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Books You’re on the Fence About - 2024
The Princess Protection Program by Alex London
An MG/YA book with a great idea but mixed execution.
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This children's picture book about a puzzled pirate, The Hoys by Kes Gray, has some great illustrations by Mark Chambers which I shared in my review.
My review of The Hoys
Christa Comes Out of Her She’ll
was a little too romcom for me. My three star review:/review/show...
Classified As Murder � Miranda James � 3***
Book two in the series featuring librarian Charlie Harris and his Maine coon cat, Diesel. When an eccentric millionaire with a rare-book collection dies under mysterious circumstances, Charlie Harris gets involved in the investigation. I figured out the culprit fairly early, but it was still fun to watch the characters put the clues together.
LINK to my full review
A Beauty For Kinkmas- R. A. Frick - (California)
Part of The Naughty or Nice Series - Season 3
Genera: M/M Romance/Daddy Little Age Play
3�
Review:/review/show...
The 3 stars are not because it was a bad book...it was just too short.
Language of Love - A Flirty, Festive Anthology by various authors.
A mixed bag for me, though this is mainly due to my romance reading preferences.
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How Moon Fuentez Fell In Love With the Universe � Raquel Vasquez Gilliland � 3***
This is a pretty typical enemies-to-friends-to-lovers scenario. It’s also a YA coming-of-age book that deals with bullying, body-image, and self-confidence. The up-and-down, on-and-off romance drove me a little crazy, but it’s part of the package for this genre. At least Gilliland had the couple get to know each other over several months before they acted on their attraction.
LINK to my full review
The Children’s Blizzard � Melanie Benjamin � 3***
Benjamin is known for writing novelized “biographies� of historical figures (usually women) who have been under-represented (or completely ignored) by history. This time, she turns her attention of an historical event, the blizzard of 1888 that caught residents of the great plains completely unawares, and invents the characters to populate the story. She focused on two sisters, both schoolteachers, who took different approaches which resulted in dramatically different outcomes. Unfortunately for Benjamin, I had previously read David Laskin’s nonfiction account of the same blizzard, and this work fell short of that excellent read.
LINK to my full review
Ripley Under Ground � Patricia Highsmith � 3***
This is book two in the series, featuring psychopath Tom Ripley. Highsmith was a talented writer, and she could craft a chilling psychological thriller. In the first Ripley book we met a charming, somewhat socially inept, closeted gay young man with ambition. But THIS Ripley is a drudge. Still, lies and killing come naturally to him. As the bodies pile up and investigators get closer to the truth, Ripley’s ability to charm his way out of things is taxed to the max. By the end, he seems to be completely unraveling, The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger. But I suspect Highsmith just ran out of steam and decided to stop.
LINK to my full review
The Wedding PlotThe Wedding Plot - Paula Munier - (Vermont)
Mercy Carr Series Book #4
Genera: Mystery
3�
Review: /review/show...
No Exit � Taylor Adams � 3.5***
A taut psychological thriller featuring a college art student, a kidnapped child, and four strangers all trapped at a rest stop during a blizzard in the Colorado Rockies. Darby is a courageous, if naïve, young woman. She never stops thinking of ways to save herself, the child, and the innocent people in the shelter. She certainly got one thing right � the criminal is NOT really smart, just determined and callous. The question is whether Darby can last the night, and that kept me turning pages long past my bedtime.
LINK to my full review
The Memory Library by Kate Storey
Works exactly as expected, which is both good and boring.
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A Little Bit Super: With Small Powers Come Big Problems edited by Gary D. Schmidt
A middle-grade superhero anthology with a wonderful theme and decent execution.
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Here is my 3.44 rounded to 3 stars review of A Mother for Christmas
by Jackie Weger:/review/show...
Romance
Predictable, Entertaining, A little spice
Didn't live up to its potential, but still enjoyable
Mod
The Criminal Class: Memoir of a Prison Teacher by Paul A. MacNamara/review/show...
Britt-Marie Was Here � Fredrick Backman � 3.5***
I thought this was a lovely little fairy tale. The scenarios were somewhat improbable, and Britt-Marie didn’t always behave the way I would have expected her to, but just as the residents of Borg grew on her, Britt-Marie grew on me. I found her insistence on structure exasperating at times, but I also loved how determined she was. While she kept her emotions in check, she still showed tenderness and genuine caring.
LINK to my full review
Trunk Music � Michael Connelly � 3***
Book number 5 in the Harry Bosch series finds the detective back on the job after a previous suspension. This is a typical Harry Bosch detective mystery. Lots of twists and turns. Lots of Harry battling against the police force bureaucrats that are the bane of his existence. It’s fast-paced and kept me guessing until pretty close to the end.
LINK to my full review
Strange Brew � Kathy Hogan Trochek � 3***
This is book six in the Callahan Garrity Mystery series, featuring former cop Callaghan and her mother, Edna, who run “House Mouse� maid service in Atlanta. I like this series. I like Callahan, who does have some reason to investigate and is at least skilled at it. She’s frequently helped by the House Mouse crew of eccentric ladies. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep even the best amateur sleuth guessing, and I didn’t figure out the perpetrator much before Callahan did. I’ll keep reading this series.
LINK to my full review
Fatal Deception by Marie Force 3-StarsA dead wife and a missing baby cause Sam concern.
My Review
Death at the Drive-In by Angie Fox 3 1/2-StarsVerity must solve a 1956 cold case to save Frankie.
My Review
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood � Howard Pyle � 3***
A friend loaned me her copy of the “Great Illustrated Classics� edition, adapted by Deborah Kestel. It’s a fast, fun adventure with lots of fighting, competition, disguises, and more than a few near misses. Most of the characters I remember are here, including Friar Tuck, Little John and the Sheriff of Nottingham. But Maid Marion is mentioned only once. I imagine the middle-school audience would enjoy this legend of adventure and derring-do. I wanted more depth to the story, though I doubt I’ll try to go back and read the original.
LINK to my full review
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Friends Sharing Book Love
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