Coffee & Books discussion

Southtown – Rick Riordan – 4****
This is book five in the Tres Navarre mysteries. This is a hard-hitting detective series, and the body count climbs as the plot progresses. I like Tres. He’s intelligent and a bit sarcastic. The setting is practically a character, and Riordan includes many landmark locations that brought me back home again.
LINK to my full review

Book Concierge wrote: "

Southtown
– Rick Riordan – 4****
This is book five in the Tres Navarre mysteries. This is a hard-hitting detective series, and the body count climbs as the plot p..."
Sounds like a good one. Worth looking into, thanks ☺️

Taken To the Cleaners – Dolores Johnson – 3***
The first book in the Mandy Dyer cozy mystery series gets the dry cleaner involved with a local bag lady brings in one of the cleaner’s signature laundry bags, inside of which is a bloody suit. I figured out the killer long before either Mandy or the police, but it still held my attention. This was first published in 1997 and it shows … limited computer use, no cell phones. Still, I’d be willing to try another in the series.
LINK to my full review

The Violin of Auschwitz –Maria Àngels Anglada– 2.5**
I really wanted to like this book … no … I wanted to love this book. But it missed the mark for me. The basic story line is engaging and what kept me reading, but there were huge gaps that left me hungry for more detail. So, while the author played the reader’s heartstrings like a violin virtuoso, I felt that the book was unfinished.
LINK to my full review

The Second-Worst Restaurant in France – Alexander McCall Smith – 3***
This is the second book featuring Paul Stuart, the “renowned Scottish cookbook writer.” He’s struggling with his latest book so jumps at the chance to accompany his cousin, Chloe, to France, where he hopes to find his muse, or at least a few great meals. There is not much plot to move the story along. Rather, Paul just stumbles into situations in the village as he meets new and interesting people. What I like about this book and several of McCall Smith’s other works are the characters. I enjoy peeping into their lives for a bit and watching the goings on from afar.
LINK to my full review

The Night Masquerade – Nnedi Okorafor – 3.5***
The final book in the Binti trilogy, has Binti trying to broker peace between the Meduse and the Khoush. I really marvel at the world-building that Okorafor has achieved here. The imaginative alien species are a marvel. And because I had come to trust her writing, I went with the flow and didn’t question the abilities of Okwu or New Fish. I really like Binti, and since the ending is somewhat of a cliffhanger, I have to wonder if the trilogy is really over, or if Okorafor will write more about Binti.
LINK to my full review

I finished my book called The Summer Seekers by Sarah Morgan

A little "Christmas in July" ...


A Cowboy Under the Mistletoe – Jessica Clare – 3***
This is the second book I’ve read in this series set in and around Painted Barrel, Wyoming. It is, of course, a holiday cowboy romance. Sage Cooper is the nicest gal in town but nobody’s girlfriend. Jason is a veteran of Afghanistan trying to run from his PTSD by working on a ranch (something he’s never done before). I’m sure you can guess the plot. It’s a fast read and there are the requisite hot-and-steamy sex scenes. Not to mention a great dog, Achilles.
LINK to my full review

--------- * * * * * * * * --------


My Kind of Christmas – Robyn Carr – 1*
In Carr’s defense I have not read any of the previous books in this series (and this one is # 18). So, I had no background on the residents of Virgin River or their previous interactions / relationships. That made me feel a little lost. I didn’t think the relationship between Patrick and Angie made sense. She’s suffered a traumatic brain injury, he’s “in love” with his dead partner’s wife. But they are going to have great sex anyway. Puh-leeze. Plus, there was very little – if any – actual Christmas cheer evident. In the spirit of the season, I’ll grant it 1 star.

Love, Loss, and What We Ate – Padma Lakshmi – 3.5***
I don’t read a lot of celebrity memoirs, but when a friend recommended this one I had to see what the fuss was about. From what she relates of her early adulthood (into her 40s), I got the impression that she identified herself by the man she was attached to, which irritated me. But I liked the portions of the book that took us back to her childhood in India, to the cultures, foods, sights, sounds and smells that helped form her. By the end I grew to appreciate the woman she has become.
LINK to my full review

U Is For Undertow – Sue Grafton – 4****
Book # 21 in the mystery series starring private investigator and former cop, Kinsey Millhone. Grafton sure could write a compelling mystery! The plot moves forward at a steady pace, and the series includes a couple of wonderful side characters. Grafton purposely set the series in a time before cell phones and the internet, so Kinsey needs to use the old-fashioned resources of reverse directories and pay phones.
LINK to my full review

