Lonelyheart 4122
The fourth in the Flaxborough Mystery series is much better than the third. Lonelyheart 4122 is the anonymous number of the enigmatic man who possibly murdered two lonely women and may be working on his third. Inspector Purbright and Sergeant Love are searching for two missing middle-aged ladies. Mrs. BannisterContinue Reading
Inseparable: The Original Siamese Twins and Their Rendezvous with American History
Meticulously researched biography about the world’s most famous conjoined twins. Chang and Eng were joined by a small tube of skin and shared a liver. Today they would have been separated soon after birth. In the early 1800s, they were purchased from their Chinese/Siamese mother for $500. They were shippedContinue Reading
Too Close to Breathe
Nothing is as it seems in the new top-notch thriller Too Close to Breathe by debut Irish novelist Olivia Kiernan. Detective Chief Superintendent Frankie Sheehan is back to work after being stabbed in the line of duty. Frankie is placed in charge of a large team looking into the deathContinue Reading
Tart of Darkness
The characters and romances are better than the mystery in Tart of Darkness. Dani Sloan inherits a Victorian half-finished bed and breakfast. A former Human Resources executive, Dani really wants to be a chef. She decides to share her house with three college students: Ivy, Tippi and Starr. In returnContinue Reading
City 1
City 1 is a surreal fast-moving episodic Sunday Comics-style manga. Nagumo (20) doesn’t have her rent money. She tried to double her money by playing the horses and lost. Her landlady, called the Granny, is insistent. Niikura, Nagumo’s best friend cannot loan her the rent money. Nagumo goes through manyContinue Reading
Hopjoy was Here
Droll rather than humorous, Hopjoy was Here is definitely different from the standard English village cozy. Inspector Purbright receives an anonymous letter from a neighbor of the male roommates Hopjoy and Periam about a fight in their bathroom. Hopjoy is working for a mysterious (CIAesque) agency. Was Hopjoy or PeriamContinue Reading
Body and Soul
Self-centered, oversexed and unsympathetic French characters populate Body and Soul. Mrs. Lopez, a 50-year-old woman, is trying to use plastic surgery to maintain her youth. Her husband, Victor, is working himself to death. He is trying to get the rights to a book from an elderly woman named Mrs. Fruttero.Continue Reading
Magnus: Between Two Worlds
Dark sci-fi noir set only two years in the future. Magnus: Between Two Worlds pairs fantastic artwork with a unique storyline. In 2020, Artificial Intelligences (A.I.s) work as butlers, maids, pets and toys. In return, they receive a federally mandated four hours of time off each day. The A.I.s haveContinue Reading
Damselfly
Combine Lord of the Flies and Mean Girls. Stir in a pinch of the Stanford Prison Experiment and you have Damselfly, a new young adult novel. A teenage fencing team from an expensive prep school is stranded on a deserted island after the crash of their private aircraft. Soon theirContinue Reading
Practical Solutions for Back Pain Relief
80% of the world’s population has had back pain. 25% have had to dial back their life to deal with it. 14% have had back pain that lasted longer than two weeks. Back surgery rarely works completely. Pain drugs often lead to life-altering addictions. So what is the answer toContinue Reading
Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics
Meditation produces calm, focus and mindfulness in just 5-10 minutes per day. Unfortunately, only about a third of the book teaches how to meditate. The rest is autobiography and an explanation of why the reader should meditate even though everyone will think you’re weird. All the guided meditations in theContinue Reading
Double Dog Dare
Double Dog Dare is a comedy caper with all female leads. Set in a high-rise casino in Biloxi Mississippi, the complications keep coming throughout. First, Davis’ sister Meredith and her best friend’s dog are kidnapped by her hometown preacher. Then the best friend’s mother-in-law comes to make sure that theContinue Reading
Lydie
Lydie is a short tear-jerker that rewards readers with beautiful artwork and a compelling plot. Set in a French cul-de-sac in an unnamed French town, Lydie tells the story of a set of neighbors that band together to help Camille, a mentally impaired French girl, in a very unusual way.Continue Reading
All Star Batman Vol 3: The First Ally
Alfred’s backstory is surprisingly interesting! Plus the always great team of Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque makes this a beautiful addition to the Batman story. All Star Batman Vol 3: The First Ally uses flashbacks effectively interspersed with the main Dark Knight plot line. The flashbacks tell Alfred’s origin storyContinue Reading
Chibi!: Official Mark Crilley How-to-Draw Guide
Drawing chibis (big heads and small bodies) that are seen in manga is easy and cheap if you use Chibi!: Official Mark Crilley How-to-Draw Guide. All that is needed is some nice bristol paper, a regular pencil, a pencil sharpener, several pens with a variety of tip sizes, a 15” clearContinue Reading
Sleuth: Gail Bowen on Writing Mysteries
If you never took or only vaguely remember a college English 100 class, Sleuth: Gail Bowen on Writing Mysteries is a perfect read for aspiring or new writers. It is also extremely useful for book reviewers like myself. Within Sleuth: Gail Bowen on Writing Mysteries, Ms. Bowen extensively covers allContinue Reading