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The Handsome Man’s Deluxe Cafe – Alexander McCall Smith– 3***
Book # 15 in the popular No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series has the ladies investigating a case of amnesia. In the meantime, Mma Grace Makutsi has decided to open a new restaurant. I love this series. The cases the agency works on are less important in this series than the relationships between the characters. I feel like I’m spending time with old friends when I open one of these books and become immersed in their lives. They are my reading comfort food.
LINK to my review
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe – Fannie Flagg – 5*****
This is actually the third time I’ve read this book and I love just as much now as I did the first time. Flagg does a marvelous job of developing these characters, and the reader feels the love between them. I was hooked from the beginning and engaged throughout.
LINK to my review
How to Fall In Love With a Man Who Lives In a Bush – Emmy Abrahamson – 3***
Julia is a Swede living in Austria where she teaches English at Berlitz. One day, while waiting on a park bench she meets a smelly, dirty homeless man, Ben. This was a quick, fast read and mildly entertaining. I shook my head at the chances Julia took, but recognized what she saw in Ben. He was clearly intelligent, caring, giving and willing to work at the relationship. She, on the other hand, was pretty closed off to any change in routine, and visibly embarrassed by him. All told it’s a decent chick-lit, new-adult romance.
LINK to my review
50% Off Murder – Josie Belle – 3***
A typical cozy mystery where the lead amateur sleuth just cannot keep her nose out of police business, despite specific warnings to steer clear. There are plenty of suspects, including Maggie’s old high-school nemesis. I thought this was a bit formulaic, but maybe I’ve been reading too many cozies lately. The old rivalry with Summer Phillips irritated me no end; they’re 40 years old for heaven’s sake and they are STILL hashing out high school drama?! I figured out the culprit long before Maggie or Sheriff Sam Collins caught on. Still it was a fun, fast read and if another book in the series fits a challenge task, I’ll read it.
LINK to my review
My review for: From Longbourn, With Love by Margaret Lynette Sharp
4★https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Before We Were Yours – Lisa Wingate – 3.5***
This historical novel is based on a shameful episode in Tennessee history, when babies were sold for profit and powerful people looked the other way. I was engaged and interested from the beginning, but … Of the two time lines I much preferred the historical story arc set in Depression-era Tennessee. I did not care for the contemporary story arc featuring Avery and her uncertain / conflicting love interests. Most of the characters seemed to come straight from central casting. Still, our F2F book group had a lively discussion.
LINK to my review
My review for: Pemberley: Fitzwilliam Goes to London by Margaret Lynette Sharp
4★https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Monster of Florence – Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi – 3.5***
In the early 1980s the residents of Tuscany were terrorized by a serial killer every bit as brutal as Jack the Ripper. Known as the Monster of Florence, the psychopath was never caught. Preston and Spezi put their journalism skills to the test, and for their troubles, became the focus of criminal investigation themselves. There are some elements of the book that rival the best true-crime books, but in the end I was left feeling ‘meh.’
LINK to my review
I, Robot – Isaac Asimov – 4****
I’ve never been a great fan of science fiction but this book has been on my tbr for ages. The thread that weaves the chapters together is Susan Calvin, PhD – a specialist in “Robopsychology.” As the narrator relates Dr Calvin’s fifty years of experiences in the field, the reader gets a sense of the slippery slope humanity has embarked on by relying more and more on these highly intelligent machines. It’s fascinating, frightening, thrilling and thought-provoking.
LINK to my review
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Orhan’s Inheritance – Aline Ohanesian – 3.5***
The novel moves back and forth between 1990s and the last days of the Ottoman empire. There are not a lot of fiction books about World War I (as compared to WW II), and only a small number that deal with the Armenian genocide. So, this is an interesting and informative subject on which to focus. What people had to do to survive and how the trauma affected them forms the basis for a compelling story. It made me wonder when, or whether, one can ever let go of past wrongs. Must hate and rancor pass from generation to generation because one’s grandfather hurt the other’s grandfather?