I finished my book called Texas Christmas Magic by Katherine Garbera

Upright Women Wanted – Sarah Gailey – 3***
I picked this up because I needed a book to satisfy a challenge and this was readily available at the library. What an interesting plot! Set in a future America under a fascist regime, the Librarians are a network of lesbian spies. It has all the hallmarks of a traditional Western, but with a fresh new twist.
LINK to my full review

Bettyville – George Hodgman – 4****
Hodgman, recently out of a job, moved back home to Missouri to help shepherd his mother along a path neither of them wanted to take. I found this tender and funny, heartbreaking and hopeful. There were times when I wanted to slap him (or Betty) upside the head and force one or both of them to face reality. There were times when I wanted to just wrap them in a blanket and give them little “now, now and there, there” comforting pats.
LINK to my full review

A Loyal Character Dancer – Qiu Xiaolong – 3***
Book two in the Chief Inspector Chen Cao mystery series set in Shanghai. I like this series. Chen is a complicated man. Educated and a poet, he walks the tightrope between political correctness and professional police duty. This makes for a more slow-moving work than is typical for mysteries. But I didn’t mind that so much. I appreciated the time spent on the history of this complex culture.
LINK to my full review

I finished my book called The Road to Christmas by Sheila Roberts

Eight Hundred Grapes – Laura Dave – 3***
This piqued my interest because of the setting in the Sonoma Valley, and the book jacket blurb led me to believe it would be a lighter, romantic read. There IS some romance involved … but … Georgia turns out to be a bit more complex that I originally gave her credit for. The resolution of the difficulties has to wait for a few complications to be ironed out, but the ending is still satisfying in a chick-lit romance sort of way. Not exactly tied up in a pretty bow … but the ribbon is there.
LINK to my full review

I just finished reading , by Fiona Davis. Really enjoyed the Radio City Music Hall Setting. Recommend.

Also, loved , Kristin Harmel. Really made me think about the devastation of WWII in yet another brutal way, that families were separated to try to keep children safe. 💕

Last, on Audio 🎧 , Lucinda Williams. I only recently discovered her music. It is a mix of folk, country, and rock. The book underwhelmed me, was not terrible, just think her talent lies in speaking about her life through her songs.

Candy And Me – Hilary Liftin – 3.5***
Hilary Liftin has had a lifelong addiction to candy. I can relate. As she recalls her childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood, she reflects on the many candies she consumed, adored, sought, hoarded and absolutely without guilt enjoyed. We have, both of us, learned to live with a sweet tooth, and moderate our consumption. But it was sure nice to take a walk down memory lane, when penny candy was plentiful, and I had a whole DIME to spend on it!
LINK to my full review

Hondo – Louis L’Amour – 3.5***
An iconic work of American Western genre, featuring a strong, rather taciturn, loner who lives, and is willing to die, by his principles, and a vulnerable but equally strong woman determined to keep her family home and protect what she holds dear. The setting is practically a character: the southeast corner of Arizona, populated by rattlesnakes, Gila monsters, coyotes, jackrabbits and pumas, not to mention the various Apache tribes fighting to regain their historic lands.
LINK to my full review

I finished my book called A Season of Angels by Debbie Macomber

needful things

The Owl & Moon Cafe – Jo-Ann Mapson – 3***
Four generations of women work hard to support themselves with their small café, while giving to the community in their northern California town. As happens in real life, things get messy. Major illness, loss of a job, bullying and strained budgets are stressing all the Moon women. Not to mention a couple of men added to the mix. Secrets will come out. Fights will be had. Tears will be shed. At the end, I’m certain the Moon women will find a way to deal with whatever life throws at them.
LINK to my full review

The Hour of Land – Terry Tempest Williams – 3***
Subtitle: A Personal Topography of America’s National Parks. This is a book I would not have picked up were it not for being a book-club selection. Williams is a good writer, and there are times when her descriptions take the reader straight to the park she is visiting. Some of these passages are downright poetic. However, Williams spent less time on the park itself and its natural and/or historic wonders than she did on a political agenda. I don’t even disagree with her point of view, but it wasn’t what I expected or wanted from this book.
LINK to my full review

West With Giraffes – Lynda Rutledge – 4****
As the world struggles to escape the Great Depression, and on the cusp of a new World War, orphan Woodrow Wilson Nickel finds himself cast adrift in the wake of the devastating Hurricane of 1938. Stumbling about hoping to find some shelter he comes across a scene that completely changes his life. Rutledge based this work of historical fiction on an actual event; in 1938 two giraffes were transported across America from the Port of New York to the San Diego Zoo. Woody is a wonderful character, and narrator, and I was completely captivated from beginning to end.
LINK to my full review

