Book Concierge’s Comments (group member since Jan 14, 2016)

Book Concierge’s comments from the Paging All Bookworms! group.

Love that you ended with a winner, Terri!

The Little Old Lady Who Struck Lucky Again! – Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg – 2**
Book number two in the League of Pensioners series, featuring elderly Martha Anderson and her friends – Brains, Rake, Christina and Anna-Greta. The first book was a hoot, and I rather enjoyed the outlandishness of it all. But this one…. Well, it seemed to me that the author was just trying too hard to make this a comical crime caper, but it came across as tedious.
LINK to my full review

A Certain Age – Beatriz Williams – 3***
Williams gives us a novel of romance, family secrets, and scandal in New York Society, set during the Roaring Twenties. The title refers to two things: the age of the era in American society, and a woman of “a certain age.” Williams definitely gives the reader a sense of the era … speakeasies, flappers, bathtub gin, horse races, etc. I saw through the murder mystery pretty quickly, but it held my attention throughout.
LINK to my full review

Sun Dog Memory – Doug Armstrong – 3.5***
A Depression-era family saga full of lies, treachery and vengeance. Armstrong goes back and forth in time from 1930 to 1911. We learn how the Albrights came to the Kansas homestead and their efforts to make a go of it, and how their fate becomes intricately linked to that of the town’s wealthy railroad executives. There’s a lot of intrigue here and the reader is just as clueless as the main character, Jed. I’m not sure that I ever figured out who was really behind all the treachery, and while I thought the family saga had a satisfactory resolution, the epilogue threw me for a loop.
LINK to my full review

September 2025 mini challenge: WELCOME TO THE WORLD BABY GIRL
Begins: 01Sep25 / Ends: 30Sep25

0 / 5 completed


* It’s a girl! - Read a book written by a female author

* Her name is Luz – Read a book with a light shown on the COVER /or/ with the word “light” in the title.

* A warm welcome - Read a book where the first letter of each title word is found in the phrase: WELCOME TO THE WORLD, BABY GIRL. (All words count. Minimum 3-word title. Letters may be used only so often as they appear in the target phrase.)

* Proud Aunty - Read a book in which a speaking character is an aunt or uncle.

* Texas - Read a book set in Texas. BONUS if it’s set in San Antonio.

Our challenge participants:

CLICK on your name to go directly to your challenge post

Beverly

JennH

Koren

TerriS

Tessa

.

Please note: If you sign up after Sept 2 ... I'll be having shoulder surgery on Sept 3 and probably won't be online for at least a week.

September 2025 mini challenge: WELCOME TO THE WORLD BABY GIRL
Begins: 01Sep25 / Ends: 30Sep25

This month’s challenge prompts are inspired by the impending birth of my niece’s first child.

* It’s a girl! - Read a book written by a female author

* Her name is Luz – Read a book with a light shown on the COVER /or/ with the word “light” in the title.

* A warm welcome - Read a book where the first letter of each title word is found in the phrase: WELCOME TO THE WORLD, BABY GIRL. (All words count. Minimum 3-word title. Letters may be used only so often as they appear in the target phrase.)

* Proud Aunty - Read a book in which a speaking character is an aunt or uncle.

* Texas - Read a book set in Texas. BONUS if it’s set in San Antonio.

===========================================


RULES OF THE CHALLENGE

All books used must be a minimum of 100 pages long - Page length determined by HARDCOVER 1st edition. If there is no Hardcover, then the most popular paperback governs page #.

You may read in any format - text, audio or e-book.

You MUST finish the book before you can claim credit for completing a task.

A book may be used for only one task, even if it would satisfy the challenge for multiple tasks.

EXAMPLE of a successful post:
Book by an author whose first and last initials are in TABLE: Elizabeth Berg / Open House ✔ – 13March25

If you'd like to be recognized as finishing the challenge, please post a new comment alerting me to your finish. I do not get notifications when you edit your original post.

As always, have Fun!

.

The Secret Book and Scone Society – Ellery Adams – 2.5**
One of my book club buddies suggested this for our group so I re-read it. My opinion didn’t change much, though I did enjoy the discussion. The relationships between the four friends stood out more. But I also see that there is another secret that hasn’t been revealed. A ploy that I view as “forcing” readers to continue the series, and one that I hate.
LINK to my full review

The Soul Of an Octopus – Sy Montgomery – 4.5**** (rounded up)
Subtitle: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness. Montgomery spent a year volunteering at the New England Aquarium to study and learn about octopuses. This is her memoir of that time, and it’s marvelous!
LINK to my full review

Give the Boys a Great Big Hand – Ed McBain – 3***
First published in 1960, this is book number eleven in the 87th Precinct mystery series, and starts with the discovery of a severed hand in a tote bag. It’s a classic police procedural mystery that held my interest throughout. There are several red herrings (both for the cops and for the reader), but the boys of the 87th precinct are nothing if not tenacious. They WILL get the guy or gal responsible.
LINK to my full review

Terris wrote: "(Updated Message #3)
I finally found a book with a scene where the characters ate outside. I don't know why that was so hard for me to find!

