Clean Air
Imagine that instead of higher temperatures and rising waters, it was the trees that started the apocalypse. That is the setting in Clean Air. It is ten years after The Turning, when runaway tree pollen killed more than half of the world’s population. The world has rebuilt using robots controlledContinue Reading
Cherish Farrah
The love-hate relationship between teenage girl bffs is explored in Cherish Farrah. Farrah is the child of upper middle-class black parents. Her best friend, Cherish, is the black adopted daughter of even wealthier white parents. When Farrah’s parents have financial difficulties, she decides to take over Cherish’s life of beingContinue Reading
City of the Dead
It’s always a pleasure to ride along with psychologist Alex and LAPD detective Milo on one of their only-in-LA cases. City of the Dead, the 37th book in the Alex Delaware series, is no exception. A pseudo-psychologist is found dead in her house with her throat slashed. Outside nearby aContinue Reading
Grow More Food
Grow More Food is written for serious gardeners. If you are an intermediate gardener and want to level up production, this book will help you do it. However, you should have at least two to three years of home gardening under your belt first. Alternatively, you can start here ifContinue Reading
A Taste for Poison
As a lifelong mystery devotee, I definitely have A Taste for Poison. After all, my favorite author, Agatha Christie, used it in many of her plots. Agatha had been trained in pharmacology during WWI, which gave her plots authenticity. Now, aspiring mystery writers, and potential murderers I suppose, can justContinue Reading
Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead
Just when Finlay thought she was out, she is sucked back into crime in Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead. Former hitwoman (a long story described in the previous novel in the series, Finlay Donovan is Killing It), Finlay, and her accomplice/nanny, Vero, are trying to stop an assassin. An anonymousContinue Reading
Catch Her When She Falls
Catch Her When She Falls is a slow-paced thriller where the unsympathic narrator may or may not be losing her mind. In high school, Micah, Emily, Alex and Ryan hung out together. Emily was Micah’s best friend. Alex was Micah’s boyfriend. Ryan was Alex’ best friend. Alex and Emily wereContinue Reading
The Intermittent Fasting Revolution
Go deep, really deep, into the science of The Intermittent Fasting Revolution. Can time-restricted eating or alternate fasting days really cure diabetes, obesity, and possibly other diseases? The author says yes. Then he proceeds to prove his case with vast research looking at early humans, studies he has run sinceContinue Reading
Super Gut
Ten years ago, the author of Super Gut published Wheat Belly. The book, which advocated restricting wheat, was a hit! I even followed its plan for years. So, I was excited to see he had written a new book. Unfortunately, Super Gut is a disappointment. The new diet incorporates theContinue Reading
Sex and Sexuality in Tudor England
Peek behind the bedroom door at Sex and Sexuality in Tudor England. England’s King Henry the VIII is known for his voracious appetites—both for food and women. He created an entirely new religion just so he could dump his first wife! Later, he realized it was easier to just executeContinue Reading
Hot and Sour Suspects
Lana Lee and her best friend Megan are trying to help their friend, Rina, avoid murder charges in Hot and Sour Suspects. Lana, the manager of her parent’s noodle house outside Cleveland, is hosting her first speed dating night at the restaurant. The event is going well. Suddenly a womanContinue Reading
The Appeal
In The Appeal, a British family’s two-year-old granddaughter, Poppy, has brain cancer. Her doctor has recommended a new US treatment not yet approved for NIH use. It costs a staggering $350,000. The family’s friends set up an online appeal. They run events to raise money to save Poppy. But somethingContinue Reading
Reality+
Is virtual reality genuine reality? Are we all living in a simulated reality right now? Is it possible to lead a life in a virtual world that is just as good, or better, than “real life”? In Reality+, a philosopher explains his thoughts on these and six other common philosophicalContinue Reading
Undermoney
Undermoney is a spy thriller. It is a political thriller. It has a bit of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous thrown in. The book also contains a bunch of facts about the global monetary system and how easy it is to manipulate it. So why didn’t I like it?Continue Reading
Road of Bones
Documentarian Teig and his cameraman partner, Prentiss, are scouting for a new paranormal series. Teig’s idea is to see if the “haunted” Siberian Kolyma Highway, nicknamed the Road of Bones, can be used as a basis of a new series. The road was made by prisoners of cold war eraContinue Reading
The Overnight Guest
Don’t miss this twisty thriller that will keep you reading well past your bedtime. The Overnight Guest has three compelling narratives. In August 2020, a husband and wife are murdered on a rural farm. Their twelve-year old daughter, Josie, was wounded but survived. Josie’s best friend, Becky, is missing alongContinue Reading