Falling is a novel with two very well rounded characters filled with greed, money, revenge and yes, even romance as a relationship between Olivia and James ensues. Not an ordinary love story though, where, James’ motivation is guilt for having ruined Olivia’s dream while Olivia’s is one of bitter revenge. Two people marrying each other for the wrong reason.
About a quarter of the way through the novel Olivia’s revenge is blocked by several obstacles involving a mother-in-law, tainted money and the appearance of an ex-wife.
Life keeps knocking Olivia down while James, on the otherhand, is out to prove that he is not a deadbeat loser.
When Olivia discovers that her dream of opening up a ballet school is squashed by James’ dark secret, their marriage turns for the worse. Olivia wants a divorce which James refuses to give her and they end up being business partners.
In lockdown, will their business partnership survive?
I enjoyed this novel. It is a fun, light read with twists and turns that make it unpredictable.
The moral of the story, in my opinion, is spoken by Olivia’s mother:
“Don’t let what’s happened to you make you bitter. It’ll destroy the rest of your life.”
]]> 60889137
Linda suffers a breakdown after a traumatic classroom incident, and that brings out the worst in Ron and devious principal, Wayne Forsythe. Then she is rocked to discover her husband has a shocking secret.

With her own determination and the help of friends and family, she starts to turn her life around. Her own success might be the best revenge, but life still has some more surprises for Linda.]]> 209 Toni Pike Carol 0 The first part of the novel is about Linda’s marriage to Ron, a horrible man. He is constantly criticizing Linda about her weight, treats her like his servant and is often going out at night coming home smelling of alcohol. Linda stays in the marriage because she doesn’t know what else to do and likes her home when her husband is at work or playing golf.

As much as Linda is the glass half full type of person Ron is eternally pessimistic.
Aside from her marriage, Linda also hates teaching although there was a time when it was her passion but things have changed.
“She had once been a great teacher, popular with students and respected by other staff members. Every year, a little gloss had been wiped away and now only a dull, rusted undercoat was left. It was so hard to look forward to a day at school when a riot could break out at any moment and every lesson was like trying to tame a herd of wild beasts.”
Linda has a breakdown (or perhaps a breakthrough) She spends a great deal of her time in bed eating chocolates and gaining weight something which Ron doesn’t let her forget.
“If you’re not better tomorrow, then I’m leaving. I’m not taking care of an invalid for the rest of my life. There’s nothing wrong with you, apart from being too fat and too lazy to go to work”
When Linda doesn’t change Ron asks for a divorce and off Linda goes gaining enthusiasm, energy and the will to take care of herself.
The remainder of the novel is sweet and reminiscent of the Television show I used to watch as a kid: Leave it to Beaver. It has that kind, family feel to it. Beneath her submission towards Ron, Linda is a very astute woman who isn’t afraid to speak her mind. Her character adds a fun, easy relaxing and pleasant read.
We see Linda thrive through the obligations of life: getting a house ready to sell. Finding an apartment. Moving to a different city, closer to her sister. Quitting her job. Finding work in fashion. Taking care of herself. And embarking on a new and loving relationship.
The book also contains some heartwarming sentences:
“… your heart matches your lovely face.” Said by boyfriend, Dennis.
Linda uses her struggles with weight to write inspiring articles for The Canberra News Magazine which motivates her in setting goals for her own weight loss program. “Linda was an English teacher who once loved to write, but life with Ron had dulled her inspiration and melted the muse. She loved trying to write with clarity, transposing the thoughts in her brain to paper and then polishing them carefully.”
As the stain of verbal and psychological abuse fades, Linda becomes more confident and someone you’d love to hang out with.
It’s an upbeat novel and Pike shows that there are happy endings even for those in mid-life.
An enjoyable read that is bound to take you out of any morose mood you might be in.

]]> 4.14
author: Toni Pike
name: Carol
average rating: 4.14
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2022/05/03
date added: 2022/05/03
shelves:
review:
I am used to associating Toni Pike’s writing with crime and thrillers, not this delightful modern feel-good women’s fiction and so it was a surprise for me to see it on her post.
The first part of the novel is about Linda’s marriage to Ron, a horrible man. He is constantly criticizing Linda about her weight, treats her like his servant and is often going out at night coming home smelling of alcohol. Linda stays in the marriage because she doesn’t know what else to do and likes her home when her husband is at work or playing golf.

As much as Linda is the glass half full type of person Ron is eternally pessimistic.
Aside from her marriage, Linda also hates teaching although there was a time when it was her passion but things have changed.
“She had once been a great teacher, popular with students and respected by other staff members. Every year, a little gloss had been wiped away and now only a dull, rusted undercoat was left. It was so hard to look forward to a day at school when a riot could break out at any moment and every lesson was like trying to tame a herd of wild beasts.”
Linda has a breakdown (or perhaps a breakthrough) She spends a great deal of her time in bed eating chocolates and gaining weight something which Ron doesn’t let her forget.
“If you’re not better tomorrow, then I’m leaving. I’m not taking care of an invalid for the rest of my life. There’s nothing wrong with you, apart from being too fat and too lazy to go to work”
When Linda doesn’t change Ron asks for a divorce and off Linda goes gaining enthusiasm, energy and the will to take care of herself.
The remainder of the novel is sweet and reminiscent of the Television show I used to watch as a kid: Leave it to Beaver. It has that kind, family feel to it. Beneath her submission towards Ron, Linda is a very astute woman who isn’t afraid to speak her mind. Her character adds a fun, easy relaxing and pleasant read.
We see Linda thrive through the obligations of life: getting a house ready to sell. Finding an apartment. Moving to a different city, closer to her sister. Quitting her job. Finding work in fashion. Taking care of herself. And embarking on a new and loving relationship.
The book also contains some heartwarming sentences:
“… your heart matches your lovely face.” Said by boyfriend, Dennis.
Linda uses her struggles with weight to write inspiring articles for The Canberra News Magazine which motivates her in setting goals for her own weight loss program. “Linda was an English teacher who once loved to write, but life with Ron had dulled her inspiration and melted the muse. She loved trying to write with clarity, transposing the thoughts in her brain to paper and then polishing them carefully.”
As the stain of verbal and psychological abuse fades, Linda becomes more confident and someone you’d love to hang out with.
It’s an upbeat novel and Pike shows that there are happy endings even for those in mid-life.
An enjoyable read that is bound to take you out of any morose mood you might be in.


]]> 52219451
Meanwhile, Joanna has been waiting patiently for Leo, the charismatic man she fell in love with all those years ago, to re-emerge from the severe depression that has engulfed him. Though she’s thankful when Leo returns to his charming, energetic self, paying attention again to Evie and Stelli, the children they both love beyond measure, Joanna is shocked to discover that it’s not her loving support that’s sparked his renewed happiness—it’s something else.

Piper. Leo has fallen head over heels for the flaky, New Age-y newcomer, and unrepentant and resolute, he’s more than willing to leave Joanna behind, along with everything they’ve built. Of course, he assures her, she can still see the children.

Joanna is devastated—and determined to find something, anything, to use against this woman who has stolen her life and her true love. As she digs deeper into Piper’s past, Joanna begins to unearth disturbing secrets . . . but when she confides to her therapist that she fears for the lives of her ex-husband and children, her concerns are dismissed as paranoia. Can she find the proof she needs in time to save them?]]> 320 Liv Constantine 0062967282 Carol 4 Throughout the novel I didn't know whether to be cheering for the stepmother (was she being manipulative) or the mother.
What bothered me was why the children were told that their mother had died. It seemed unrealistic but a satisfying explanation was revealed at the end of the novel.
The ending was indeed a surprise. ]]> 3.70 2020
author: Liv Constantine
name: Carol
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/03/14
date added: 2022/03/14
shelves:
review:
What I loved about this mystery was that there was no gory violence. I also very much appreciated how the stepmother tried so hard to be kind to a stepson who didn't accept her. I thought that was a real strength of the novel.
Throughout the novel I didn't know whether to be cheering for the stepmother (was she being manipulative) or the mother.
What bothered me was why the children were told that their mother had died. It seemed unrealistic but a satisfying explanation was revealed at the end of the novel.
The ending was indeed a surprise.
]]> 34043643
To everyone in the exclusive town of Bishops Harbor, Connecticut, Daphne—a socialite and philanthropist—and her real-estate mogul husband, Jackson, are a couple straight out of a fairy tale.

Amber’s envy could eat her alive . . . if she didn't have a plan. Amber uses Daphne’s compassion and caring to insinuate herself into the family’s life—the first step in a meticulous scheme to undermine her. Before long, Amber is Daphne’s closest confidante, traveling to Europe with the Parrishes and their lovely young daughters, and growing closer to Jackson. But a skeleton from her past may undermine everything that Amber has worked towards, and if it is discovered, her well-laid plan may fall to pieces.

With shocking turns and dark secrets that will keep you guessing until the very end, The Last Mrs. Parrish is a fresh, juicy, and utterly addictive thriller from a diabolically imaginative talent.]]> 560 Liv Constantine 0062688162 Carol 4 3.92 2017
author: Liv Constantine
name: Carol
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2022/03/06
date added: 2022/03/06
shelves:
review:
Interesting twists and liked how justice worked out for all the characters. A bit slow in the middle.
]]> 21889635 76 Geraldine Helen Hartman 1496102932 Carol 5 The book is filled with gems, including Geraldine Hartman’s poetry (Peace: A beacon in the dark, Sheltering, nurturing. Safe and sublime.)
The message I got from the book (and which I hope every one who reads it gets) is that I am important. I deserve to treat myself. And so, the author shows us ways in which we can do just that -exercises for the body, for the sagging, aging face, and the brain.
The author offers fashion tips and letting go of things you no longer need. Tips on redecorating, cooking, death, aging and motivation as well as a Fire-Cleansing ceremony - a powerful ritual to heal old hurts.
As an added touch, Geraldine Hartman uses the heart symbol as her power symbol throughout her book. It is a positive reminder for her not to focus on the negatives of life.
Reading Laughing at The Grim Reaper was like having a check-up on how you are living your life. It is a reminder that we can choose to be happy. We can choose to laugh at the grim Reaper. We can Live Now. Most important, it is a feel-good book.

]]> 4.00 2014
author: Geraldine Helen Hartman
name: Carol
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2014/05/02
date added: 2022/03/04
shelves:
review:
Laughing at the Grim Reaper is both an optimistic, enthusiastic and hopeful look at life (even after the author has lost her dear mom) as well as a book filled with advice on “making the most of everyday that we have…and to embrace that life truly is a miracle with dark, depressing thoughts that serve no purpose.”
The book is filled with gems, including Geraldine Hartman’s poetry (Peace: A beacon in the dark, Sheltering, nurturing. Safe and sublime.)
The message I got from the book (and which I hope every one who reads it gets) is that I am important. I deserve to treat myself. And so, the author shows us ways in which we can do just that -exercises for the body, for the sagging, aging face, and the brain.
The author offers fashion tips and letting go of things you no longer need. Tips on redecorating, cooking, death, aging and motivation as well as a Fire-Cleansing ceremony - a powerful ritual to heal old hurts.
As an added touch, Geraldine Hartman uses the heart symbol as her power symbol throughout her book. It is a positive reminder for her not to focus on the negatives of life.
Reading Laughing at The Grim Reaper was like having a check-up on how you are living your life. It is a reminder that we can choose to be happy. We can choose to laugh at the grim Reaper. We can Live Now. Most important, it is a feel-good book.


