This was a little sappy-sweet and Patrick was a little stereotypical for my personal taste (that, plus the Golden Globe for Best Supporting A3.5 stars
This was a little sappy-sweet and Patrick was a little stereotypical for my personal taste (that, plus the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor on a TV series gave me the guy who plays Cameron on “Modern Family,” even though I know he was supposed to be much better looking and much more fit than that (except…when did he work out with the kids there?) and then I couldn’t get that out of my head,) but I can see that a lot of people would love this.
Read as part of the Book Girls’ Guide Book Lovers Challenge 2025 - December-Re-read a favorite or choose one of our favorites- I went back through their favorite books of the year for several years and picked this, because it was already on my list. ...more
Absolutely, utterly predictable in every way. Read this as part of Book Girls’ Guide 2025 Reading Challenge November prompt, Holiday novels for book lAbsolutely, utterly predictable in every way. Read this as part of Book Girls’ Guide 2025 Reading Challenge November prompt, Holiday novels for book lovers. I only chose this one because every other option was a romance. The thing about Lisa Unger is that she can write just fine but she generally can’t think of any interesting stories....more
“Anyone who claims there are no stupid questions has never worked in a public library.” I quite liked this, the first line of the book but it went dow“Anyone who claims there are no stupid questions has never worked in a public library.” I quite liked this, the first line of the book but it went downhill for me after that.
Amy Webber is the director at the Taylorsford Public Library in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia (the book doesn’t give any idea of exactly where that is supposed to be.) There is a murder in the library archives and she meets her new next door neighbor, Richard Muir, who has “love interest” tattooed above his eyebrows. Richard is also trying to solve a mystery surrounding something that happened in his home. Are the two connected (of course they are)? Can Amy solve the mystery (naturally she can)? Was I bored (yes, I was)?
The book was plodding and far too long. Plus I love Amy’s analysis that someone who sold weed in high school must have made his fortune as a drug dealer. And the resolution was just silly. Not a fan.
Read this for September’s prompt in the Book Girls’ Guide 2025 Reading Challenge, read a book about librarians or libraries....more
I love an epistolary novel and when she writes to Ann Patchett and corresponds with Joan Didion I knew it was true love for me. This is one of my favoI love an epistolary novel and when she writes to Ann Patchett and corresponds with Joan Didion I knew it was true love for me. This is one of my favorite reads of the year.
Also read for Book Girls Guide Book Lovers Reading Challenge 2025, October prompt - Characters Interacting with Real Authors...more
An interesting format where the actual author is a fictionalized main character. Joel has recentl3 stars
Translated from the French by Robert Bononno.
An interesting format where the actual author is a fictionalized main character. Joel has recently lost his beloved editor Bernard de Fallois (also a real person who has, in fact, recently died. The book is dedicated to him and if he’s anything like what Joel portrays he sounds like an incredible man.)
Then Joel has a short-lived relationship and bad breakup with his neighbor, Sloane and he decamps to Hotel de Verbier, outside Geneva, to work on his next book and to lick his wounds. There is meets recent divorcee Scarlett Leonas and the two of them become fascinated by a murder that occurred at the Hotel involving the board of directors at a large Swiss bank, Ebezner bank.
So it’s a story within the framework of a meta story, and it’s far more involved than the summary. It’s also far too long, approaching six hundred pages, and I have nothing against a long book, but this one could have been edited a bit. And then a bit more. However, as a tribute to de Fallois the book was lovely.
Read as part of Book Girls’ Guide’s 2025 Book Lovers Challenge, prompt #4, characters becoming part of the story. ...more
Read as part of 2025 Book Lover’s Challenge by Book Girls’ Guide, prompt #3, March - Modern Retelling and Reimagining.
So, this was on the Book Girls’Read as part of 2025 Book Lover’s Challenge by Book Girls’ Guide, prompt #3, March - Modern Retelling and Reimagining.
