Book #8. Thus one was wacky but good. A different storyline, less local cops and more interagency workings.

Book #7. Austin in NYC this time, looking into his wife‘s murder case & stirring things up. A lot of loose ends get tied up in this one. And some of the side characters get a bit more developed.

Book #6. A new character, a betrayal, a wedding, and a mystery to solve. Plus maybe a bit of info into Fiona‘s murder. Quite a lot going on in this one. Not really a happy ending, more of a ‘this will continue into the next book(s).

I need a book I read to have a storyline. Even a hint of one I can follow. This felt like line after line of half-finished sentences and paragraphs barely held together. I had to bail on it.

I hated the book the first time I read it. The ‘releases‘ made me so mad and at the time I had a newborn and couldn‘t deal with that. Now, with my middle schooler reading it & wanting to discuss, I re-read it. I don‘t hate it as much anymore. But I also don‘t like it. I‘m torn on if I should read the whole series or not.

Book #5 in the series. A bit more like an action movie, a bit unbelievable, but entertaining.

Book #4 in the series. It‘s a good mystery. I still am not sure about Austin‘s supposed age & lack of knowledge of both anything 90‘s/pop culture-related and internet/AI/computer/tech-related. Seems like he should be 15-20 years older if he‘s that out of touch. The side story with his wife‘s murder is fairly slow going too.

I hated the main character. He was so bitter, selfish, and had such a chip on his shoulder. Also they often referred to ‘weeks passing by‘ and the entire story was set in just two weeks…no reason to exaggerate so much when you‘re only on day 4 of the saga. It was also hard to figure out the sibling ages. I know this is a grief/bereavement book but I thought it would be funnier instead if just irritated me

Book #3 in the series. With a few twists I wasn‘t Evie fun and hints at more in the side stories.

Sequel to The Sparrow. I don‘t think all the loose ends were tied up. In fact, there are probably a lot more now. A lot of aggravation & frustration about how things turned out & how they tried to fix them. But I‘m glad I read it and found it quite interesting. The timelines are hard to follow but the author did a great job of weaving them together.

I thought this would be like the game ‘Clue‘…millionaire is murdered with only family & staff around. But it was more complex and interesting. And I like the stuff on the side in these books.

A totally different book by Mary Doria Russell than The Sparrow was. Historical fiction following Big Annie and the minors union strike of 1913 in Calumet, Michigan. A feminist story with a focus on the wives and mothers and how they ran the strike.

It was advertised that if you like Bosch, you‘ll like this. It was similar but not a copy which was good. Definitely felt like the first in a series where you‘re getting to know the person & place. I‘ll try the next & see if it has a bit more substance.

Much better than I anticipated. A lot of time travel books have someone going back in time and experiencing famous events. This one starts a long time ago and Nella lives so long she gets to experience events first hand without knowing their importance until she‘s there. Live life & enjoy it fully.

Fascinating read. Warning: right at the beginning you‘re told there is a lone survivor. So don‘t get too attached (you will, you‘ll fall in love with them all) with the characters. Heartbreaking but also just an enjoyable and fascinating story.

I was fascinated by this story. The first half is from Dana‘s point of view, the second from Chaurisse‘s. Dana knows the secret & Chaurisse doesn‘t. The drama plays itself out and I could hardly put it down.

Thus was referred to or recommended in something I read recently so I thought I‘d read it. I didn‘t like it at all. Obviously it‘s from a different generation, but the sexism, gaslighting, and just terrible stereotyping made it hard to read. Not that good of a detective novel in my opinion…I guesses early on who was behind things & had it right.

Quite the page turner. You‘re not sure who to trust. Some characters (okay all) are a bit too exaggerated but it makes for an enjoyable read.

Disturbing. Quite interesting, but scary and concerning. Very interesting to learn about the pollution. As someone who grew up in the PNW, and always hearing about how green and clean it is this was quite an eye opener.

While I ‘get it‘ about AI, I also believe Ai isn‘t totally evil and has good uses. The book was good, and the plot twists were nice, it even concluded well with tying up some loose ends. It wasn‘t great. Just a bit above average I‘d say.

A different take on a WWII historical fiction, with a focus on formal gardens. An enjoyable dual timeline read.

I just couldn‘t get into this one

It was only ok, a bit chaotic, and the characters weren‘t well-developed.

Helpful easy read to start thinking about

Totally gripping. I was hooked from the first page. Highly recommend for a lot of suspense, a bit of thriller, and a lot of sitting on the edge of your seat.