]]> 56366617
Or are they? They each stand to inherit millions. They were never a happy family, thanks to their capricious father and neglectful mother, but perhaps one of them is more disturbed than anyone knew. Did one of them snap after that dreadful evening? Or was it someone else that night who crept in with the worst of intentions? It must be. After all, if one of your siblings was a psychopath, you'd know.

Wouldn't you?]]> 349 Shari Lapena 1984880551 Carol 5 3.74 2021
author: Shari Lapena
name: Carol
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2022/03/01
date added: 2022/03/01
shelves:
review:
I am a fan of Shari Lapena and in her latest novel she does not disappoint. The ending is unexpected and is very satisfying. She vividly captures in this novel the dysfunctional dynamics of a family driven by greed, selfishness and mistrust. She is definitely at the top of her game proving that she is, in my opinion, one of the best contemporary domestic crime writers.
]]> 23903250 225 Ellie Marrandette 1478731818 Carol 5 “intricate mind, body and spiritual aspects to optimum and sensible health.”
Whether your goal is to lose weight the end point is to be healthy and Ellie Marrandette offers expert advice and tips on doing so. It’s not about dieting but about introducing into your life healthy eating habits.
“Being healthy improves one’s looks, energy level, longevity and self-esteem.”
Critiquing every fad diet out there she explains why they don’t work and suggests that the only diet that works is feeding your body with the proteins, minerals and vitamins it needs to function at maximum health and to ward of illnesses such as cancer and diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and joint problems.
“Be mindful of harmful habits when reaching for food when you are not even hungry.”
She explains the role enzymes play in regulating different parts of our body, including regulating our appetite. Much of the book is on quality nutrients necessary for the proper functioning of our bodies (liver, intestines, skin, brain, bones et) and which foods contain them.
The book includes chapters on the benefits of detoxification and emotional eating and the importance of fiber and foods to incorporate in your daily intake for a good night’s sleep or for battling dark circles under the eyes as well as foods that protect sun damage. The benefits of eating nutritious mini-meals throughout the day to maintain stable blood sugar levels.
Add to this our personalities, our attitudes and the importance of gratitude in maintain a stable health plan.
Although this book targets Christian groups, her knowledge on health and nutrition is universal. This is not a book to read in one reading. There is too much information and it is more of a reference book.
If you find that you get past the plateau are in a slump regarding your new year’s goals of becoming healthier this book might just be the boost you need to get over that slump.
“We are the only ones who live in our bodies. Choose wisely.”]]> 4.33 2014
author: Ellie Marrandette
name: Carol
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/02/21
shelves:
review:
Combining her career as a nutritional counsellor and her NEWCREATION ministries series, this book addresses the
“intricate mind, body and spiritual aspects to optimum and sensible health.”
Whether your goal is to lose weight the end point is to be healthy and Ellie Marrandette offers expert advice and tips on doing so. It’s not about dieting but about introducing into your life healthy eating habits.
“Being healthy improves one’s looks, energy level, longevity and self-esteem.”
Critiquing every fad diet out there she explains why they don’t work and suggests that the only diet that works is feeding your body with the proteins, minerals and vitamins it needs to function at maximum health and to ward of illnesses such as cancer and diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and joint problems.
“Be mindful of harmful habits when reaching for food when you are not even hungry.”
She explains the role enzymes play in regulating different parts of our body, including regulating our appetite. Much of the book is on quality nutrients necessary for the proper functioning of our bodies (liver, intestines, skin, brain, bones et) and which foods contain them.
The book includes chapters on the benefits of detoxification and emotional eating and the importance of fiber and foods to incorporate in your daily intake for a good night’s sleep or for battling dark circles under the eyes as well as foods that protect sun damage. The benefits of eating nutritious mini-meals throughout the day to maintain stable blood sugar levels.
Add to this our personalities, our attitudes and the importance of gratitude in maintain a stable health plan.
Although this book targets Christian groups, her knowledge on health and nutrition is universal. This is not a book to read in one reading. There is too much information and it is more of a reference book.
If you find that you get past the plateau are in a slump regarding your new year’s goals of becoming healthier this book might just be the boost you need to get over that slump.
“We are the only ones who live in our bodies. Choose wisely.”
]]> 57776013
Ten years ago my darling son Jesse was murdered and our perfect family was destroyed. My strong, handsome boy, so full of life, became a memory, a photo I carried with me everywhere.

But today I’m finally close to finding happiness again. My ash-blonde hair has been curled into ringlets. Carefully placed white flowers frame my delicate features. The small, drab chapel has been prettied up with white satin, and there are tiny red hearts scattered on the small table where I will soon sign the register with my new husband.

The man who killed my son.

My friends and family can’t understand it. My neighbours whisper in the street whenever I walk past. How can I love a man like Tom?

They don’t really know me at all…

The most unputdownable psychological thriller you’ll read this year from the bestselling author K.L. Slater. If you love The Wife Between Us or Gone Girl, you’ll be totally hooked on The Marriage.]]> 324 K.L. Slater 1800194943 Carol 5 3.94 2021
author: K.L. Slater
name: Carol
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/21
date added: 2022/02/21
shelves:
review:
Brilliant. Unique plot and a page-turner. Head of the class for intriguing domestic thriller.
]]> 46132232 343 Ellie Marrandette Carol 5 “Being healthy improves one’s looks, energy level, longevity and self-esteem.”
Critiquing every fad diet out there she explains why they don’t work and suggests that the only diet that works is feeding your body with the proteins, minerals and vitamins it needs to function at maximum health and to ward of illnesses such as cancer and diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and joint problems.
“Be mindful of harmful habits when reaching for food when you are not even hungry.”
She explains the role enzymes play in regulating different parts of our body, including regulating our appetite. Much of the book is on quality nutrients necessary for the proper functioning of our bodies (liver, intestines, skin, brain, bones et) and which foods contain them.
The book includes chapters on the benefits of detoxification and emotional eating and the importance of fiber and foods to incorporate in your daily intake for a good night’s sleep or for battling dark circles under the eyes as well as foods that protect sun damage. The benefits of eating nutritious mini-meals throughout the day to maintain stable blood sugar levels.
Add to this our personalities, our attitudes and the importance of gratitude in maintain a stable health plan.
Although this book targets Christian groups, her knowledge on health and nutrition is universal. This is not a book to read in one reading. There is too much information and it is more of a reference book.
If you find that you get past the plateau are in a slump regarding your new year’s goals of becoming healthier this book might just be the boost you need to get over that slump.
“We are the only ones who live in our bodies. Choose wisely.”]]> 5.00
author: Ellie Marrandette
name: Carol
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/21
date added: 2022/02/21
shelves:
review:
Whether your goal is to lose weight the end point is to be healthy and Ellie Marrandette offers expert advice and tips on doing so. It’s not about dieting but about introducing into your life healthy eating habits.
“Being healthy improves one’s looks, energy level, longevity and self-esteem.”
Critiquing every fad diet out there she explains why they don’t work and suggests that the only diet that works is feeding your body with the proteins, minerals and vitamins it needs to function at maximum health and to ward of illnesses such as cancer and diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and joint problems.
“Be mindful of harmful habits when reaching for food when you are not even hungry.”
She explains the role enzymes play in regulating different parts of our body, including regulating our appetite. Much of the book is on quality nutrients necessary for the proper functioning of our bodies (liver, intestines, skin, brain, bones et) and which foods contain them.
The book includes chapters on the benefits of detoxification and emotional eating and the importance of fiber and foods to incorporate in your daily intake for a good night’s sleep or for battling dark circles under the eyes as well as foods that protect sun damage. The benefits of eating nutritious mini-meals throughout the day to maintain stable blood sugar levels.
Add to this our personalities, our attitudes and the importance of gratitude in maintain a stable health plan.
Although this book targets Christian groups, her knowledge on health and nutrition is universal. This is not a book to read in one reading. There is too much information and it is more of a reference book.
If you find that you get past the plateau are in a slump regarding your new year’s goals of becoming healthier this book might just be the boost you need to get over that slump.
“We are the only ones who live in our bodies. Choose wisely.”
]]> 58343475
lasso a cowboy father?

When injured professional bull rider Luke Beckett returns to his hometown to recover, he doesn’t expect his B and B host and physical therapist to be his first and only love, Meg Brennan. He’s also unprepared for Meg’s adorable triplets to steal his heart. Luke’s past has him doubting he’s good enough for Meg and the children, but they might be just what the doctor ordered to help him heal…

From Love Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.]]> 288 Jill Weatherholt 1335567461 Carol 5 Luke, or as the triplets call him, Cowboy Luke is a famous bull rider who not only wants to win back Meg’s heart but sees the triplets as an opportunity to have the family he always craved for. He is especially drawn to little Tucker who has a chip on his shoulder for having been abandoned by his parents – something Luke can well understand and identify with. He has had a difficult past - an unwanted child and always seeking but never getting his father’s approval. So he understand the little boy’s anger at his father abandoning him.
Romance novels, at least for me, make me relax and forget about any problems or duties awaiting me. Jill’s novels are comfort food for the soul along with a few hours of enjoyment.
As all of Jill Weatherholt’s novels this is a feel-good book. It’s also sweet proving that not all sweets are bad for you.
]]> 4.59
author: Jill Weatherholt
name: Carol
average rating: 4.59
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/30
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves:
review:
The novel takes place in a small village in Whispering Slopes in the Shenandoah Valley. Meg, who is both a physical therapist and runs a B&B which her sister left her along with a set of five-year-old triplets. Life is running along smoothly enough for Meg until an old boyfriend who dumped her walks back into her life.
Luke, or as the triplets call him, Cowboy Luke is a famous bull rider who not only wants to win back Meg’s heart but sees the triplets as an opportunity to have the family he always craved for. He is especially drawn to little Tucker who has a chip on his shoulder for having been abandoned by his parents – something Luke can well understand and identify with. He has had a difficult past - an unwanted child and always seeking but never getting his father’s approval. So he understand the little boy’s anger at his father abandoning him.
Romance novels, at least for me, make me relax and forget about any problems or duties awaiting me. Jill’s novels are comfort food for the soul along with a few hours of enjoyment.
As all of Jill Weatherholt’s novels this is a feel-good book. It’s also sweet proving that not all sweets are bad for you.

]]> 59603488
Lauren clicks on the advert. She is soon contacted by Paul Cash, a knowledgeable stockbroker whom Lauren trusts straight away. He is affable, plausible, and seemingly genuinely interested in her welfare. Lauren looks forward to making enough money to be able to surprise Ben and bring the date of their wedding forward, and also to put a deposit down on their ideal house.]]> 96 Stevie Turner Carol 5 Her desires to escape her current situation make her the perfect target for falling for a scam. One in which she practically loses all her and her husband’s life savings and in the process is destroying her marriage.
There is more to this novel besides the scam which places it above the white color crime genre and into the mystery crime novel.
This was an easy read and one that anybody who is thinking of embarking in a get rich scheme ought to read this book. It’s bound to make them think twice about embarking in any get rich quick schemes.
It is a face paced book with well developed characters. This is a story about forgiveness, mistakes and the power of love.
It’s short enough to be read in one sitting which I did not because of its length but because I couldn’t put it down. All in all a fun read.
]]> 4.70
author: Stevie Turner
name: Carol
average rating: 4.70
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/30
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves:
review:
Lauren is tired of living with her in laws, especially her dominating mother-in-law and can hardly wait to be able to move out with her husband, Ben and have the privacy and liberty she craves.
Her desires to escape her current situation make her the perfect target for falling for a scam. One in which she practically loses all her and her husband’s life savings and in the process is destroying her marriage.
There is more to this novel besides the scam which places it above the white color crime genre and into the mystery crime novel.
This was an easy read and one that anybody who is thinking of embarking in a get rich scheme ought to read this book. It’s bound to make them think twice about embarking in any get rich quick schemes.
It is a face paced book with well developed characters. This is a story about forgiveness, mistakes and the power of love.
It’s short enough to be read in one sitting which I did not because of its length but because I couldn’t put it down. All in all a fun read.