So, this was on the Book Girls’ Guide’s own list, but not exactly a retelling of THE SCARLET LETTER, more like an origin story. Isobel and her husband come to Salem, Massachusetts from Scotland after unpleasantness there. Isobel immediately makes the acquaintance of one Nat Hathorne and her husband goes to sea.
Although the book has romantic elements it isn’t exactly a romance, so I enjoyed it. It might have tried to fit in a few too many elements (witchcraft, slavery, women’s rights), but better that than too few, right? ...more
Mystery writers Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy want to prove themselves to the otherwi3 stars
Mystery writers Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy want to prove themselves to the otherwise male membership of the newly formed Detection Club, made up of England’s best crime writers. They decide to work together to solve an actual crime, the murder of May Daniels, an English nurse on holiday in France with a friend.
This was such a great idea, but it wasn’t exactly what I expected. This story is about Dorothy, the other four writers are in supporting roles. Based on the Afterword there may be some historical precedent for this choice, but I assumed (hoped) all the writers would be featured; Ngaio Marsh gets especially short shrift and is really just an argumentative cypher who prefers menswear. It’s too bad.
The mystery was fine, it was nothing exciting and most of us have seen it before. So overall the book was just OK for me. Benedict could definitely make this a series if she so chooses (I don’t know that there’s any short of plan for that; the end of the book isn’t a set up for another volume and, again, this case is based loosely on a real event.)
Read for 2035 Book Lover’s Challenge by Book Girls’ Guide, prompt #5, May, books about writers and editors. ...more
This is a follow up to THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 and also features Lo BlARC for review. To be published July 8, 2025.
It saddens me to give this 2 stars.
This is a follow up to THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 and also features Lo Blacklock, who has not gotten any wiser in ten years and, if possible, may be even dumber than before. I wouldn’t have thought it possible, yet here we are.
So, as I said, it’s ten years after the events of the first book. Lo is now in her 40s and is living by in America, married to Just dah and has two children. She’s been a SAHM since their birth but now she’s trying to ease back into work, specifically, travel writing again and she’s thrilled to receive an invitation to the opening of a posh hotel on Lake Geneva owned by billionaire Marcus Leichman.
She goes and it’s like a CABIN 10 family reunion with loads of characters from that book popping up, including one who claims to be in jeopardy and whom is seeking help from Lo. And, naturally, dumb ol’ Lo leaps right in.
I know I enjoyed some of Ruth Ware’s earlier books, but what has happened? This is not badly written, but, ugh. Anyone reading this will be yelling at Lo the whole time. She is just so STUPID. And she’s 40 years old and has children (a well placed call to CPS would not be amiss because I don’t know that she can be trusted with them.) Seriously, Ruth. You have to work with us here!
And, belatedly, read as part of the Book Lovers Challenge by the the Book Club Girls, prompt #8, read a book by an author with a pen name. Ruth Ware was one of the authors suggested by the girls and I didn’t see any others on their list I wanted to read, so I rugged a little since I had already read this one this year. Book still dumb. ...more
A cute advertisement for the wonderful Little Free Libraries wrapped in a tale of fun, if slightly stereotyped Southerners. Lots of characters, the whA cute advertisement for the wonderful Little Free Libraries wrapped in a tale of fun, if slightly stereotyped Southerners. Lots of characters, the whole thing was very well done.
Listened to as part of the 2025 Book Lover’s Challenge by Book Girls’ Guide, prompt #6, favorite audiobook narrators. This was read by January LaVoy and she was incredible, a great recommendation by the Book Girls....more
I was obviously very, very late coming to this. It was just as lovely and heartbreaking as I expected.
Read as part of Book Riot’s Read Harder ChallenI was obviously very, very late coming to this. It was just as lovely and heartbreaking as I expected.
Read as part of Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge 2025, prompt 15, Read a banned book and complete a task on Book Riot’s How to Fight Book Bans guide AND
2025 Book Lover’s Challenge by Book Girls’ Guide, prompt #1 - January, characters connecting through books. ...more
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