2.5 Stars. I’m not really the audience for this book but I wanted a Christmas-y audiobook and it was either this standalone romance or other romances or cozy mysteries that were roughly number 52 in a series. (Yes, that’s an exaggeration but not as much as it should be.) Standalone romance it was, even though I’m not really a […]
Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore: Book Review
2.5 Stars. What this feels like is a contractual obligation. My guess is that Christopher Moore signed a deal for a follow-up to A Dirty Job, time was up, so he knocked this out. I wasn’t impressed. I laughed/cried/snorted my way through A Dirty Job. Seriously. I may have chuckled once or twice this go ’round. Charlie’s new body […]
Seriously Mum, What’s an Alpaca? by Alan Parks: Book Review
2.5 Stars. When I have daydreams about packing up and moving to a new country, Spain is always the one that comes to mind. We visited in 2010 and just loved it. We felt welcome everywhere we went, the people seemed happy, and it just fit. Plus, my husband’s bilingual. At least one of us could speak the language. When I saw this as a free […]
Don’t Look Down by Jennifer Crusie: Book Review
Lucy Armstrong is a director who makes dog food commercials–by choice, not lack of talent. Her ex-husband has asked her to come in and finish directing an action flick that he’s coordinated the stunts for. The real director has just died with only four days of shooting left to go. She reluctantly agrees. Things get Continue Reading…
The Fountain of St. James Court by Sena Jeter Naslund: Book Review
In a dual narrative, author Sena Jeter Naslund explores the lives of a modern-day fictional author, Kathryn Callaghan–a “woman of a certain age,”–and artist Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, famous for painting portraits of Marie Antoinette. Both women are looking back over their lives, evaluating their choices and reflecting on their losses. I am not the Continue Reading…
The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker: Book Review
Truly Plaice has been larger than life since her conception. The town men wagered on how big she would be when she was born. They all guessed too low. In contrast to her petite, doll-like older sister, Truly looks even bigger. Needless to say, the small town is not kind to Truly as she grows Continue Reading…
Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore: Book Review
I have mostly been able to follow Christopher Moore into his craziness with success. He makes a joke and I laugh. It might be the weirdest thing ever (Humpback whales with “Bite Me” on their tails?), but I get it. But then there was Fool. And now there is Sacre Bleu. I got so tired Continue Reading…
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson: Book Review
Dr. Montague, a researcher into paranormal activity, has rented the fabled Hill House for the summer. The house has a reputation for being haunted. Very few people have managed to stay in it for more than a night. In order to sort of help the house do its worst, he invites people to stay with Continue Reading…
The Ruins by Scott Smith: Book Review
Two American couples, fresh out of college, decide to go to Cancún for a little R&R before starting grad school in the fall. They end up venturing into the jungle, looking for some Mayan ruins and a fellow traveler’s brother. They’re completely unprepared for what they find there. I really, really want to give this Continue Reading…
Everlost by Neal Shusterman: Book Review
Nick and Allie were traveling in opposite directions on a windy mountain road. After a terrible accident, they find themselves traveling down a tunnel toward a light. But they bump into each other again and don’t get where they’re going. Instead, they end up in Everlost, a ghostly realm that co-exists with our world and Continue Reading…
Rising Tide by John M. Barry: Book Review
Telling the story of an epic flood of the Mississippi River in 1927, this book explores the early history of flood control efforts and a rivalry that made flood controls at the time practically a joke, the politics involved in decisions for handling the flood itself, the politics of disaster relief, and the impact of Continue Reading…