]]> 31227283
But Conway's latest tale of murder at Pye Hall is not quite what it seems. Yes, there are dead bodies and a host of intriguing suspects, but hidden in the pages of the manuscript there lies another story: a tale written between the very words on the page, telling of real-life jealousy, greed, ruthless ambition and murder.

From Sunday Times bestseller Anthony Horowitz comes Magpie Murders, his deliciously dark take on the cosy crime novel, brought bang- up-to-date with a fiendish modern twist.]]> 304 Anthony Horowitz 0752857258 Carol 4 The protagonist is an editor and gives us tips about mystery writing: “The first law of whodunnits that the most likely suspect never turns out to be the killer."
I also appreciated the writing references which touched on the writing process, character naming, plagiarism, and other facets of editing and publishing.
The first mystery is written in the classic Agatha Christie style and I found it a bit too long. It's only until the book turned to the second mystery that I got interested again. ]]> 3.91 2016
author: Anthony Horowitz
name: Carol
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/19
date added: 2022/01/19
shelves:
review:
This is a book about a mystery within a mystery. If you are interested in writing mystery novels or write them this is a book which you might want to read.
The protagonist is an editor and gives us tips about mystery writing: “The first law of whodunnits that the most likely suspect never turns out to be the killer."
I also appreciated the writing references which touched on the writing process, character naming, plagiarism, and other facets of editing and publishing.
The first mystery is written in the classic Agatha Christie style and I found it a bit too long. It's only until the book turned to the second mystery that I got interested again.
]]> 55994372
Now, over the next twenty-four hours, Elle will have to decide between the life she has made with her genuinely beloved husband, Peter, and the life she always imagined she would have had with her childhood love, Jonas, if a tragic event hadn't forever changed the course of their lives.

As Heller colors in the experiences that have led Elle to this day, we arrive at her ultimate decision with all its complexity. Tender yet devastating, The Paper Palace considers the tensions between desire and dignity, the legacies of abuse, and the crimes and misdemeanors of families.

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780593329825.]]> 400 Miranda Cowley Heller Carol 4 Reading Paper Palace took me back to Cape Cod with its backwoods and its descriptions of the Cape, its beaches and wildlife.
The Paper Palace is the next best thing to actually being in Cape Cod.

]]> 3.71 2021
author: Miranda Cowley Heller
name: Carol
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/19
date added: 2022/01/19
shelves:
review:
Before the pandemic I used to love going to Cape Cod. I remember biking in the dunes and around the island. Taking the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard and walking the sandy beaches.
Reading Paper Palace took me back to Cape Cod with its backwoods and its descriptions of the Cape, its beaches and wildlife.
The Paper Palace is the next best thing to actually being in Cape Cod.


]]> 48570454 Homegoing is a powerful, raw, intimate, deeply layered novel about a Ghanaian family in Alabama.

Gifty is a fifth-year candidate in neuroscience at Stanford School of Medicine studying reward-seeking behavior in mice and the neural circuits of depression and addiction. Her brother, Nana, was a gifted high school athlete who died of a heroin overdose after a knee injury left him hooked on OxyContin. Her suicidal mother is living in her bed. Gifty is determined to discover the scientific basis for the suffering she sees all around her.

But even as she turns to the hard sciences to unlock the mystery of her family's loss, she finds herself hungering for her childhood faith and grappling with the evangelical church in which she was raised, whose promise of salvation remains as tantalizing as it is elusive. Transcendent Kingdom is a deeply moving portrait of a family of Ghanaian immigrants ravaged by depression and addiction and grief--a novel about faith, science, religion, love. Exquisitely written, emotionally searing, this is an exceptionally powerful follow-up to Gyasi's phenomenal debut.]]> 264 Yaa Gyasi Carol 5 There is no mystery regarding the plot. One has simply to read the jacket cover to know the entire plot. Rather, this is a character driven novel and a mixture of fiction versus non-fiction - a cross between storytelling and neurological research on addiction.
Gifty offers the readers the rawness of her truth that we find sometimes difficult to accept about ourselves.
Like her thoughts about her brother’s addiction to heroin:
“Forget for a moment what he looked like on paper, and instead see him as he was in all of his glory, in all of his beauty. It’s true that for years before he died, I would look at his face and think, What a pity, what a waste. But the waste was my own, the waste was what I missed out on whenever I looked at him and saw just his addiction.”
The book is full of these deep insights be they about race, immigration, mother/daughter relationship and religion versus science.
It also contains some beautifully written sentences:
"I, too, have spent years creating my little moat of good deeds in an attempt to protect the castle of myself."
]]> 4.09 2020
author: Yaa Gyasi
name: Carol
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2021/12/30
date added: 2021/12/30
shelves:
review:
Gifty (and what an appropriate name for this gentle soul) appears in different stages of her life: as a young child with all the wonderful family together memories; as an eleven-year-old living with her depressed and anhedonia mother and her older brother whom she adores. Then tragedy strikes and we see Gifty doing research in a university lab in Southern California on the addictive behavior of rats while she is confronted with her brother’s fighting his own addiction and documents what it is like to live with an addict and a depressed mother.
There is no mystery regarding the plot. One has simply to read the jacket cover to know the entire plot. Rather, this is a character driven novel and a mixture of fiction versus non-fiction - a cross between storytelling and neurological research on addiction.
Gifty offers the readers the rawness of her truth that we find sometimes difficult to accept about ourselves.
Like her thoughts about her brother’s addiction to heroin:
“Forget for a moment what he looked like on paper, and instead see him as he was in all of his glory, in all of his beauty. It’s true that for years before he died, I would look at his face and think, What a pity, what a waste. But the waste was my own, the waste was what I missed out on whenever I looked at him and saw just his addiction.”
The book is full of these deep insights be they about race, immigration, mother/daughter relationship and religion versus science.
It also contains some beautifully written sentences:
"I, too, have spent years creating my little moat of good deeds in an attempt to protect the castle of myself."

]]> 31285780 From #1 bestselling mystery author Blake Pierce comes a new masterpiece of psychological suspense.

Homicide Detective Avery Black has been through hell. Once a top criminal defense attorney, she fell from grace when she managed to get a brilliant Harvard professor off—only to watch him kill again. She lost her husband and her daughter, and her life fell apart around her.

Trying to redeem herself, Avery has turned to the other side of the law. Working her way up the ranks, she has reached Homicide Detective, to the scorn of her fellow officers, who still remember what she did, and who will always hate her.

Yet even they cannot deny Avery’s brilliant mind, and when a disturbing serial killer strikes fear into the heart of Boston, killing girls from elite colleges, it is Avery that they turn to. It is Avery’s chance to prove herself, to finally find the redemption she craves. And yet, as she is soon to find out, Avery has come up against a killer as brilliant and daring as she.

In this game of psychological cat and mouse, women are dying with mysterious clues, and the stakes could not be higher. A frantic race against time leads Avery through a series of shocking and unexpected twists—culminating in climax that even Avery could not imagine.

A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, CAUSE TO KILL marks the debut of a riveting new series—and a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night.]]> 192 Blake Pierce Carol 5 4.01 2016
author: Blake Pierce
name: Carol
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2021/12/16
date added: 2021/12/16
shelves:
review:
This is my first book by this author and I will definitely read more of his novels because of his interesting and tough female protagonist. The novel reminded me a bit of Silence of the lambs.
]]> 39699779 The police belonged to another world – the world they saw on the television or in the papers. Not theirs.

When two eighteen-year-old girls go missing on their gap year in Thailand, their families are thrust into the international spotlight: desperate, bereft and frantic with worry.

Journalist Kate Waters always does everything she can to be first to the story, first with the exclusive, first to discover the truth – and this time is no exception. But she can’t help but think of her own son, who she hasn’t seen in two years since he left home to go traveling. This time it’s personal.

And as the case of the missing girls unfolds, they will all find that even this far away, danger can lie closer to home than you might think . . .]]> 381 Fiona Barton Carol 4 Still, the plot was engaging and entertaining.
There was also some tense drama regarding Sparkes and his ill wife, which added a human layer to the novel.
The ending leads me to believe that there will be a fourth book in this series.
]]> 3.82 2019
author: Fiona Barton
name: Carol
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2021/11/20
date added: 2021/11/20
shelves:
review:
I really should have started with Book 1 from the series rather than book 3 but all in all it was easy to follow the crime story. What was missing from not having read the previous two books was the relationship between detective Bob Sparkes and the journalist, Kate Waters.
Still, the plot was engaging and entertaining.
There was also some tense drama regarding Sparkes and his ill wife, which added a human layer to the novel.
The ending leads me to believe that there will be a fourth book in this series.

]]> 42594568 Book #1 from the series: A Jessie Hunt Psychological Suspense Thriller
🎧Listening Length = 8 hours and 20 minutes

Suburbia harbors dark secrets in this suspenseful listen! After moving to a swanky new neighborhood, Jessie, a criminal profiler in training, starts to notice things aren’t quite what they seem. Not to mention that the serial killer she’s studying forces her to confront nightmares from her own hidden past…

In THE PERFECT WIFE (A Jessie Hunt Psychological Suspense Thriller—Book 1), Criminal profiler-in-training Jessie Hunt is sure she's finally put the darkness of her childhood behind her. She and her husband, Kyle, just moved from a cramped downtown Los Angeles apartment into a Westport Beach mansion. Kyle's promotion has them swimming in money. And Jessie is on the verge of getting her Master's degree in forensic psychology, the last step in her dream of becoming a criminal profiler.

But soon after their arrival, Jessie begins to notice a series of strange developments. The neighbors—and their au pairs—all seem to be hiding secrets. The mysterious yacht club Kyle is desperate to join is rife with cheating spouses, and with troubling rules of its own. And the notorious serial killer being held at the psychiatric hospital where Jessie is completing her degree seems to know more about her life than is normal—or safe.

As her world starts to unravel, Jessie begins to question everything around her—including her own sanity. Has she truly uncovered a disturbing conspiracy buried within a sunny, wealthy Southern California beach town? Does the mass murderer she's studying really somehow know the origin of her private nightmares?

Or has her tortured past finally come back to claim her?

Book #2-- THE PERFECT BLOCK/42616441 --is also now available!

A fast-paced psychological suspense thriller with unforgettable characters and heart-pounding suspense, THE PERFECT WIFE is book #1 in a riveting new series that will leave you listening late into the night.]]> 199 Blake Pierce Carol 3 Jessica Hunt (perfect last name) is smart, has a sharp mind and is working towards her master’s degree in forensic psychology.
As a grad student, she is assigned to do her practicum in a hospital for the criminally insane and in particular in a ward reserved for dangerous offenders – murderers and rapists among them.
The introduction to the series focuses more on Jessie’s personal life, her move from downtown LA to suburbia, trying to fit in with the lifestyle there and her marriage than on her practicum and her skills as a forensic psychologist but I suspect that by the intriguing ending of Book 1, book 2 is bound to focus more on her work as a criminal profiler.
Not a bad book and an easy read.]]> 4.01 2018
author: Blake Pierce
name: Carol
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2021/11/15
date added: 2021/11/15
shelves:
review:
The Perfect Wife is book 1 of 21 in the Jessica Hunt psychological suspense series.
Jessica Hunt (perfect last name) is smart, has a sharp mind and is working towards her master’s degree in forensic psychology.
As a grad student, she is assigned to do her practicum in a hospital for the criminally insane and in particular in a ward reserved for dangerous offenders – murderers and rapists among them.
The introduction to the series focuses more on Jessie’s personal life, her move from downtown LA to suburbia, trying to fit in with the lifestyle there and her marriage than on her practicum and her skills as a forensic psychologist but I suspect that by the intriguing ending of Book 1, book 2 is bound to focus more on her work as a criminal profiler.
Not a bad book and an easy read.
]]> 55276648 An unforgettable and heartwarming debut about how a chance encounter with a list of library books helps forge an unlikely friendship between two very different people in a London suburb.