LINK to my review
Mennonite In a Little Black Dress – Rhoda Janzen – 3***
The subtitle is: A Memoir Of Going Home. I’m not sure what I was expecting. One the one hand, Janzen is able to look at her life and the choices she made honestly and without (much) regret. She seems to genuinely like and cherish her family, and I really loved the relationship she had with her mother. On the other hand, I’m not so sure Janzen was truly over her husband’s having left for a guy he met on Gay.com. I enjoyed much of it and found her sense of humor about her own situation refreshing, but I didn’t love it.
LINK to my review
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Dark of the Moon – John Sanders – 3.5***
Book One in a new series featuring Virgil Flowers of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension; he only works “the hard stuff.” Sandford crafts a tight plot with several twists and turns, plenty of suspects, a little love interest, and a skilled, likeable lead detective. I like the way Flowers pieces together the puzzle. He’s deliberate and cautious, but aggressive when questioning a reluctant witness. He’s an astute observer and is careful when drawing conclusions. It certainly kept me guessing right up to the reveal.
LINK to my review
My review for: The Kookaburra Creek Cafe by Sandie Docker
5★https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review for: The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland
5★https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review for: Pemberley: A Ball to Remember by Margaret Lynette Sharp
4★https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Great Alone – Kristin Hannah – 2.5**
Ernt Allbright is a damaged man; a former Vietnam POW he is prone to fits of anger and depression. So, moving his family to a remote homestead in Alaska is clearly a sign that things are going to go badly. I was engaged and interested in the story from the beginning, but … I quickly grew tired of Cora’s constant excuses for her sorry husband. She seemed to never take seriously the signs that he was a danger to her … and to their child! On the plus side, I really did enjoy the depictions of the majestic natural beauty of Alaska. I liked the self-sufficiency of many of the characters, and particularly liked the strong women of the community. In general, however, the things I liked couldn’t make up for what I didn’t like, so this gets a below average rating.
LINK to my review
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Buried In Bargains – Josie Belle – 3***
Book 3 in the Good Buy Girls Mystery series, has all the elements of a successful cozy mystery series: a group of friends who serve as amateur sleuths, a villainous temptress “mean girl” who is the bane of their existence, a handsome sheriff with a definite interest in widowed Maggie, and a lovely small community with a high murder rate. I identified the culprit the first time said culprit made an appearance in the book. But it was still fun to watch everyone else catch up.
LINK to my review
Right now I’m currently reading Saga vol 8. I’m really liking the series so far.
Die Trying – Lee Child – 3.5***
Gosh but these books are addictive! Reacher is former military police, and now is roaming about taking odd jobs. He’s certainly got his hands full this time. I like that in this book, Holly Johnson is a strong female …. She may be on crutches, but she is far from helpless. Implausible though it may be, Child gives the reader a fast-paced thriller full of action and intrigue.
LINK to my review
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Yellow Crocus – Laila Ibrahim – 3.5***
Good historical fiction set in 1837 to 1860 Virginia. The novel explores the ways in which family bonds are formed regardless of biological connection. I loved Mattie. She’s a strong woman who works hard and smart, watching and learning skills that will help her and her family find their way to freedom someday. I did not like Lisbeth too much for most of the book, but once she was forced to confront her assumptions she showed strength of character.
LINK to my review
Anne of Ingleside – L. M. Montgomery – 2.5**
This is the sixth book in the series that follows the irrepressible Anne Shirley as she grows from a young orphan to adulthood. This book focuses on Anne and Gilbert’s six children, who seem to all share their mother’s gift of imagination and tendency toward fantasy. But, I read the earlier books in the series for Anne, and she wasn’t as prevalent in this episode. I’m not sure I’ll continue reading the series at all.
LINK to my review
Heidi – Johanna Spyri – 4.5****
This classic of children’s literature tells the story of Heidi, a young orphan girl who lives with her gruff grandfather up on a Swiss mountain. It’s a wonderful story about a child who has lost much but relishes all that she has. She’s intelligent, open-minded, kind-hearted and has a great generosity of spirit.
