Treasure State – C.J. Box

C.J. Box always, always spins a great story and this is no exception. I am a fan of the Joe Pickett series but had not read any of the Highway Quartet Series. Cassie Dewell as a P.I. is clever and daring and her capabilities make sense. She has more than one puzzling case to solve. … Continue reading Treasure State – C.J. Box →

The Picture Bride – Lee Geum-yi

Could not "put this down" though I was listening to the audiobook of The Picture Bride, a beautiful portrayal of the lives of three women from a rural area in Korea in the early 1900s. The many Korean men who traveled to Hawaii, then a U.S. territory, wanted to marry as they became financially able. … Continue reading The Picture Bride – Lee Geum-yi →

The Shadow Murders – Jussi Adler-Olsen

I am a longtime fan of Jussi Adler-Olsen's Department Q novels. Department Q includes a small cast of clever out-of-the box thinking misfits who handle cold cases that are typically notorious, often gruesome and always beyond the detection and solving capabilities of ordinary officers. The Shadow Murders opens with a scene in which a woman … Continue reading The Shadow Murders – Jussi Adler-Olsen →

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (Audio version) – Jonas Jonasson

The story starts out with the idea that Allen, who is just turning 100, is kind of viewed as mischievous because he drinks too much vodka and that he is a sweet old guy who needs to be returned to the old age home. This notion that Allen is ever in his life going to … Continue reading The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (Audio version) – Jonas Jonasson →

The Lunar Housewife – Caroline Woods

The Lunar Housewife is a delicious novel, focusing on Louise Leithauser, an aspiring writer who finds herself on the fringes of cold war activity during the McCarthy era. The novel opens at a party in 1953, filled with literary luminaries and pretty women, gathered at a Manhattan apartment to celebrate the second issue of the … Continue reading The Lunar Housewife – Caroline Woods →

How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water- Angie Cruz

How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water will make you want to look at life differently, to think,"What would Cara do?" The audio book version was like listening to a radio play to such an extent, I wondered if this short novel was written only for audio and double checked. It IS a … Continue reading How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water- Angie Cruz →

The Adventures of Miss Barbara Pym – Paula Byrne [AND: Two Pym Novels: “Excellent Women” and “Crampton Hodnet”]

I recognized the name of novelist Barbara Pym and believed I had read one of her books … but I realized a few chapters into this thoughtful and entertaining biography that I had the wrong "Barbara." I stopped reading the biography, went to an online lending library and read Pym's "Excellent Women" and "Crampton Hodnet," … Continue reading The Adventures of Miss Barbara Pym – Paula Byrne [AND: Two Pym Novels: “Excellent Women” and “Crampton Hodnet”] →

The Stranger She Knew; and A Beginner’s Guide to Murder – Two Books by Rosalind Stopps

The Stranger She Knew (August 28, 2022 Review) May, an elderly woman of indeterminate age, lived independently but she wakes up in a nursing home, unable to speak or to control her limbs. Her thoughts turn to a conspiracy. She's not really this old woman, but a younger person in the guise of an old … Continue reading The Stranger She Knew; and A Beginner’s Guide to Murder – Two Books by Rosalind Stopps →

An Olive Grove in Ends – Moses McKenzie

WHOA! This novel is an amazing coming of age story about dreams, values, love, family, organized religion, crime and figuring things out for yourself against many differing backdrops and options. The Ends is a neighborhood in Bristol, UK. The first thing you see after the table of contents is the Hughes family tree: Sayon is … Continue reading An Olive Grove in Ends – Moses McKenzie →

Sweet Sweet Revenge Ltd.- Jonas Jonasson

This book is ingeniously quirky and I LOVED it and laughed and found out about an amazing artist all in one. It takes place in Stockholm and Kenya. Victor, a despicable young man, lands a job in a prestigious art gallery, Alderheims. The widowed owner has a young daughter, Jenny, and Victor, taking the long … Continue reading Sweet Sweet Revenge Ltd.- Jonas Jonasson →