Widower Mukesh lives a quiet life in the London Borough of Ealing after losing his beloved wife. He shops every Wednesday, goes to Temple, and worries about his granddaughter, Priya, who hides in her room reading while he spends his evenings watching nature documentaries.

Aleisha is a bright but anxious teenager working at the local library for the summer when she discovers a crumpled-up piece of paper in the back of To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s a list of novels that she’s never heard of before. Intrigued, and a little bored with her slow job at the checkout desk, she impulsively decides to read every book on the list, one after the other. As each story gives up its magic, the books transport Aleisha from the painful realities she’s facing at home.

When Mukesh arrives at the library, desperate to forge a connection with his bookworm granddaughter, Aleisha passes along the reading list… hoping that it will be a lifeline for him too. Slowly, the shared books create a connection between two lonely souls, as fiction helps them escape their grief and everyday troubles and find joy again. ]]> 368 Sara Nisha Adams 0063025280 Carol 5
A mysterious person has left (just in case you need it) a list of eight books to read in library books, at the bus stop, at the yoga studio, in the supermarket and the community garden. The novel centers around two main characters. Seventeen-year-old, Aleisha who has a summer job working in a library and who lives with her older brother and her mother who suffers from severe depression. The other main character is Mukesh, a man in his seventies who is grieving the death of his loving wife and trying to cope with his loss. A friendship evolves between these two characters as Aleisha recommends books (from a list left in a novel) to Mukesh. As they discuss these novels their pure reflections comfort them on their grief.

This is a novel about how books have the power to heal. It is a novel about the injustices in the world, about terror, guilt and regret. It is about the magic of books to enhance lives and bring a community together.

The Reading List is a vivid and beautifully written story with unforgettable characters that will crush your heart.

As an added bonus to this book, I would recommend it to anyone who must write a synopsis of their own novel for it succinctly illustrates how the author captures the essence of each of the novels on the list.

]]> 4.01 2021
author: Sara Nisha Adams
name: Carol
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2021/11/09
date added: 2021/11/09
shelves:
review:
Reading this stunning debut novel made me think of friends in my past whom I hadn’t thought of in years. It made me think of places I had visited; trips I had taken and experiences I’d had that I’d forgotten about. The novel brought me back to many of the books on the list that I had read giving me a glimpse into my past and a dream of my future.

A mysterious person has left (just in case you need it) a list of eight books to read in library books, at the bus stop, at the yoga studio, in the supermarket and the community garden. The novel centers around two main characters. Seventeen-year-old, Aleisha who has a summer job working in a library and who lives with her older brother and her mother who suffers from severe depression. The other main character is Mukesh, a man in his seventies who is grieving the death of his loving wife and trying to cope with his loss. A friendship evolves between these two characters as Aleisha recommends books (from a list left in a novel) to Mukesh. As they discuss these novels their pure reflections comfort them on their grief.

This is a novel about how books have the power to heal. It is a novel about the injustices in the world, about terror, guilt and regret. It is about the magic of books to enhance lives and bring a community together.

The Reading List is a vivid and beautifully written story with unforgettable characters that will crush your heart.

As an added bonus to this book, I would recommend it to anyone who must write a synopsis of their own novel for it succinctly illustrates how the author captures the essence of each of the novels on the list.


]]> 59449000
Living an idyllic but nomadic lifestyle, she's traveled the world but has no idea where she belongs. Kate now follows her second husband, Robert, from London to the States where he’s to produce a British Broadcasting Company series on the American Revolution. This time their travels will take them throughout the East New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Charleston.

Unfortunately, all these cities remind her of her first husband, television news anchor, Richard Madison who nearly destroyed her through deceit and his womanizing. She thought she had put those remorseful days behind her. But the guilty secret Kate conceals, now threatens to erode her very soul and peaceful existence.

In reality, can anyone escape a nightmarish past?

Kate struggles with her indecision to confess to her perfect, untraceable crime. However, as she soon discovers, her loved ones harbor secrets of their own.]]> 303 Ellie Marrandette Carol 5 It is not enough that she is married to a wealthy movie producer who adores her and that her marriage is one full of romance and tenderness. Following her husband on his movie shoots does not satisfy her personal needs for fulfillment.
A Place to Belong is the third of a trilogy (although it can also standalone) and when we meet Kate she is in NYC with her loving British husband, Robert, who is directing a movie on the American Revolution. Throughout the novel the relationship between Kate and Robert is a romantic, tender one.
However, Kate is haunted by her past and until she puts to rest the secret crime which she has committed there will be no peace for Kate.
But before Kate gets to this peaceful place the novel veers towards her newly found relationship with Casey, her daughter, a pro golfer champion who was abducted when she was five. There is also the discovery of a brother Kate did not know she had.
The novel has revenge, success, Christian values, a wedding in a hospital, close friendships, adultery, courage, a fun wake and a surprising explanation for her deceitful and womanizing first husband’s death.
There are several settings which the author does an excellent job taking us through such interesting places as: Boston, NYC, Charleston, Sorrento, Italy and Ayrshire, Scotland.
The prose is smooth and the dialogue is authentic while the entire novel flows at a fast pace.
I was a Beta reader for this novel and when I read it again in its final version, I was even more captivated by the story and marveled at Ellie’s strong story telling talent.
There are several memorable characters in the novel. It is refreshing to read a novel filled with good people with strong family values.]]> 4.50
author: Ellie Marrandette
name: Carol
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2021/11/01
date added: 2021/11/03
shelves:
review:
Most of us at one point in our lives struggle to find our purpose in life. A Place to Belong is Kate’s personal battle in searching for her purpose in her life.
It is not enough that she is married to a wealthy movie producer who adores her and that her marriage is one full of romance and tenderness. Following her husband on his movie shoots does not satisfy her personal needs for fulfillment.
A Place to Belong is the third of a trilogy (although it can also standalone) and when we meet Kate she is in NYC with her loving British husband, Robert, who is directing a movie on the American Revolution. Throughout the novel the relationship between Kate and Robert is a romantic, tender one.
However, Kate is haunted by her past and until she puts to rest the secret crime which she has committed there will be no peace for Kate.
But before Kate gets to this peaceful place the novel veers towards her newly found relationship with Casey, her daughter, a pro golfer champion who was abducted when she was five. There is also the discovery of a brother Kate did not know she had.
The novel has revenge, success, Christian values, a wedding in a hospital, close friendships, adultery, courage, a fun wake and a surprising explanation for her deceitful and womanizing first husband’s death.
There are several settings which the author does an excellent job taking us through such interesting places as: Boston, NYC, Charleston, Sorrento, Italy and Ayrshire, Scotland.
The prose is smooth and the dialogue is authentic while the entire novel flows at a fast pace.
I was a Beta reader for this novel and when I read it again in its final version, I was even more captivated by the story and marveled at Ellie’s strong story telling talent.
There are several memorable characters in the novel. It is refreshing to read a novel filled with good people with strong family values.
]]> 26072609
Though Anderson Cooper has always considered himself close to his mother, his intensely busy career as a journalist for CNN and CBS affords him little time to spend with her. After she suffers a brief but serious illness at the age of ninety-one, they resolve to change their relationship by beginning a year-long conversation unlike any they had ever had before. The result is a correspondence of surprising honesty and depth in which they discuss their lives, the things that matter to them, and what they still want to learn about each other.

Both a son’s love letter to his mother and an unconventional mom’s life lessons for her grown son, The Rainbow Comes and Goes offers a rare window into their close relationship and fascinating life stories, including their tragedies and triumphs. In these often humorous and moving exchanges, they share their most private thoughts and the hard-earned truths they’ve learned along the way. In their words their distinctive personalities shine through—Anderson’s journalistic outlook on the world is a sharp contrast to his mother’s idealism and unwavering optimism.

An appealing memoir with inspirational advice, The Rainbow Comes and Goes is a beautiful and affectionate celebration of the universal bond between a parent and a child, and a thoughtful reflection on life, reminding us of the precious insight that remains to be shared, no matter our age.]]> 320 Anderson Cooper 006245496X Carol 5 "I hope what follows will encourage you to think about your own relationships and perhaps help you start a new kind of conversation with someone you love.
After all, if not now, when?"
Oh, what a loving and beautiful relationship between mother and son. There is much to learn in these pages about courage, honesty and frankly about what it was like to grow up as Gloria Vanderbilt in one of the wealthiest families.
]]> 3.83 2016
author: Anderson Cooper
name: Carol
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2021/11/01
date added: 2021/11/01
shelves:
review:
In his introduction to this touching and interesting e-mail exchanges between Anderson Cooper and his mother Gloria Vanderbilt, he ends with this:
"I hope what follows will encourage you to think about your own relationships and perhaps help you start a new kind of conversation with someone you love.
After all, if not now, when?"
Oh, what a loving and beautiful relationship between mother and son. There is much to learn in these pages about courage, honesty and frankly about what it was like to grow up as Gloria Vanderbilt in one of the wealthiest families.

]]> 33984056
He looks at her, concerned. “How do you feel?” She wants to say, Terrified. Instead, she says, with a faint smile, “Glad to be home.”

Karen and Tom Krupp are happy—they’ve got a lovely home in upstate New York, they’re practically newlyweds, and they have no kids to interrupt their comfortable life together. But one day, Tom returns home to find Karen has vanished—her car’s gone and it seems she left in a rush. She even left her purse—complete with phone and ID—behind.

There's a knock on the door—the police are there to take Tom to the hospital where his wife has been admitted. She had a car accident, and lost control as she sped through the worst part of town.

The accident has left Karen with a concussion and a few scrapes. Still, she’s mostly okay—except that she can’t remember what she was doing or where she was when she crashed. The cops think her memory loss is highly convenient, and they suspect she was up to no good.

Karen returns home with Tom, determined to heal and move on with her life. Then she realizes something’s been moved. Something’s not quite right. Someone’s been in her house. And the police won't stop asking questions.

Because in this house, everyone’s a stranger. Everyone has something they’d rather keep hidden. Something they might even kill to keep quiet.]]> 305 Shari Lapena 073522112X Carol 5 A very surprise ending and also an intriguing one.
This was the kind of book that I really couldn’t put down. I loved the crisp writing and at times I felt like I was reading a true crime story. The detective angle was great as was the suspense and the tense relationship between the characters.

]]> 3.66 2017
author: Shari Lapena
name: Carol
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2021/10/28
date added: 2021/10/28
shelves:
review:
I am a fan of Shari Lapena and this is definitely one of my favorite books of hers.
A very surprise ending and also an intriguing one.
This was the kind of book that I really couldn’t put down. I loved the crisp writing and at times I felt like I was reading a true crime story. The detective angle was great as was the suspense and the tense relationship between the characters.


]]> 8646 Crow Lake is that rare find, a first novel so quietly assured, so emotionally pitch perfect, you know from the opening page that this is the real thing—a literary experience in which to lose yourself, by an author of immense talent.

Here is a gorgeous, slow-burning story set in the rural “badlands” of northern Ontario, where heartbreak and hardship are mirrored in the landscape. For the farming Pye family, life is a Greek tragedy where the sins of the fathers are visited on the sons, and terrible events occur—offstage.