LINK to my review
The Devil Went Down to Austin – Rick Riordan – 3***
Book # 4 in the Tres Navarre series has Tres going to Austin to confront his older brother Garrett, when he learns that Garnet has mortgaged the family ranch for a start-up venture and is four months behind on payments. What he finds is a tangled financial mess and it only gets worse when Garrett's friend and business partner is found shot, with Garrett nearby and Garrett's gun the likely murder weapon. Fast paced, intricate plotting, great characters. I figured it out just one step ahead of the reveal. I sure wish Riordan would come back to writing adult mysteries, though I understand why he continues to focus on that immensely popular (and lucrative) Percy Jackson series.
LINK to my review
Hallowe’en Party – Agatha Christie – 3***
A girl is found drowned in a bucket intended for apple-bobbing during a Halloween Party. Who could have murdered her? I love Hercule Poirot, although he can sometimes be insufferably smug and “superior.” I love the way he puzzles out a problem, sees the clues in seemingly inconsequential events and facts, and puts the whole together to reveal the culprit.
LINK to my review
Speaking From Among the Bones – Alan Bradley – 3***
Book five in the series starring eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, amateur chemist and amateur sleuth. I love Flavia. She’s an intrepid explorer, pedaling about Bishop’s Lacey on her trusty bicycle, Gladys, and doing experiments in her laboratory. She is smart, independent, curious and determined.
LINK to my review
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The Iced Princess – Christine Husom – 1*
Well this is just all over the place. It seemed to me that Husom was trying too hard to confuse and confound the investigators (and the reader) in order to have a mystery plot with some twists and turns. Nothing seemed to work for me. This is the second in the Snow Globe Shop mystery series, but the first one I’ve read. I don’t think I’ll read another.
LINK to my review
Mod
Hi All,I have an announcement about a giveaway for anyone wanting a book, or to give as a gift.
"The Lobster Lake Bandits" is a book set in Maine - with a little of New York City. The story will transport you to our north woods for a historical fiction mystery. I wrote this book to spotlight the wonderful wilderness of Maine. If you like travel & adventure, check it out.
On Tuesday 11/20/18 the Golden State Media Concepts Book Review Podcast will host an author interview and announce a book giveaway. You can follow that site on Facebook @GSMCBookReview or Twitter @gsmc_bookreview to get the scoop.
Good luck!
I'll also post on my Facebook page the link once the info is available.
@TommyCarboneAuthor
Tommy
The Lobster Lake Bandits: Mystery at Moosehead
My review for: Pemberley: Fitzwilliam Stays at Rosings by Margaret Lynette Sharp
4★https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am Currently Reading Two Books and they are:
- I am loving this book. It is so good. It is a Fantasy type story. I am on Chapter 26. I am reading this on my Kindle. The book came from Amazon. 
- I got this book from my local library. It is a hard back Physical Copy. I just have Y to read yet in Sue Grafton's Alphabet Mystery Series and than I will be Completely Finished with this Series. I love this Series. Happy Reading :)
I am reading a graphic novel called The Arab of the Future: A Childhood in the Middle East, 1978-1984: A Graphic Memoir. It is interesting. It is a different read for me.
Linda wrote: "I am Currently Reading Two Books and they are: - I am loving this book. It is so good. It is a Fantasy type story. I am on Chapter 26. I am reading thi..."Linda wrote: "I am Currently Reading Two Books and they are:
- I am loving this book. It is so good. It is a Fantasy type story. I am on Chapter 26. I am reading thi..."Awesome! I have read A is for Alibi, maybe I will read the second one in the series. Is each book a independent read?
Each Book follows through on Kinsey's Heritage so you really need to read the Books in Order. There is a Mystery in each book but at the same time it tells the Genealogy of Kinsey Mallone's Family. This is why you really should read the books in Order.
My review for: They Gathered at Rosings by Margaret Lynette Sharp
4★https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Coffee & Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Day I Died (other topics)Summit Lake (other topics)
Under an Alaskan Sky (other topics)
Oxygen (other topics)
The House in the Pines (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Lori Rader-Day (other topics)Charlie Donlea (other topics)
Jennifer Snow (other topics)
Carol Cassella (other topics)
Ana Reyes (other topics)
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