A Hole in the World
Cities disappear in this spinoff from the Sky series, A Hole in the World. The tale is a military thriller with a supernatural twist. I’m not sure if it is because I jumped into this series late, but A Hole in the World is a miss for me. About halfContinue Reading
Banksy: Completed
Banksy: Completed is, of course, about Banksy the provocative street artist. The book attempts, rather well I think, to explain how art critics view art differently from the public. And critics have almost unanimously hated Banksy from the start. It also investigates the nature of art itself. Can graffiti evenContinue Reading
Grave Reservations
Leda is a psychic travel agent. After she saves Seattle Detective Grady’s life, he asks for her help in a cold case. Even though she has Grave Reservations, Leda agrees to help. If she helps Grady, maybe he can help solve her fiancé’s murder. This book is definitely more ofContinue Reading
Involuntary Exit
Being fired from your job is a scary, frustrating and confusing experience. Involuntary Exit is an empowering guide to what to do next. It includes numerous examples of how the ultimate result can be better than if you stayed in the original position. It also includes suggestions on how toContinue Reading
Best in Snow
Tara, the golden retriever, has found another body in Best in Snow. The mayor is found buried in snow. The police quickly arrest a suspect, a reporter who got fired for a false story he wrote about the mayor. Andy, a defense attorney who just wants to retire, is coercedContinue Reading
The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors
Before unmanned drones high in the sky were the main US offensive weapons, more rudimentary strategies were used. Travel back to 1944 when steel and men fought surrounded by relentless seas. Learn about The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, a brave but highly outmatched small naval group, asContinue Reading
Mistletoe Cake Murder Guest Post and Giveaway
Author’s Guest Post Where to Live? By Lena Gregory I’ve lived most of my life in a small town on the south shore of Eastern Long Island, along with four generations of my family. My grandfather owned a deli in town, where I started working stocking shelves and sweeping floorsContinue Reading
What Happens at Night
In an unnamed snowy land, a husband and his wife wait in a remote hotel for their last chance for a child. The woman is cancer-ridden. However, a local orphanage in this desolate town has promised them a son. However, nothing is simple in the absurdist romp, What Happens atContinue Reading
Thinking Better
Thinking Better is a history of how shortcuts have opened our eyes to better, and faster, methodologies. It advocates for outside-the-box thinking. Unfortunately, the book doesn’t contain ways to create these shortcuts for your own problems in either life or math. I’m disappointed and feel misled by the publisher’s blurb.Continue Reading
The Simulated Multiverse
Are we living within a huge computer simulation? Does it work like a video game that can be replayed, over and over again, to attain a better conclusion? Is that replay effect giving many of us deja vu? In The Simulated Multiverse, a MIT computer scientist tries to untangle theContinue Reading
The Blood Isles
Are you ready for battle on The Blood Isles? Edinburgh’s youth volunteer to risk their lives in battle in exchange for money and fame. The rich sit back in comfort and bet on the battle’s outcome. The book is clearly a merging of The Vikings/Game of Thrones with Squid Game.Continue Reading
The Corpse Flower
In The Corpse Flower, a lawyer is killed in his home in Denmark. His home security camera picks up the image of Anna, covered in blood, staring up at the camera. She then disappears. No connection is found by the police between the victim and the suspect. Years later, Heloise,Continue Reading
The Spirit Engineer
William Jackson Crawford is skeptical of the seances that are popular in England after World War I. But his skepticism turns to wonder after he meets Kathleen Goligher, who allows him to talk to his beloved mother’s spirit. William spends years trying to prove Kathleen is a genuine medium. AfterContinue Reading
The Cabinet
The Cabinet is a surreal tale of a government worker who manages symptomers, who may be the next evolution of mankind. Each of the symptomer’s tales are told separately giving this book the feel of short stories with an overarching narrative loosely tying them together. My favorite surreal book isContinue Reading
Pawmistry
One hot and humid morning, my Siamese cat Mochi and I began reading Pawmistry. The book explains how your cat is “privy to the most staggering universal truths and yet [is] still being regarded as a mere house pet!” The author explains her dislike of the word pet in aContinue Reading
The American Gun Mystery
The American Gun Mystery is an early Ellery Queen mystery originally published in 1933. It has been out-of-print for over thirty years until now. I’m a fan of Queen and have read four of the earliest novels with pleasure. This is my first time reading this book. I was disappointedContinue Reading