Centerstage are the Morrisons, whose tragedy looks more immediate if less brutal, but is, in reality, insidious and divisive. Orphaned young, Kate Morrison was her older brother Matt’s protegee, her fascination for pond life fed by his passionate interest in the natural world. Now a zoologist, she can identify organisms under a microscope but seems blind to the state of her own emotional life. And she thinks she’s outgrown her siblings—Luke, Matt, and Bo—who were once her entire world.

In this universal drama of family love and misunderstandings, of resentments harbored and driven underground, Lawson ratchets up the tension with heartbreaking humor and consummate control, continually overturning one’s expectations right to the very end. Tragic, funny, unforgettable, this deceptively simple masterpiece about the perils of hero worship leapt to the top of the bestseller lists only days after being released in Canada and earned glowing reviews in The New York Times and The Globe and Mail, to name a few.]]> 320 Mary Lawson 0385337639 Carol 5 3.97 2002
author: Mary Lawson
name: Carol
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2002
rating: 5
read at: 2021/10/26
date added: 2021/10/26
shelves:
review:
Kate is an unforgettable character as she and her three siblings struggle to maintain a semblance of normal family life after their parents are tragically killed in a car accident. All the characters (even the most minor ones) are authentic and illustrate community and rich family values. This is writing, in my opinion, at its best. A heartwarming novel full of realistic conflict and tenderness.
]]> 56213354
With the same propulsion that captivated millions of readers worldwide in The Girl on the Train and Into the Water, Paula Hawkins unfurls a gripping, twisting story of deceit, murder, and revenge.]]> 307 Paula Hawkins 073521123X Carol 4 ]]> 3.45 2021
author: Paula Hawkins
name: Carol
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/10/10
date added: 2021/10/10
shelves:
review:
I was really taken in by the novel from the very beginning and, as a writer, I enjoyed many of her great sentences. However, towards the end I found that the novel dragged on and I lost interest in both the characters and the plot. Too bad because I was anticipating reading this novel. This is not to say that I would not read another one of her novels. The Girl on The Train was her best novel so far and this one didn't match it for me.

]]> 51192924 ‘You don’t think Jamie and I have secrets, do you? No, we tell each other everything.’ She smiled. ‘Including your dirty little secret. So, thinking about it, maybe it’s time to start being nice to me?’

THE WIFE: Clare is ready for a break. It’s been a tough year and now she wants to put her feet up. Arriving at the Italian villa for their summer holiday, she decides it’s high time her husband and his family did some of the work. After all, her husband owes her…

THE HUSBAND: Even though Dan had his head turned by someone else, he’s realised the error of his ways. He’s here now, and he says it’s for keeps. Clare can trust him, can’t she? At least he’ll have his brother there, to keep him in line…

THE BROTHER: Jamie is the prodigal child, back in the family fold again, after years of travelling abroad. But when he gets to the villa, he’s not alone. He’s brought a wife, someone none of them have met before.

THE SISTER-IN-LAW: Ella is everything Clare isn’t. Glamorous. Young. Influential. But she knows a secret about Clare. Something that has the power to break the whole family apart.

And there’s someone who will do whatever it takes to make sure that this deep secret never comes to the surface.

An utterly unputdownable, gripping, twisty psychological thriller perfect for fans of Before I Go To Sleep, The Girl on the Train and Date Night.

]]> 298 Sue Watson 1838882685 Carol 5 All of the adult characters hold secrets and part of the suspense is wanting to know what these secrets are, who knows what and who’s not saying along with all the buildup tension between the characters.
I loved the interaction between the sisters-in-law with their secrets, jealousies and vying for first place with their mother-in-law.
The Taylor family is a very interesting family with conflicts too often thrown under the rug in order to buy peace. I found myself wanting to know how the plot was going to turn out. Sue Watson had me guessing until the very end. She is a seasoned writer. She first started off her writing career writing bestsellers in romantic comedies before she drifted into psychological thrillers so it is not surprising that the novel has the easy flow of a romantic comedy but in a psychological thriller wrapping.
Entertaining and full of twists and turns with a very unexpected ending.
]]> 3.94 2019
author: Sue Watson
name: Carol
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2021/09/30
date added: 2021/09/30
shelves:
review:
The setting of The Sister-in-law is a villa on the Amalfi coast where the Taylor family are spending this year’s summer vacation. There’s mother and father, with the mother being the authority of the family and is very protective of her two sons: Dan, his wife, Clare, their troubled marriage and three adorable children thanks mainly to Clare’s attention and love towards them. And then there’s Jamie, the youngest son and a globetrotter who arrives with his new bride, Ella who craves attention and trots around the swimming pool in bikinis barely covering her butt.
All of the adult characters hold secrets and part of the suspense is wanting to know what these secrets are, who knows what and who’s not saying along with all the buildup tension between the characters.
I loved the interaction between the sisters-in-law with their secrets, jealousies and vying for first place with their mother-in-law.
The Taylor family is a very interesting family with conflicts too often thrown under the rug in order to buy peace. I found myself wanting to know how the plot was going to turn out. Sue Watson had me guessing until the very end. She is a seasoned writer. She first started off her writing career writing bestsellers in romantic comedies before she drifted into psychological thrillers so it is not surprising that the novel has the easy flow of a romantic comedy but in a psychological thriller wrapping.
Entertaining and full of twists and turns with a very unexpected ending.

]]> 42201920
Though more than thirty years her senior, Gabe, a handsome corporate finance attorney, seems like the perfect candidate, and within a month, they are madly in love. At least, Nat is…Gabe already has a family, whom he has no intention of leaving.

So when he abruptly ends things, Nat can’t let go. She begins drinking heavily and stalking him: watching him at work, spying on his wife, even befriending his daughter, who is not much younger than she is. But Gabe’s not about to let his sugar baby destroy his perfect life. What was supposed to be a mutually beneficial arrangement devolves into a nightmare of deception, obsession, and, when a body is found near Gabe’s posh Upper East Side apartment, murder.]]> 343 Robyn Harding 198211049X Carol 4 About the first half of the novel reads like a romantic novel where poor girl finds her prince charming (put aside the sugar daddy and sugar baby dynamics). What woman wouldn’t want the kind of attention and love which Gabe showered so generously on Nat?
Due to Robyn Harding’s intensive research on sugar babies we get a good glance into this dark and tightly controlled world.
Then, in the second part was the mystery/court case/crime novel. I was surprised hat one of the categories in the product description was kidnapping thriller, which I did not find pertinent to this novel.
The ending was satisfactory and somewhat unexpected; it had a comfortable feel to it and the novel moved at a relatively fast pace.
]]> 3.69 2019
author: Robyn Harding
name: Carol
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2021/09/25
date added: 2021/09/25
shelves:
review:
It was a pleasure to read Robyn Harding’s the Arrangement. I was immediately hooked into this novel.
About the first half of the novel reads like a romantic novel where poor girl finds her prince charming (put aside the sugar daddy and sugar baby dynamics). What woman wouldn’t want the kind of attention and love which Gabe showered so generously on Nat?
Due to Robyn Harding’s intensive research on sugar babies we get a good glance into this dark and tightly controlled world.
Then, in the second part was the mystery/court case/crime novel. I was surprised hat one of the categories in the product description was kidnapping thriller, which I did not find pertinent to this novel.
The ending was satisfactory and somewhat unexpected; it had a comfortable feel to it and the novel moved at a relatively fast pace.

]]> 45185987
A devoted wife…A year ago, Gemma met the love of her life, Danny. Since then, their relationship has been perfect. But one evening, Danny doesn’t return home.

A missing husband…Gemma turns to the police. She is horrified by what she discovers – a serial killer is on the loose in Bristol. When she sees photos of the victims she is even more stunned…they all look just like Danny.

Who would you believe?But the police are suspicious. Why has no one apart from Gemma heard from Danny in weeks? Why is there barely a trace of him in their flat? Is she telling them the truth, or is this marriage hiding some very dark secrets?

'Keeps you guessing as you frantically turn the pages’ Sunday Times bestselling author C. L. Taylor

‘I couldn't put it down!’ Alex Lake, bestselling author of Seven Days

‘There is no let-up in this twisty-turny thriller’ Kate Riordan, author of The Heatwave

What readers are saying about The Perfect Couple‘This book kept me up all night. So many twists and turns. I just could not get enough’

‘Oh my word!! This book was absolutely brilliant!! I cannot even describe how brilliant the plot was and the twists and turns were just amazing!!’

‘The perfect read!’

‘Jackie Kabler -you have written a thriller beyond words!’

‘A page turning, knee trembling read!’

‘Suspense, thrills, police procedural, and a good old-fashioned creepy scare await you’

‘Amazing, twisty, ride. I was left with a jaw dropped open and asking myself why and how’

‘Oh My Gosh what a Head Spinning book!!!!. Kept me on my toes through every chapter’]]> 433 Jackie Kabler 0008328420 Carol 0 It had an interesting twist on who committed the murder and why, although the psychological explanation for the person’s behavior was much too long and I found myself skipping over some of it. It could have been tightened and summed up.
I also found the ending disappointing. It lacked a sense of justice which I tend to expect in reading crime novels. Still, an interesting read.
]]> 3.99 2020
author: Jackie Kabler
name: Carol
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2021/09/25
date added: 2021/09/25
shelves:
review:
The Perfect Couple kept me reading until the end although I did find it slow at times. To me there were sections that could have been omitted without damaging the plot. The novel is both a psychological thriller and a chick-lit romance, two types of reading that I enjoy.
It had an interesting twist on who committed the murder and why, although the psychological explanation for the person’s behavior was much too long and I found myself skipping over some of it. It could have been tightened and summed up.
I also found the ending disappointing. It lacked a sense of justice which I tend to expect in reading crime novels. Still, an interesting read.

]]> 55004543 Forget the truth.

Remember the lies.

He wakes up on a deserted beach in Maryland with a gash on his head and wearing only swim trunks. He can't remember who he is. Everything--his identity, his life, his loved ones--has been replaced by a dizzying fog of uncertainty. But returning to his Maine hometown in search of the truth uncovers more questions than answers.

Lily Reid thinks she knows her boyfriend, Jack. Until he goes missing one night, and her frantic search reveals that he's been lying to her since they met, desperate to escape a dark past he'd purposely left behind.

Maya Scott has been trying to find her estranged stepbrother, Asher, since he disappeared without a trace. Having him back, missing memory and all, feels like a miracle. But with a mutual history full of devastating secrets, how far will Maya go to ensure she alone takes them to the grave?

Shared fates intertwine in a twisty, explosive novel of suspense, where unearthing the past might just mean being buried beneath it.]]> 352 Hannah Mary McKinnon 0778331814 Carol 0 3.63 2021
author: Hannah Mary McKinnon
name: Carol
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2021/09/20
date added: 2021/09/20
shelves:
review:
There are some books that wake you up in the middle of your sleep just to read it. This is one such book. I had a hard time putting it down and loved it until the last two chapters which were disappointing. I would have liked a better ending. However, I would definitely read another book by this author. The copy I read had an insightful interview with the author.
]]> 295757 “There is good luck, and there is bad luck, and then there’s the ambiguous sort of luck that’s a lot of this and some of the other.”

Philip Lawrence, a robust and pleasure-loving furniture-maker, dies suddenly at the age of forty-six. Though that’s terribly young by most standards, he’s lucky to have passed presumably peacefully in his sleep. Less fortunate, however, are the three women he leaves behind to make sense of his loss.

