I’m sure I wasn’t the only person who early in the pandemic bought more dried beans, lentils and peas than they would eat in a year. I wanted to read Grist because of two sentences in the introduction: “Prep the ingredient instead of the finished dish so that ingredient canContinue Reading
There are two mysteries presented in Moriarty the Patriot Vol 5. First, there is the conclusion of a locked room mystery set on a train. There is also a complete three-part mystery where the queen asks Sherlock to search for a damaging document. If it is released to the public,Continue Reading
You’ve read the histories (or watched the BBC shows) about ancient battles. But how did the people on the ground feel? Were they jostling shoulder-to-shoulder in a phalanx? What were the smells, sounds, and sights during the throes of battle? A Sensory History of Ancient Warfare answers those questions. ThoughContinue Reading
Author Guest Post A Short History of Christmas Cookies I never gave much thought to Christmas cookies until I had the privilege of being asked to write a Christmas cozy mystery as an installment of my Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Series. Of course, I love Christmas cookies. I love making themContinue Reading
China has definitely been frequently in the news lately. If you are curious about the world’s longest written history, you could spend an eternity reading books about the various dynasties. Or you can read The Shortest History of China in an afternoon and understand our number one trade partner’s historyContinue Reading
If you are in the mood for a sweetly romantic Christmas story but Lifetime hasn’t started their holiday movie month yet, pick up The Santa Suit. You won’t be sorry. Ivy has just gone through a painful divorce. Her answer is to buy an old farmhouse in rural North CarolinaContinue Reading
I audibly gasped at the first plot twist in the Last House on Needless Street. Then, there were a series of other hard turns of plot. All were completely unforeseen—at least by me. The book is definitely the work of a master craftsperson. The plot is so great, I can’tContinue Reading
While Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls is being marketing to African-American children, everyone will benefit from reading these inspiring stories. Every vocation and sport is included here. There are LGBTQ+, bi-racial women, and various nations represented as well as the Muslim faith. Each of the 100 biographies is aContinue Reading
A woman is convinced that a serial killer is stalking the halls of a cruise ship in the exhilarating new thriller, The Stowaway. Two years ago, Wyatt Butler, an accused child serial killer, was set free when a jury couldn’t come to a unanimous decision. One jury member prevented hisContinue Reading
Robert’s Rules of Writing is a mixed jumble of advice about plot, character, motivation, and setting. The last two are referring to the writer—not their characters. To illustrate this point, four of the rules are Skip the Starbucks, Burn Your Journal, and instead Take a Walk Around the Block (andContinue Reading
True Raiders is an account of treasure hunters in the early years of the 20th century looking in Jerusalem for the Ark of the Covenant. Though it sounds like a real Raiders of the Lost Ark, it reads more like The DaVinci Code. There are ciphers, secrets, spies, and evenContinue Reading
The Burning is the fourth thriller in the Clay Edison series. And it’s my least favorite so far, unfortunately. Clay is a Deputy Coroner who investigates suspicious deaths. At one murder scene, he finds his brother’s classic car in the victim’s garage. His brother, Luke, had a rough start inContinue Reading
If you’re a totally newbie salesperson or business owner, Sell Different! might offer valuable insight. Unfortunately, for everyone else, you have heard all of these “revelations” before. Finding a way to differentiate your business from your competitors is a great idea but nothing new. The book suggests using three businessContinue Reading
The New Startup Mindset will motivate you to begin that business you have been dreaming about! The author’s story of seeing a need and fulfilling it by opening her own business is so inspiring! Yet, I question that some of her instructions will work for everyone. “Don’t delay. Don’t waitContinue Reading
Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months literally changed my life. This book has a step-by-step month-to-month plan to open your own business in 12 months. I was thinking about how to apply its lessons to my life. Luckily, I had already done most of the preliminary steps to getContinue Reading
In Mao Vol 1, Nanoka is a schoolgirl with a tragic history. While traveling with her parents, their car falls into a deep sinkhole. While seven-year-old Nanoka is saved, her parents are both dead. When she returns to the site years later trying to discover what happened, she passes intoContinue Reading