Mad Mabel is a favorite novel for me this year. I ended up listening to the audio book, which was quite satisfyingly, narrated by Hannah Fredericksen and Jenny Seedsman. We meet Elsie at age 81, describing herself to us as being six feet tall with a sturdy backbone, ensuring we do not underestimate her. She's … Continue reading Mad Mabel – Sally Hepworth (Audio narrated by Hannah Fredericksen and Jenny Seedsman)
The Hired Man – Sandra Dallas (Audio Narrator – Jesse Vilinsky)
I read the audio version of The Hired Man, narrated by Jesse Vilinsky who did a marvelous job. Many a fine book has been written about life in the Dust Bowl and Sandra Dallas's entry is right up there. The setting is a farm in Colorado in 1937. Martha Helen, a young teen, is in … Continue reading The Hired Man – Sandra Dallas (Audio Narrator – Jesse Vilinsky)
AntiHero – Gregg Hurwitz (Orphan X #11)
The Orphan X/Nowhere Man series has been favorite of mine from book one and Antihero, the eleventh entry in the series, is amazing. It is also profoundly disturbing, but anyone who is a fan has come to expect this from Gregg Hurwitz. The first part of the story focuses on the kidnapping and assault of … Continue reading AntiHero – Gregg Hurwitz (Orphan X #11)
The Secret of Snow – Tina Harnesk
This partly sad, partly very funny, partly informative and totally heartwarming story captured me and kept me reading. Máriddja:, a very elderly Sami woman who has a penchant for goats that caused her eccentricity to show early in her life has learned she has terminal cancer. Her husband Biera, also Sami is one of those … Continue reading The Secret of Snow – Tina Harnesk
How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder – Nina McConigley
A family becomes fractured, but only two girls know this. How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder is a story about a family settled in a Wyoming town, that is dependent on oil production and good prices. Two little girls, their Indian mother and their white father share a small house. The sisters' first names are … Continue reading How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder – Nina McConigley
Vigil – George Saunders
George Saunders returns us to an earth where many beings who have passed on are with us, in this instance wandering about the earth with some purpose, perhaps a need to resolve something. They have the power to travel great distances, but some are more skilled than others. They can hear the thoughts of both … Continue reading Vigil – George Saunders
Murder Your Darlings – Jenna Blum
We, all of us, who have read her work, know that Jenna Blum is the "it girl" of writing with the chops to move from genre to genre and never disappoint. Murder Your Darlings, her first mystery, was instantly fun to read. The prologue introduces us to The Rabbit, a woman who seems to be … Continue reading Murder Your Darlings – Jenna Blum
Fire Must Burn – Allison Montclair
I'm a fan of the Sparks and Bainbridge mysteries centering on old friends who create a marriage bureau (The Right Sort) in London in the post WWII era. Fire Must Burn, the eighth entry in the series, started slow for me and then totally met all of my expectations and more for the series. A … Continue reading Fire Must Burn – Allison Montclair
Murder in Manhattan – Julie Mulhern
Freddie Archer is a keeper for me. She is based on Lois Long, a New Yorker Columnist who was on the scene in the 1920s. Freddie's job is to party everywhere in New York during Prohibition, writing a cheeky column on all the best places to go, her celebrity friends and fashion, fashion, fashion. Mulhern … Continue reading Murder in Manhattan – Julie Mulhern
The Night Watchman – Louise Erdrich (audio narrated by Louise Erdrich)
Louise Erdrich is an exquisite writer. This novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 2021. The fictional story of The Night Watchman is based on her grandfather, who in addition to working as a night watchman in a jewel bearing plant, becomes an ardent activist, seeking to prevent Congress from taking recognition from his … Continue reading The Night Watchman – Louise Erdrich (audio narrated by Louise Erdrich)
They Called me Bookworm 