There’s Nora, his wife of seventeen years, who wakes up next to his dead body. A fiery visual artist, Nora’s feminist re-interpretation of biblical themes stoked fundamentalist outrage from her small-town neighbours. Now, as her emotions run the gamut, she must confront solo life in a place she despises.

Nora shares the house with Sophie, a buxom and bossy redhead, who works as the couple’s housekeeper and personal assistant. A recovering virtue addict, Sophie turns to menial tasks as a way to suppress painful memories of her two-year stint as an overseas aid worker. Philip’s death leaves her quietly reeling.

And then there’s the pliable and vacuous Beth, a former beauty queen, who serves as Nora’s live-in muse and model. She mourns not Philip so much as the loss of a haven from her own creepy past.

The novel follows the three days immediately after Philip’s death. Privately, each woman deals with memories and emotions, secrets and uncomfortable revelations, while at the same time preparing for the public rituals of mourning (including a funeral like no other). The narrative moves seamlessly from one perspective to another with delicious dark humour and wry insight into the nature of death, love, mourning, fundamentalism and luck.]]> 307 Joan Barfoot 0676977014 Carol 5 The premise is interesting: Philip lives with three women: his wife, a secret lover and a beauty queen. When he suddenly dies peacefully in his sleep at the age of 46 the novel then dives into the relationships Philip had with these women as well as the three women amongst themselves.
The writing is intense and the perspective on death deep as spoken by Hendrick, the undertaker: “ …living right inside a house of death, maybe like skydiving or tightrope walking for someone fearful of heights, puts terror where it belongs: right in the familiar, habitual heart of the matter….From what I’ve seen …death itself is easy enough it’s the dying that’s hard.”
The novel is full of wise sayings illustrating Joan Barfoot’s astute skills as a writer.
In the end, each woman and Philip is lucky for their own specific reasons which, although the subject of death may be dark this is an optimistic novel.]]> 3.15 2005
author: Joan Barfoot
name: Carol
average rating: 3.15
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 2021/09/18
date added: 2021/09/18
shelves:
review:
While the other two novels I read by Joan Barfoot – Plain Jane and Dancing in the Dark – have as themes loneliness and adultery, Luck has death weaving throughout it.
The premise is interesting: Philip lives with three women: his wife, a secret lover and a beauty queen. When he suddenly dies peacefully in his sleep at the age of 46 the novel then dives into the relationships Philip had with these women as well as the three women amongst themselves.
The writing is intense and the perspective on death deep as spoken by Hendrick, the undertaker: “ …living right inside a house of death, maybe like skydiving or tightrope walking for someone fearful of heights, puts terror where it belongs: right in the familiar, habitual heart of the matter….From what I’ve seen …death itself is easy enough it’s the dying that’s hard.”
The novel is full of wise sayings illustrating Joan Barfoot’s astute skills as a writer.
In the end, each woman and Philip is lucky for their own specific reasons which, although the subject of death may be dark this is an optimistic novel.
]]> 12609391
Imagine discovering everything you believe about yourself to be a lie. And that the truth could stir a killer from his lair.

Following the death of the woman she believed to be her mother, 28-year-old Naomi Waters learns from a malicious aunt that she is not only adopted, but the product of a brutal rape that left her birth mother, Mary Rose Francis, a teenager of Micmac ancestry, in a coma for 8 months.

Dealing with a sense of betrayal and loss, but with new purpose in her life, Naomi vows to track down Mary Rose's attackers and bring them to justice. She places her story in the local paper, asking for information from residents who might remember something of the case that has been cold for nearly three decades.

She is about to lose hope that her efforts will bear fruit, when she gets an anonymous phone call. Naomi has attracted the attention of one who remembers the case well.

But someone else has also read the article in the paper. The man whose DNA she carries.

And he has Naomi in his sights.]]> 240 Joan Hall Hovey 1466337338 Carol 5 There is a lot that I loved about this novel. I loved that Naomi, the protagonist is part Mi’kmaq and the author addresses racism and inequality towards Natives throughout the novel. At times overtly at other times with subtleness.
I loved the tension, which seems to be a hallmark of this author’s work based on the last book I read by her (Plain Jane).
I liked Naomi. She is smart, fast thinking and “as pretty as a sunset.”
The author takes the reader through Naomi’s thought process as she is fiercely focused on avenging her mother’s murderer.
A good versus evil novel.
]]> 3.79 2011
author: Joan Hall Hovey
name: Carol
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2021/09/01
date added: 2021/09/01
shelves:
review:

There is a lot that I loved about this novel. I loved that Naomi, the protagonist is part Mi’kmaq and the author addresses racism and inequality towards Natives throughout the novel. At times overtly at other times with subtleness.
I loved the tension, which seems to be a hallmark of this author’s work based on the last book I read by her (Plain Jane).
I liked Naomi. She is smart, fast thinking and “as pretty as a sunset.”
The author takes the reader through Naomi’s thought process as she is fiercely focused on avenging her mother’s murderer.
A good versus evil novel.

]]> 40265073
Driven less by pleasure than compulsion, Adèle organizes her day around her extramarital affairs, arriving late to work and lying to her husband about where she's been, until she becomes ensnared in a trap of her own making. Suspenseful, erotic, and electrically charged, Adèle is a captivating exploration of addiction, sexuality, and one woman's quest to feel alive.]]> 216 Leïla Slimani 0143132180 Carol 5 3.25 2014
author: Leïla Slimani
name: Carol
average rating: 3.25
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2021/09/01
date added: 2021/09/01
shelves:
review:
This was so different from Leila Slimani's The Perfect Nanny and yet had the similar sense of dark mood that something is about to happen. Can a marriage survive a betrayal, especially when it consists of several sexual betrays with different men? The author explores the debauchery world of a young woman, who seems to have it all that is until her husband discovers her affairs. As is the author's style, the writing is powerful, crisp, lean - a deep dive into sexual addiction.
]]> 56233831 In an era of pornification, his acts of nearly imperceptible abuse continue to mount as their relationship develops. Lilja wants to hold onto him, take care of him and be the perfect lover. But in order to do so, she gradually lets go of her boundaries and concurrently starts to lose her sense of self.
With astounding clarity and restraint, Hjörleifsdóttir sheds light on the commonplace undercurrents of violence that so often go undetected in romantic relationships. She deftly illustrates the failings of our culture in recognizing symptoms of cruelty, and in powerful, poetic prose depicts the unspooling of a tender-hearted woman desperate to love well.

“A compulsive, propulsive debut about a young woman’s exploration of love and sex. In spare, harrowing prose, Thóra Hjörleifsdóttir’s narrator pulls us into the tale of her near undoing and her struggle to find her own value. It is the masterful writer who can shock us and make it ring so true.”—Lily King

“Magma is a luminous and poetic novel unlike any I have ever read. How to describe the slow escalation by which possession becomes control, and power abuse? Thóra Hjörleifsdóttir shows how and the effects are shocking and beautiful, it seethes like lava. She has created a whole new landscape for storytelling.” —John Freeman]]> 208 Thóra Hjörleifsdóttir Carol 0 3.50 2019
author: Thóra Hjörleifsdóttir
name: Carol
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at: 2021/08/26
date added: 2021/08/26
shelves:
review:
The reason that this little book has taken me a long time to finish is because I wanted to savor it. This is an extraordinary novel both in subject matter and in its form. The author, Thóra Hjörleifsdóttir, crosses all barriers regarding conventional novel writing. There is no sub-plot. No real setting to speak of – certainly not a book where the setting plays a role. It is raw, precise and does not stray from the plot. This, no doubt is a love story – a harsh one and also a tender one. I loved this book.
]]> 295758 Barfoot, Joan 256 Joan Barfoot 0704343290 Carol 5 Much of the novel takes us inside Jane’s head (which I love) and the ambiguity she has about meeting Brian once he is released from prison. There is something universal about Jane in that we all, at one point, fantasize about a better life for ourselves. She is a character with a good heart but also one driven by loneliness and boredom and a sense of duty as she struggles to find “a line of thought that makes good sense.”
Moreover, the novel’s strength is in the author’s ability to keep the tension high from beginning to end, her excellent writing skills and how she engages the reader: “But she was strict with the cabbie, wasn’t she?”
This is my second Joan Barfoot novel and I was pleased to learn that she has written a whole lot more.
]]> 3.21 1992
author: Joan Barfoot
name: Carol
average rating: 3.21
book published: 1992
rating: 5
read at: 2021/08/22
date added: 2021/08/22
shelves:
review:
As a criminologist who worked with prisoners in halfway homes, I was very much interested in how this novel would unfold. Through letters between Jane and Brian (a man about to be released from prison) a romantic type of relationship develops. The focus is on Jane and her life working in a library. With an unsatisfactory relationship with her mother and the few friends she has, Jane is seeking adventure in what has been in her twenty-eight years a rather plain and dull life. As Jane learns of the crime Brian has committed, she finds herself justifying it so as to save her fantasy about a life with him.
Much of the novel takes us inside Jane’s head (which I love) and the ambiguity she has about meeting Brian once he is released from prison. There is something universal about Jane in that we all, at one point, fantasize about a better life for ourselves. She is a character with a good heart but also one driven by loneliness and boredom and a sense of duty as she struggles to find “a line of thought that makes good sense.”
Moreover, the novel’s strength is in the author’s ability to keep the tension high from beginning to end, her excellent writing skills and how she engages the reader: “But she was strict with the cabbie, wasn’t she?”
This is my second Joan Barfoot novel and I was pleased to learn that she has written a whole lot more.

]]> 43822820 here.

Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.

She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.

The can’t-look-away story of three entangled families living in a house with the darkest of secrets.]]> 352 Lisa Jewell 1501190105 Carol 3 3.92 2019
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Carol
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2021/08/19
date added: 2021/08/19
shelves:
review:
This is my first Lisa Jewell book and I wasn't that drawn into it and found it too long and very creepy. From the reviews I read it seems that this isn't her best, even from fans of hers and so I am willing and will give her other books a try.
]]> 10928600
At 17, Caroline Hill was torn from the boy she loved by her tyranical father. Then she lost her child. Finally, her grasp on reality.

Now, after nine years in Bayshore mental institution, once called the lunatic asylum, Caroline Hill is finally being released.

There will be no one to meet her. Her parents who brought her here...are dead.

They have found her a room in a rooming house, a job washing dishes in a restaurant. She will do fine, they said. But no one told her that women in St. Simeon are already dying at the hands of a vicious predator. One, an actress who lived previously in her building.

And others.


And now, as Caroline struggles to survive on the outside, she realizes someone is stalking her.

But who will believe her? She's a crazy woman after all.

Then, one cold winter's night on her way home from her job, a man follows and is about to assault her when a stranger intercedes.

A stranger who hides his face and whispers her name.]]> 258 Joan Hall Hovey 1926965566 Carol 4 Night Corridor is about small-town characters: A couple of detectives, Caroline, the protagonist works in a restaurant, the owner of the eloquent dress shop, the men at the rooming house Caroline lives in, the murderer, the nurse from the mental institution.
There’s a clever boldness to Joan Hall Hovey’s writing. She cuts through conventional boundaries and fiction and finds herself, in my opinion, amongst some of my favorites: Gillian Flynn, Paula Hawkins, Vera Caspary.
Her writing is pleasant to read as she effortlessly slips from present tense to past tense. Her characters are well drawn especially her protagonist whose will to survive makes her a strong character.
Yes, the novel does have a problems with punctuation and sentence structure as is mentioned in several comments on Goodreads. This is unfortunate because this could have easily been avoided by a good edit. These linguistic mishaps disturb the natural rhythm of the story and momentarily take the reader away from the story.
However, the strength of the novel’s foundation (plot, character, mood) far outweighs the grammatical errors. Joan Hill Hovey knows how to stretch suspense so as to keep layering the intrigue of the plot and to keep the reader turning the pages.