I couldn‘t get into this one. It was interesting but felt like a history book and not a story.

Another book in the Thursday Murder Club series. The gang is back together, a little older, a little wiser, and taking care of their extended pack as they work to solve another murder.

This was a bit hard to get into (tricky names of people & places), and had a lot of violence, but was still quite intriguing.

I‘ve read all the Lynley novels over the years and this latest was a good follow on. While the police investigation is always interesting my favorite parts are always the side stories/personal lives of Lynley & Havers. And they definitely merged a bit in this one with Barbara staying at Lynley‘s family home in Cornwall for a bit.

I really liked this one. With Reina walking the trail for work but also in her father‘s steps with his journal from years before. It‘s a great story.

Another enjoyable story with Judith, Susie, Becks, and DI Malik. A good mystery for a small town. Very clever.

Stephen king is definitely not a go-to author of mine. I‘m not into horror. But I was intrigued when I heard this was historical fiction. I‘d say it‘s much more twilight zone than horror, although with some violence But mostly it‘s time travel, trying to save the world, and a bit of romance. It felt super long, but overall was quite interesting.

I enjoyed this story more than I thought I would. It brought up topics of social & economic classes, excess & materialism, toxic family relationships, and so much more. Way more gratuitous sex than was necessary, but overall a fun read.

I hate read this because I couldn‘t figure it out. Not my style at all. Turns out it‘s about perimenopause and the emotional, mental, physical changes. I‘m ok with the marriage, relationships, parenting styles etc but did not need the sex/fetishes/fantasies and the chaotic mental vomit that felt like a personality disorder.

Another good one. Trust is hard. But as the book says, love shows up.

Another Abby Jimenez rom-com. It‘s another good one too. When social class, age, financial stability don‘t line up at all but love does.

A glimpse into the lives of you immigrant women in Boston in the early 1900‘s. The SEG sounds like a great place to help empower young women to follow their dreams & not settle into the same lives as their mothers.

Cute rom-com. Great characters, funny, modern. Mostly a fun, lighthearted read… except for the dealing with dementia, grief, depression, etc. great book though.

So, this author is not the same Jane Healey that wrote the Arlington Hall book. This is set during WWII but is a bit dark & creepy. Interesting but in more of a thriller than I was expecting.

A nice little vacation read. Saint-Benet sounds like such a charming little village. A few too many things worked out well, but can‘t complain with happy endings with all the craziness in the world (then, and today).

Kristin Hannah is a fantastic author. This story was intriguing. A little girl walk into town after seemingly being raised by wolves in the deep of the Olympic national forest. Just wow.

An engaging story. Based on facts & real people, but with an embellished story to complete it. I can‘t imagine what it would‘ve been like to try to life in the puritan colonies of that time. I enjoyed the story.

Wow. Such an unimaginable situation to be put in. The thoughtfulness that went into describing these characters, their thoughts, their actions, reasons. I didn‘t want to put this down.

Long, mostly sad, but with lots of laugh out moments. This author can write such emotional stories that draw you in. I‘ll read everything he writes…but be prepared to cry too.

Follow up or sequel to lost in a bookshop. Loveday is still the main character, among another well thought cast. Still heavy emotionally with some DV triggers. But so good. It still feels ‘early‘ to read books set in the time of COVID. But this one really felt accurate and was done in such a good way. I‘m going to miss this group & hope I get to catch up with them again in another book. Also, I loved the book pharmacy to heal you!

Such a different book than The Second Chance Bookclub. Heavier emotionally. But a lovely story overall. Loveday is her own character for sure…but I loved Archie. What a wonderful person. Definitely triggers for domestic violence. Can‘t wait to read the author‘s next book.

Not at all what I expected. This book was mentioned in another book which intrigued me. It had twists I was not expecting at all. It was longer than I expected it to but was a good story. O

While this was a nice story, I‘m not sure I get all the hype surrounding it. I did enjoy reading it, but it was also fairly predictable. The setting in Positano is quite nice & I liked how the dual timeline was done. It was a good book, just not mind-blowing and I can imagine it will blend into my other book memories rather than stand out.

What a sad yet wonderful story. Nora went through so much, was so mistreated, yet was able to survive over 50 years of being institutionalized…all because she got pregnant before she was married. A truly remarkable story - and based on real events.

A total rom-com. Cutest, but good, with a hint of mystique and magic.