So I completed July! :)

it seems like there should be ..."

I agree, you should get fireworks... I'll see what I can go when i get back home and have the 'BIG" computer to work on.

A Year In the World – Frances Mayes – 3.5*** (rounded up)
Subtitle: Journeys of a Passionate Traveler. Mayes recounts her many adventures traveling from her home base in Tuscany as she and her husband roam through the British Isles, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Greece, Morocco, France and other areas of Italy. Her passion for travel certainly comes through loud and clear! I particularly enjoyed the way she wrote about food. I could practically smell and taste the dishes, and I was constant hungry for “more.”
LINK to my full review

August 2025 mini challenge: BACK TO SCHOOL
Begins: 01August25 / Ends: 31August25


4 / 5 completed

* Old School - Read a book published BEFORE 2000 - 1952 - To Catch a Thief ✔ – 08Aug25

* New School – Read a book by a “new to you” author - Brenda L. Baker / Sisters of the Sari✔ – 04Aug25

* Too Cool for School – Read a book whose title includes a word that has double vowels in it.

* Back to School – Read a book whose COVER shows a person with his/her back to the reader. - ✔ – 03Aug25

* School days – Read a book with a speaking character who attends school - Set primarily in a high school for the deaf - True Biz ✔ – 06Aug25

Reserved for list of participants:

CLICK on your name to go directly to your challenge post

Beverly ✔ Completed

JennH

Koren

TerriS

Tessa

.

August 2025 mini challenge: BACK TO SCHOOL
Begins: 01August25 / Ends: 31August25

This month’s challenge prompts are inspired by the annual return to school (in the USA, at least).

* Old School - Read a book published BEFORE 2000

* New School – Read a book by a “new to you” author

* Too Cool for School – Read a book whose title includes a word that has double vowels in it.

* Back to School – Read a book whose COVER shows a person with his/her back to the reader.

* School days – Read a book with a speaking character who attends school (any level)

===========================================


RULES OF THE CHALLENGE

All books used must be a minimum of 100 pages long - Page length determined by HARDCOVER 1st edition. If there is no Hardcover, then the most popular paperback governs page #.

You may read in any format - text, audio or e-book.

You MUST finish the book before you can claim credit for completing a task.

A book may be used for only one task, even if it would satisfy the challenge for multiple tasks.

EXAMPLE of a successful post:
Book by an author whose first and last initials are in TABLE: Elizabeth Berg / Open House ✔ – 13March25

If you'd like to be recognized as finishing the challenge, please post a new comment alerting me to your finish. I do not get notifications when you edit your original post.

As always, have Fun!

The Sound and the Furry – Spencer Quinn – 3***
Book number six in the Chet & Bernie mystery series takes our intrepid duo East to the Louisiana bayous to search for a missing man. I just love this series. Chet (the dog who failed obedience training) narrates the adventures that he and his human, Bernie, have when they take on various cases as part of their business, the Little Detective Agency. Quinn gives us a fast-paced book, with sprinkles of humor to lessen the tension.
LINK to my full review

Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories – L M Montgomery– 3***
This is a collection of short stories set around the Christmas holidays. It begins with our lovely Anne Shirley and an early Christmas with Marila and Matthew, and the “puffy sleeves” fashion trend. Most of the other stories do not involve Anne, but they are all heart-warming and charming. And isn’t that what the holidays are all about?
LINK to my full review

Bury Your Dead – Louise Penny – 3***
Book # 6 in the Inspector Armand Gamache series of mysteries. This episode actually involves multiple mysteries, both current time frame and in the past. What I like about the series is the way Penny builds her characters, and their relationships to one another, over the course of the series. We get to know Gamache, his strengths and weaknesses, his joys and disappointments, over the various books, each episode giving the reader more insight into the man’s complex character.
LINK to my full review

Great job, Beverly!

Under the Big Top – Bruce Feiler – 3***
Subtitle: A Season With the Circus. Feiler is a writer who got a rare opportunity to spend a season with the Clyde Beatty-Cole Brothers Circus, as a clown. He detailed his experiences and the life of circus workers in this book. I found this quite interesting. Feiler didn’t sugarcoat the difficulties of life on the road, nor did he pull any punches when describing the personalities and activities of some of the workers. I was disappointed, however, that there were no photos.
LINK to my full review