]]> 3.35 2011
author: Joan Hall Hovey
name: Carol
average rating: 3.35
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2021/08/14
date added: 2021/08/14
shelves:
review:
“One didn’t have to be a psychiatrist to know that she was terrified. The fear was in her eyes. She knew what was happening to her.”
Night Corridor is about small-town characters: A couple of detectives, Caroline, the protagonist works in a restaurant, the owner of the eloquent dress shop, the men at the rooming house Caroline lives in, the murderer, the nurse from the mental institution.
There’s a clever boldness to Joan Hall Hovey’s writing. She cuts through conventional boundaries and fiction and finds herself, in my opinion, amongst some of my favorites: Gillian Flynn, Paula Hawkins, Vera Caspary.
Her writing is pleasant to read as she effortlessly slips from present tense to past tense. Her characters are well drawn especially her protagonist whose will to survive makes her a strong character.
Yes, the novel does have a problems with punctuation and sentence structure as is mentioned in several comments on Goodreads. This is unfortunate because this could have easily been avoided by a good edit. These linguistic mishaps disturb the natural rhythm of the story and momentarily take the reader away from the story.
However, the strength of the novel’s foundation (plot, character, mood) far outweighs the grammatical errors. Joan Hill Hovey knows how to stretch suspense so as to keep layering the intrigue of the plot and to keep the reader turning the pages.


]]> 40202662 292 Laura Joyce 3319693379 Carol 5 There is an excellent introduction by Laura Joyce followed by:
Part1: The Origins of Domestic Noir; Part 2: The Influences of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl; Part 3: Gendered, Sexual and Intimate Violence in Domestic Noir; Part 4: Home as a Site of Violence; Part 5: Geographies of Domestic Noir.
Among the writers of this new subgenre of thriller are: Megan Abbott, Julia Crouch, Tana French, Pierre Lemaitre, Liane Moriarty and Vera Caspary and many more.
I have indicated here on Goodreads that I have finished with this documentary but bear in mind that this is a reference book and so I will likely never be finished as I myself continue to write domestic noir novels.
]]> 4.67
author: Laura Joyce
name: Carol
average rating: 4.67
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2021/08/02
date added: 2021/08/02
shelves:
review:
This is an excellent book on the research of Domestic Noir literature. It is a must for anyone interested in this new subgenre of literature.
There is an excellent introduction by Laura Joyce followed by:
Part1: The Origins of Domestic Noir; Part 2: The Influences of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl; Part 3: Gendered, Sexual and Intimate Violence in Domestic Noir; Part 4: Home as a Site of Violence; Part 5: Geographies of Domestic Noir.
Among the writers of this new subgenre of thriller are: Megan Abbott, Julia Crouch, Tana French, Pierre Lemaitre, Liane Moriarty and Vera Caspary and many more.
I have indicated here on Goodreads that I have finished with this documentary but bear in mind that this is a reference book and so I will likely never be finished as I myself continue to write domestic noir novels.

]]> 58060895
Philosophers and mystics ponder the mystery of these flashes. Pamela Wight writes about life flashes in her short stories that include family and friends, love and life's challenges. Wight's "Flash Memoir" promotes the belief that we all share sparks of the extraordinary that occur in our everyday life. Each short story is true and brings a smile of recognition to her readers: that life transports and enthralls us in all its confusing, amusing, challenging, and astonishing ways. Each story is light-hearted and short - like a flash - but be prepared for a page-turner that keeps you in your seat, smiling.]]> 140 Pamela Wight Carol 5 Having said this, it also goes beyond the personal and into our collective consciousness. Her flash fiction stories are relatable in their universal truths about “extraordinary ordinary” life situations. Think of a middle-aged woman dancing in front of a mirror on a Wednesday afternoon. Or, remember those first days of school, when the teacher asked you to write about your summer vacation? What did you focus on? How about watching the sleep of babies in so total, full abandon? And an old favorite, Life is short, give up what is unnecessary.
Pamela S. Wight (don’t ask what the S stands for…she herself doesn’t know) bears her soul abundant with consideration, kind-heartedness and benevolence. This, is most evident in her flash fiction about the shrimp meal which her son in law made. You have to love her!
We toasted to each other, to shrimp, and to ordinary family get-togethers that are extraordinary in their ability to make us happy.
As someone who writes crime fiction and reads a lot of crime fiction this was such a welcome contrast of pure love and the reassurance that life can and is beautiful.
Flashes of Life is entertaining, sharp and always very perceptive.
In short, Flashes of Life is a treat. Much like ice-cream on a hot summer afternoon.
After all, in the end, All you need is love.
]]> 4.95
author: Pamela Wight
name: Carol
average rating: 4.95
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2021/06/29
date added: 2021/07/23
shelves:
review:
Flashes of Life is Pamela S. Wight’s love story to her family: her husband, her children, her grandchildren, her son-in law. It is a treasure for her family to behold. What a wonderful gift!
Having said this, it also goes beyond the personal and into our collective consciousness. Her flash fiction stories are relatable in their universal truths about “extraordinary ordinary” life situations. Think of a middle-aged woman dancing in front of a mirror on a Wednesday afternoon. Or, remember those first days of school, when the teacher asked you to write about your summer vacation? What did you focus on? How about watching the sleep of babies in so total, full abandon? And an old favorite, Life is short, give up what is unnecessary.
Pamela S. Wight (don’t ask what the S stands for…she herself doesn’t know) bears her soul abundant with consideration, kind-heartedness and benevolence. This, is most evident in her flash fiction about the shrimp meal which her son in law made. You have to love her!
We toasted to each other, to shrimp, and to ordinary family get-togethers that are extraordinary in their ability to make us happy.
As someone who writes crime fiction and reads a lot of crime fiction this was such a welcome contrast of pure love and the reassurance that life can and is beautiful.
Flashes of Life is entertaining, sharp and always very perceptive.
In short, Flashes of Life is a treat. Much like ice-cream on a hot summer afternoon.
After all, in the end, All you need is love.

]]> 40821710 153 Lawrence Block 1596068930 Carol 4 Interesting how Block makes a parallel between alcoholism and being hooked on prostitution.
What I most enjoyed was Block’s crisp, conversational and witty style of writing.
]]> 3.34 2019
author: Lawrence Block
name: Carol
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2021/06/21
date added: 2021/06/21
shelves:
review:
I enjoyed the emphasis on the protagonist’s relationship with his wife Elaine who provides much inside view of prostitution.
Interesting how Block makes a parallel between alcoholism and being hooked on prostitution.
What I most enjoyed was Block’s crisp, conversational and witty style of writing.

]]> 56492866 240 J.E. Spina Carol 5 5.00
author: J.E. Spina
name: Carol
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2021/06/21
date added: 2021/06/21
shelves:
review:
In A Second was a very pleasant read. The three main characters: mother (Carla), grandmother (Grace) and daughter (Athena) who brought to mind The Golden Girls. The novel also deals with clairvoyance which gave it an extra layer of intrigue. This is both a suspenseful mystery and a warm romance.
]]> 38819868
My Sister, the Serial Killer is a blackly comic novel about how blood is thicker - and more difficult to get out of the carpet - than water...]]> 226 Oyinkan Braithwaite 0385544235 Carol 0 3.63 2018
author: Oyinkan Braithwaite
name: Carol
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at: 2021/06/17
date added: 2021/06/17
shelves:
review:
I heard of this author through an interview on this years' Hay Festival. I'm glad I did. This is not only a very original story about a serious matter and family bonds but Oyinkan Braithwaite crosses boundaries in terms of the structure of a novel. The book opens with four pages of accolades from just about every prestigious book reviewer from The Guardian to The Chicago Review of books. All, in my opinion, well deserved reviews.
]]> 23906987 80 Angela Ackerman Carol 5 4.39
author: Angela Ackerman
name: Carol
average rating: 4.39
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/06/15
shelves:
review:

]]> 25766746 30 Isabelle Lafleche Carol 5 3.62 2015
author: Isabelle Lafleche
name: Carol
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/06/15
shelves:
review:

]]> 26059983
Journalist Emily Garland lands a plum assignment as the editor of a niche magazine based in Lount’s Landing, a small town named after a colorful nineteeth century Canadian traitor. As she interviews the local business owners for the magazine, Emily quickly learns that many people are unhappy with real estate mogul Garrett Stonehaven’s plans to convert an old schoolhouse into a mega-box store. At the top of that list is Arabella Carpenter, the outspoken owner of an antiques shop, who will do just about anything to preserve the integrity of the town’s historic Main Street.

But Arabella is not alone in her opposition. Before long, a vocal dissenter at a town hall meeting about the proposed project dies. A few days later, another body is discovered, and although both deaths are ruled accidental, Emily’s journalistic suspicions are aroused.

Putting her reporting skills to the ultimate test, Emily teams up with Arabella to discover the truth behind Stonehaven’s latest scheme before the murderer strikes again.]]> 178 Judy Penz Sheluk 1941295258 Carol 5 4.55 2015
author: Judy Penz Sheluk
name: Carol
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/06/15
shelves:
review:

]]> 38205874 A chance encounter sparks an unrelenting web of lies in this stunning new psychological thriller from national bestselling author Mary Kubica

She sees the teenage girl on the train platform, standing in the pouring rain, clutching an infant in her arms. She boards a train and is whisked away. But she can't get the girl out of her head...

Heidi Wood has always been a charitable woman: she works for a nonprofit, takes in stray cats. Still, her husband and daughter are horrified when Heidi returns home one day with a young woman named Willow and her four-month-old baby in tow. Disheveled and apparently homeless, this girl could be a criminal—or worse. But despite her family's objections, Heidi invites Willow and the baby to take refuge in their home.

Heidi spends the next few days helping Willow get back on her feet, but as clues into Willow's past begin to surface, Heidi is forced to decide how far she's willing to go to help a stranger. What starts as an act of kindness quickly spirals into a story far more twisted than anyone could have anticipated.]]> 381 Mary Kubica Carol 5 3.89 2015
author: Mary Kubica
name: Carol
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/06/15
shelves:
review:

]]> 32313219
STEPHANIE - Trapped in a loveless marriage to a corporate lawyer, she's looking for more than a brief affair. Kyle appears to be the man of her dreams - charismatic and sensitive to her needs. Only losing everything she holds dear forces her to face the addiction that's eroding her life.

JENNY - Her high-pressure career is straining her days and she's tired of spending her nights alone. After two failed relationships, she masquerades as a married woman on the system to avoid commitment.

DANA is studying why women have affairs for a thesis in psychology, and arranges interviews with women through ConneXions. She links the killer to the dating site. To prove her theory, she, too, must play his game.




EDITORIAL REVIEW by Venita Naylor for Readers' Favorite:

"Women, if you are looking for a nail-biting book on the essence of online dating, you must read ConneXions, which takes place in Montreal. Thelma Mariano takes you on a ride of murder and suspense as you look through the eyes of Kyle, a bartender. Ever since Lori left Kyle and their marriage of seven years, he has been on a quest to make women pay. He does this by seeking out other wives who are unfaithful to their husbands. Kyle believes it is his earthly duty to rid the world of these women. Will his plan work? Will he slip up and be found out?

"From the first page of reading, this story had me. I looked at ConneXions as I would eHarmony, Christian Mingle or Match.com, which are a few of the popular online dating sites taking over traditional dating. As I watched the lives of Jenny, a successful single woman who needs some spice in her life, and Stephanie, an unhappily married woman, unfold in ConneXions, I began to think about the old adage of 'the grass is greener on the other side' that so many people believe, especially when hitting a bumpy road in their relationships. Both these women feel they have met the man of their dreams, someone that can help them overcome their insecurities, feelings of being unloved, loneliness, and the hopelessness they are experiencing. They crave the attention that Kyle gives them during their intimate encounters.

