What could be more peaceful than a weekend poetry conference at a beautiful estate/hotel in rural Virginia? Fifty poets are attending. All are hoping to win a greeting card company’s job competition. Unfortunately, the tranquility is soon shattered when the estate’s manager, Jane, finds a woman’s body posed like aContinue Reading
Montana private investigator Cassie Dewell is working on two cases in Treasure State, the sixth in the Highway Quartet series. [Why is it book six of a series of four (the definition of quartet)? I have no idea.] Cassie’s first case is a bit of a puzzle. A poem hasContinue Reading
With sixty sweet and savory recipes, my biggest issue with the Small-Batch Keto Baking Cookbook is what to cook first. Should it be naan, red velvet cake, or brownie cheesecake bars? I chose Peanut Butter Cookies because I had all the ingredients (peanut butter, sweetener, and an egg) on hand.Continue Reading
In the cold windswept North, a doctor has come to replace a fallen comrade. But the doctor is not alone. She is hosting a Leech, an organism living in a multitude of physicians simultaneously in this eerie future world. The organism was also within the fallen doctor. But it cannotContinue Reading
Uncultured is the memoir of a woman born into a cult, who escapes only to join the army, which feels increasingly like a cult too. Cult life is even worse from a child’s point of view. Unprovoked spankings and sexual abuse from a young age is a normal day inContinue Reading
Every person I know wants (maybe even needs) to know How to Lose Weight for the Last Time. Will this book fulfill that promise? The book takes the stance that weight gain is caused by the mind-not the stomach. Therefore, only by looking at the reasons why you overeat, andContinue Reading
Everyone has a dotty old uncle, grandparent, or even spouse that cannot tell a linear story. They go shooting off in irrelevant tangents usually never returning to, or maybe even remembering, their original point. Nether Regions works exactly the same. What starts as a witty take on Heaven circles soContinue Reading
Welcome to the jungle! And the jungle is LOUD! The first female roadie, for bands like The Who and AC/DC, writes her memoir. Of course, it’s chock full of sex, drugs and rock and roll. But, also, it shows her courageous battle for equity at a time when women wereContinue Reading
In Wait Till Helen Comes, Michael and Molly are siblings who have a troubled younger stepsister named Heather. When their blended family moves to the country, Heather appears to have found an imaginary friend, Helen. Molly thinks Helen is a malignant ghost bent on killing children. But, Michael, their momContinue Reading
“Wittier and wittier” mumbled the book reviewer (as she savored the wonderful new “children’s book” called Secrets of the Looking Glass). I put quotes around children’s book because, like the original Lewis Carroll book, this book is written for all ages. Like The Simpsons, but literary, you might say. NowContinue Reading
Why We Play explains why play is still necessary for adults. It includes exercises to get some short play sessions into your life. Even though I play video and mobile games every day, a few more ideas are always welcome. I particularly liked Scribble Art. Take a plain piece ofContinue Reading
In Bad Day Breaking, the fourth book in the series, Sheriff Heidi has both personal and professional challenges to overcome. Heidi has had a rough life. Her parents being murdered sent her into a downward spiral of drugs and bad decisions. Now one of the people from her past isContinue Reading
I was worried that Lucky Girl was going to be an amateurish fan fiction about a not-very-good horror movie. However, I was intrigued enough to request a review copy. I was pleasantly surprised by this enchanting rom com/thriller/horror tale. At only 112 pages, I dare you to stop reading onceContinue Reading
Hmmm. The Enigma of Room 622 was definitely an enigma for me. Over 600 pages leading to nowhere. I can’t believe this mess was written by the same person who wrote the excellent Harry Quebert book. This book was definitely not worth eleven hours of my time—or of yours. 1Continue Reading
I wanted to like Luda. I have watched every episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race and wanted to read a book set in that world. However, the prose style is both stilted and bloated with comma’ed phrases. The book is so overlong, it feels like it faced the rack in MedievalContinue Reading
In All Dressed Up, Becca is surprised to find her husband, Blake, has invited her to a murder mystery weekend in an authentic old mansion. Blake is trying to take Becca’s mind off his fling with his secretary. After all, she did agree to try and make their marriage work.Continue Reading