Sorrowland
Sorrowland is a completely unexpected, but ultimately disappointing, tale. Fifteen and pregnant, Vern runs away from everything she knows. The abusive husband and cult that she is fleeing hunts her down in the nearby woods, but she evades them. Meanwhile, Vern gives birth to twins while learning to live offContinue Reading
The Secret to Superhuman Strength
I loved Fun Home by this author, so I snatched up The Secret to Superhuman Strength posthaste without reading the book synopsis. Imagine my disappointment when I realized it was about my arch nemesis, exercise. But it is actually a look at how exercise fads have changed over the yearsContinue Reading
The Girl Who Died
In The Girl Who Died, Una travels to an isolated village in northern Iceland to teach two young girls. The community has a population of only ten. The climate is cold and foggy. The neighbors are less than friendly. And then there is the nightly visitation from the ghostly girlContinue Reading
Project Hail Mary
Imagine waking up on a spaceship in a strange galaxy with no memory of how you got there. Your fellow astronauts are dead. Luckily, you are a scientist and love math. Unfortunately, you soon remember the objective of Project Hail Mary. Save Earth from certain destruction from microbes eating Earth’sContinue Reading
Lemon Drop Dead
The latest book in the Amish Candy Shop cozy mystery series, Lemon Drop Dead, doesn’t disappoint. Join Bailey, Aiden, Emily, Charlotte and Jethro the spotted pig to solve a couple of mysteries in this humorous installment in the series with serious undertones. Bailey helps her Amish grandmother with her candyContinue Reading
Southern Sass and a Battered Bride Review and Giveaway
My Review Marygene is more southern than beignets. But she is also willing to gracefully cater her ex-boyfriend’s wedding to save her family’s beloved Peach’s Diner. Marygene and her best friend, Betsy, run into all kinds of trouble when the bride, Lucy, turns up dead for real in the murderContinue Reading
Plant-based Buddha Bowls
I am still struggling with my New Year’s resolutions: eating healthier and reducing food waste. However, I believe Plant-based Buddha Bowls will help me achieve both. Every Sunday I cram my fridge with fruit and veggies along with my good intentions. Every Saturday I feel guilty about throwing out mostContinue Reading
Murder in the Cookbook Nook
It all started with a sabotaged electrical box causing a grass fire. But the Murder in the Cookbook Nook was the last straw for Jane Steward, “manager of Storyton Hall, the renowned resort for bibliophiles” in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It had sounded like a great publicity idea to allowContinue Reading
Resistance Training Revolution
The majority of the Resistance Training Revolution is filled with very motivational knowledge from an experienced fitness instructor. Who wouldn’t be thrilled to hear this quote? “Cardio, though it has its place, is the least valuable activity for our body. Cardio slows your metabolism. Cardio-type exercise is an ineffective toolContinue Reading
Star Wars Crochet
All twelve major characters from the original trilogy are present in Star Wars Crochet. Instructions are provided for each of them, but yarn, stuffing, and eyes are only provided for Yoda and R2D2. The other items including row counters, hook, needle and thread can be used for all the characters.Continue Reading
The Others
The Others are an Israeli group of four college-age women. The women have vocally chosen to be childless in a culture that demands motherhood from its women. Unexpectedly, one of the group hangs herself. It’s now fifteen years later, and another group member is dead. Murdered with a doll headContinue Reading
Risk Factor
Buddy has been called home to Freedom in Risk Factor, the fourth entry in the series. Buddy’s father, Freedom’s Sheriff, wants to step down. He has ALS and a recent break-in of his home has shaken his confidence. While Buddy refuses the interim Sheriff role, he does return as aContinue Reading
Little Bandaged Days
Little Bandaged Days is the story of a mother’s slow descent into madness. The inevitability of the conclusion just fills the reader with dread throughout the entire book. The mother had issues after her first daughter’s birth. “I didn’t have a job, not anymore. Afterwards, after E was born, afterContinue Reading
Hot Stew
Hmmm…Hot Stew is the perfect title for this book. It has two completely different plots that are rubbing uncomfortably together like too tight shoes on bare feet. The first story is a brothel that is fighting gentrification in Soho, London. I liked the strong female prostitutes. There were no victimsContinue Reading
Creative Crochet Projects
There are twelve Creative Crochet Projects included in this book. They range from practical scarves, cowls and beanies to a whimsical owl wrap. However, the six kid’s projects are the most amusing. Two mufflers convert into hamburgers and hot dogs. A swarm of bees fly over your sleeping baby. EverythingContinue Reading
The Perfect Daughter
Four-year-old Penny is found alone in a park by Grace. Grace feels a connection to Penny and eventually adopts her. She appears to be The Perfect Daughter to join Grace’s family of her husband and two older boys. But something is different with Penny, who is ultimately diagnosed with DissociativeContinue Reading