"Enter Dana, who is working on her thesis about women who are having affairs. She begins her quest by registering on ConneXions. While on the dating site, things take a turn. Will Stephanie, Jenny, and Dana all be a part of Kyle's plan, or will one of the women be too much of a match for him?"

Source: https://readersfavorite.com/book-revi...]]> 205 Thelma Mariano Carol 5 3.78
author: Thelma Mariano
name: Carol
average rating: 3.78
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/06/15
shelves:
review:

]]> 34725874 He saw her coming. If he’d known her effect he'd have walked away.

When it comes to doing it all, ‘wild child’ writer Brittany Carter ticks every box. Having it all is a different thing though, what with her need to thwart an ex fiancé and her being transported from the present to Georgian times. But then, so long as she can find her way back to her world of fame and promised fortune, what's there to worry about?

Georgian bad boy Mitchell Killgower is at the center of an inheritance dispute. He needs Brittany as his obedient, country-mouse wife. Or, rather, he needs her like a hole in the head. In and out of his bed, he’s never known a woman like her. Nor a woman who can disappear and reappear like her either.

And when his coolly contained anarchist, who is anything but, learns how to return to her world and remain, will having it all be enough, or does she underestimate him, and herself?
]]> 250 Shehanne Moore Carol 5 4.14
author: Shehanne Moore
name: Carol
average rating: 4.14
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/06/15
shelves:
review:

]]> 22613197
When Andrew Sumner meets beautiful, edgy Charlie, he is certain his run of bad luck has finally come to an end.

But as the two of them embark on an intense affair, Andrew wonders if his grasp on reality is slipping. Items go missing in his apartment. Somebody appears to be following him. And as misfortune and tragedy strike his friends and loved ones, Andrew is forced to confront the frightening truth...

Is Charlie really the girl of his dreams – or the woman of his nightmares?]]> 352 Mark Edwards 1477874852 Carol 5 4.15 2014
author: Mark Edwards
name: Carol
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/06/15
shelves:
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]]> 36007154
Kenneth watches the love of his life dance on New Year's Eve while Lily plants very special flowers every spring for her father. Martha helps out a work colleague as Norman steps back out into the world to make a difference. Owen brings light into a house and Patrick risks his life in the skies over Britain and holds back from telling a beautiful redhead that he loves her.

Meet Queenie and Rosemary who have both lost their husbands and must face a very different future. One that will take courage and the use of new technology.

Sonia is an entitled princess whose father has reached the end of his tether and Theresa has to deal with a bully in the checkout. Usher is an arrogant narcissist with a docile wife and is used to getting his own way and Vanessa worries about the future of her relationship with her teenage son.

Walter is a loner and is happy with just his dog for company, Xenia is the long awaited first baby of a young couple. Yves is a dashing romeo who has the tables turned on him unexpectedly and Zoe... Well she can see into the future.

In one way or another all these characters will be remembered by those whose lives they have touched.]]> 103 Sally Cronin Carol 5 4.84
author: Sally Cronin
name: Carol
average rating: 4.84
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/06/15
shelves:
review:

]]> 37544434
In this eclectic mix of 21 short stories, flash fiction and poetry the pendulum swings between first love and murder, from soul-destroying grief to reconciliation. The tales veer from the sweet satisfaction of revenge to new beginnings, from heart-breaking miscarriages of justice to heart-warming Christmas misadventure.

One common thread binds them all; the belief that there is no such thing as an ordinary life; they're all extraordinary.

Open your hearts and minds as The Storyteller Speaks.]]> 127 Annika Perry Carol 5 4.68
author: Annika Perry
name: Carol
average rating: 4.68
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/06/15
shelves:
review:

]]> 37660417 278 Anneli Purchase 0994755775 Carol 5 4.67
author: Anneli Purchase
name: Carol
average rating: 4.67
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/06/15
shelves:
review:

]]> 49070760
Join Oskar on this unexpected and magnificent quest, where he finds not only courage but so much more…

“It’s light, extremely enjoyable and very gripping.” Esther Chilton – author & editor.

Perfect for ages 3 to 6.]]> 40 Annika Perry 1712401408 Carol 5 5.00 2019
author: Annika Perry
name: Carol
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/06/15
shelves:
review:

]]> 49073800
Finding the right number of syllables for a Haiku, Tanka, Etheree or Cinquain focuses the mind; as does 99 word microfiction, bringing a different level of intensity to storytelling. You will find stories about the past, the present and the future told in 17 syllables to 2,000 words, all celebrating life.

This book is also recognition of the value to a writer, of being part of a generous and inspiring blogging community, where writing challenges encourage us to explore new styles and genres.]]> 199 Sally Cronin Carol 5 4.94
author: Sally Cronin
name: Carol
average rating: 4.94
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/06/15
shelves:
review:

]]> 53785460
After weeks of no answers from the authorities, Sheila and Shane McShane, a spry and tenacious octogenarian couple from New Hampshire, board the magnificent Celestial of the Seas to look for their daughter on the same British Isles cruise she went missing from six weeks before.

Guided by Sheila’s intuition and Shane’s logic, they uncover clues about Shanna’s disappearance, but the closer they come to the truth, the greater the danger, including from a mysterious stranger.

Drawn from a British Isles cruise with the author’s parents, "The Cruise Ship Lost My Daughter" is a cozy mystery full of humor and heart, one that takes the reader on a spirited caper from Scotland to Belgium and sails into the real-life world of art.]]> 276 Morgan Mayer 1732854122 Carol 5 4.36 2020
author: Morgan Mayer
name: Carol
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/06/15
shelves:
review:

]]> 56249417
The stories in the collection dip into the lives of men and women who are faced with an ‘event’ that is challenging and in some cases life changing.

Even something as straightforward as grocery shopping online can be frustrating, and a DNA test produces surprise results, the past reaches out to embrace the present, and a gardening assistant is an unlikely grief counsellor. Romance is not always for the faint-hearted and you are never too old for love. Random acts of kindness have far reaching consequences and some people discover they are on a lucky streak. There are those watching over us who wish us well, and those in our lives who wish us harm.]]> 95 Sally Cronin Carol 5 4.89
author: Sally Cronin
name: Carol
average rating: 4.89
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/06/15
shelves:
review:

]]> 30140995
Charli and Pud's days are filled with more excitement than AARP discounts and Lawrence Welk reruns-and more calories than they ever imagined. Realizing they are out of shape and slipping mentally, Charli and Pud check their BMIs and immediately decide they need to change their ways. With a goal of becoming healthy sooner than later, the couple embarks on a roller-coaster ride through calorie counting, label reading, and laborious exercising. But when Pud begins making mysterious phone calls and acting strangely, Charli cannot help but wonder if more problems are lurking around the corner.

The Golden Age of Charli continues the delightful tale of the energetic, friendly, and positive McAntics as they cruise through their retirement years and discover the consequences of too much of a good thing.]]> 264 Jena C. Henry 1491774916 Carol 5 This is an entertaining novel about retirement, being a golf widower and trying to shed the pounds. It is also a warming novel about a close knit family going through the transitional stage that comes with retirement.
What I most enjoyed about the book was Charli’s optimistic outlook on life. Although much of the book is about the health issues associated with being overweight, the author shows us, through Charli, that being healthy also consists of having a right attitude.
]]> 4.80 2016
author: Jena C. Henry
name: Carol
average rating: 4.80
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2016/09/08
date added: 2021/04/25
shelves:
review:
Charli and her husband Stewart (Pud) are on a mission to get healthy again and bring zest back into their 30 year marriage by bonding with their younger relatives and growing more mindful about their food uptake in spite of their love of wine and gourmet food.
This is an entertaining novel about retirement, being a golf widower and trying to shed the pounds. It is also a warming novel about a close knit family going through the transitional stage that comes with retirement.
What I most enjoyed about the book was Charli’s optimistic outlook on life. Although much of the book is about the health issues associated with being overweight, the author shows us, through Charli, that being healthy also consists of having a right attitude.

]]> 26012415 248 Anneli Purchase 0994755740 Carol 3 3.50 2015
author: Anneli Purchase
name: Carol
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2020/09/30
date added: 2020/09/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 32048620
Her sister Veronica is beautiful, outgoing, and confident. Samantha is used to her sister getting all of the attention and everything she wants, even if she's never liked it. But now they’re being torn apart by love for the same boy, their parents’ separation and mother’s declining emotional state, and their move away from Calmer Cove into city life in St. John's.

As her life crumbles apart around her, Samantha’s feelings for Ben only grow stronger. Then she finds out the boy driving the vintage Thunderbird has mysterious issues of his own. Will Samantha let Veronica keep the only boy she’s ever loved, or will she end up ruining her sister’s happiness to take control of her own? Tensions between the siblings escalate, and Samantha is torn between doing what she thinks is right and acting on her heart’s desire. One thing becomes clear: One of the Cross sisters is in for a broken heart.]]> 296 Jennifer Kelland Perry Carol 5 4.08 2016
author: Jennifer Kelland Perry
name: Carol
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2019/11/01
date added: 2019/11/01
shelves:
review:

]]> 32025313 212 Christoph Fischer 1537329766 Carol 5 The Body in the Snow is a modern version of a classic Agatha Christie plotline. Set in Llangurrey, a remote hamlet tucked miles away from the nearest town experiencing the worst snowstorm in twenty years. All roads and motorways have been closed.
I was immediately drawn into this cozy whodunit and the domestic dynamics among the characters.
The author begins by introducing the characters, a bit of their background, their family, marital status and so forth in very broad drawn strokes. You get the picture. There’s a Diva, a happy divorcee, a handyman and a host of other unlikeable characters.
Now, in present time, they find themselves neighbors, along with their past histories, secrets and personalities that clash with each other. The characters have such unique characteristics that I had no problem distinguishing them from each other, as is not always the case when there are multiple characters in a story. One of the more endearing interactions was between Bebe, a fading star and Beth, a rooky but spunky detective.
Fischer’s detective Beth is a lot of fun and brings lightness and charm to the novel. No gore or violence was a plus. It was simply a fun, light relaxing read and a pleasant way to exercise the brain muscles.



]]> 4.48
author: Christoph Fischer
name: Carol
average rating: 4.48
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2018/10/11
date added: 2018/10/11
shelves:
review:
Figuring out the puzzle in a mystery is always a lot of fun and has the added perk of exercising the brain.
The Body in the Snow is a modern version of a classic Agatha Christie plotline. Set in Llangurrey, a remote hamlet tucked miles away from the nearest town experiencing the worst snowstorm in twenty years. All roads and motorways have been closed.
I was immediately drawn into this cozy whodunit and the domestic dynamics among the characters.
The author begins by introducing the characters, a bit of their background, their family, marital status and so forth in very broad drawn strokes. You get the picture. There’s a Diva, a happy divorcee, a handyman and a host of other unlikeable characters.
Now, in present time, they find themselves neighbors, along with their past histories, secrets and personalities that clash with each other. The characters have such unique characteristics that I had no problem distinguishing them from each other, as is not always the case when there are multiple characters in a story. One of the more endearing interactions was between Bebe, a fading star and Beth, a rooky but spunky detective.
Fischer’s detective Beth is a lot of fun and brings lightness and charm to the novel. No gore or violence was a plus. It was simply a fun, light relaxing read and a pleasant way to exercise the brain muscles.




]]>