Niksen
So you’ve Konmari’ed your entire house (or at least have a drawer of items that spark joy and a closet that is best forgotten), what’s next? Why not try Niksen? It’s the Dutch art of doing nothing translated into a new American act of decluttering your mind. Or, according toContinue Reading
Deep into the Dark
“Predators, prey, parasites – that was Los Angeles in three words, and more often than not, it was hard to make a distinction between them.”—from Deep into the Dark Sam is a wounded soldier back from Afghanistan fighting intense PTSD nightmares. Despite having an engineering degree, Sam works at theContinue Reading
A Curious Incident
It all started with a missing cat. Eleven-year-old Lauren asks Gemma to help her find Snowball, which Gemma promptly does. A few days later, Lauren is back asking Gemma to clear her mom, Sheila, of murder charges. The victim, Anna, was suspected of having an affair with Lauren’s dad, David.Continue Reading
The Scorpion’s Tail
If you’ve read any other books by these authors, you know that you are going to learn some engrossing facts about some relatively obscure historical event. In The Scorpion’s Tale, the event is the routing of the Spaniards from New Mexico by the Apache during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.Continue Reading
You have a Match
Abby opens a You have a Match link on a DNA ancestry site. What would you do if your DNA test locates a completely unknown older sister? Would you rejoice? Or would you obsess over why your parents never mentioned a sister before? Abby decides to sneak off to summerContinue Reading
Unplugged
It’s twelve-year-old Jeff’s worst nightmare. Being trapped at a wellness camp eating food recently buried in dirt and bunking with strangers. Worst of all, no cell phone. Nothing is as bad as going Unplugged cold turkey. How can he get out of this 1960s prison? And why are the adultsContinue Reading
Influence
Being a teenager is hard enough. But add in the stress of being a perfect influencer on social media and it is a powder keg just waiting for a lit match to set it off. Influence tells the story of newly transplanted Minnesotan, Delilah, as she tries to climb theContinue Reading
The Wife Upstairs
The Wife Upstairs is a brilliant updating of Jane Eyre to a modern-day suspense tale. Only this time Eddie Rochester may have bit off a bit more than he can chew. Jane is no naive young woman. No, she is a thief with secrets of her own. And she isn’tContinue Reading
After the Rain
A Nigerian-American police detective named Chioma visits her grandmother and grand-auntie in Nigeria. A strange and injured boy invites her to play tag during a rain storm. But it is what happens After the Rain that drives the plot of this multi-layered tale. First it was the smell. Then theContinue Reading
Moriarty the Patriot Vol 2
There are two and a half stories in Moriarty the Patriot Vol 2. They are set in Sherlock Holmes’ London but there is where the similarities end. Albert, Louis and William are sick of the elitist society of Victorian London. Despite being of noble birth, Albert wants to right society’sContinue Reading
Gardening in Summer-Dry Climates
From Vancouver to San Diego, gardeners along the Pacific Coast must select plants that work for Gardening in Summer-Dry Climates. This book can help with clear instructions and a huge (over 200 pages) compendium of suitable plants. Equally amazing is that each plant has at least one full-color photo. ForContinue Reading
The Bride Wore Black
Down these mean streets, even a woman must go. In the forties, a woman’s only power over men was her sex appeal. In The Bride Wore Black, Julie is a beautiful woman. What evil lurks within her? Because in classic noir, it’s always about the dame. As a child, wheneverContinue Reading
Absence of Alice
The Absence of Alice is an enthralling, dark, unusual, and just plain fun cozy mystery. Someone is taunting Sarah. She has seven days to find her landlady and friend Stella. But she must follow the kidnapper’s rules. No talking to the police, your DA boyfriend, Seth, or your mobbed-up neighbor,Continue Reading
The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Beginners
Tired of being on diets only to gain all the weight back (plus more)? The Mediterranean diet is more like a lifestyle. Once you commit to it, you won’t want to stop eating its delicious food. The author of The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Beginners knows of what she speaksContinue Reading
Twice Kissed
This is not my typical review but an attempt to justify why I wasted 4 hours reading this drivel—again. I got excited when I saw Twice Kissed on NetGalley. A new Lisa Jackson book! I quickly downloaded it. Then I realized that I had read this book when it wasContinue Reading
Bait and Witch
Bait and Witch is the first book in a new paranormal cozy mystery series set in a library in Wilfred, a rural Oregon town. The new librarian, Josie, has accepted the job under false pretenses. She is a federal witness in a high-profile bribery case. Josie only plans to stayContinue Reading