The Department of Sensitive Crimes – Alexander McCall Smith – 3***
Gosh, but I enjoy visiting with Alexander McCall Smith’s characters! This is somewhat of a farce of police procedurals. Detective Ulf “the Wolf” Varg and his team certainly have “interesting” cases. There is no case too strange or confusing for this team. I particularly liked the case of the missing imaginary boyfriend!
LINK to my full review

The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream – Jeannie Zusy – 3.5***
This is a novel of family in which the key events are the kinds of everyday disasters many families must deal with: a hospitalization, a teenager learning to drive, an accident, a holiday dinner that goes awry. The family dynamics in this book are spot on. Ginny may have some intellectual disabilities, but she is a master manipulator. Maggie, albeit the youngest, has taken on the role usually assigned to the oldest sibling. And the supporting cast includes two wonderful home health aides, Philomena and Lika. A lovely debut work.
LINK to my full review

I finished my book called Mistletoe Cottage by Debbie Mason

I finished my book called Let It Snow by Nancy Thayer

The Spies of Shilling Lane – Jennifer Ryan – 3***
What a delightful romp! While this is a novel of espionage and daring deeds in a time of war, and the background of the blitz adds a consistent and real danger, there are many lighter moments to lessen the tension, and the focus is really on the characters and their personal journey rather than on the war. Ryan writes the formidable Mrs Braithwaite so the reader has no doubt that she will prevail. She may bumble and misconstrue most clues, but she is resolute and WILL find and rescue her darling daughter.
LINK to my full review

Eden Close – Anita Shreve – 3.5***
When his mother dies, Andrew, an advertising exec in New York City, returns to the family’s upstate New York farm for the funeral. Intending to stay only a few days, he gets caught up in memories of his childhood, of the girl next door, and of the tragic event that changed all their lives. There is some mystery to unravel here regarding that long-ago summer night. Andrew has always been a person who doesn’t really see things, even when they are right in front of him, and he will have to open his eyes to the truth before he can move forward.
LINK to my full review

I finished my book called The Summer That Made Us: A Novel by Robyn Carr

The Adventure Of the Christmas Pudding – Agatha Christie – 3***
This is actually a collection of short stories, in which Hercule Poirot addresses a variety of cases, and Miss Jane Marple solves the final case. Agatha Christie is one of my go-to authors when I want a break from everyday life and heavier, more literary reads. I just plain enjoy them. I’m also a fan of short stories, and this fit the bill nicely for winter evenings … one story per night.
LINK to my full review

Secrets of a Summer Night – Lisa Kleypas – 3***
This is the first in the “wallflower” series featuring four young women of marriageable age but who are at risk of becoming spinsters if they don’t find a suitable mate. In this first outing, the girls decide to pool their resources to ensure that Annabelle (who is the oldest and most in need of a husband) snags her man. This is a typical regency romance with plenty of heaving bosoms, devastatingly handsome men, one or two scoundrels, and a clash between the classes. The plot may be predictable, but it’s still great fun to read. A lovely escape!
LINK to my full review

Buried In a Good Book – Tamara Berry – 3***
First in a new cozy mystery series featuring Tess Harlow, a mystery-book author, who leaves Seattle for the Northwoods cabin she inherited from her grandfather. But before she can settle in a loud explosion results in a rain of dead fish and body parts. There’s no shortage of suspects, including “Bigfoot,” to keep both Sheriff Boyd and Tess busy. A fun, fast read.
LINK to my full review

The Last Chance Library – Freya Sampson – 3***
This was just lovely. June’s growth throughout the book is wonderful to see. I also like how initial impressions of people are sometimes proven quite wrong, and how the various relationships / friendships developed. The cast of supporting characters give a sense of community to the novel. It was a charming diversion from everyday life – perfect for when you want a cozy read with a happy ending.
LINK to my full review

I finished my book called The Boardwalk Bookshop by Susan Mallery

Gaudy Night – Dorothy L Sayers – 2.5**
Book # 10 in the Lord Peter Wimsey series focuses not on Peter, but on Harriet Vane. She is attending an event as an alumnae of Shrewsbury College at Oxford, but what promised to be a pleasant, if awkward, homecoming, turns decidedly ominous with a series of destructive “pranks” and malicious, vile graffiti. Harriet does her best, but has to call in Lord Peter to solve the case. I found it slow-moving and dull.
LINK to my full review

Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson – 3.5***
A classic coming-of-age adventure tale set in the 18th century. Shiver me timbers, but this was good! There are intrigues, dangers, plots, mutinies, battles, and double-crosses galore to keep the reader engaged and turning pages. And if danger isn’t enough, there are the added lures of the tropics and of treasure. If the story line is somewhat farfetched, well, who cares. It’s fun and exciting.
LINK to my full review

I finished my book called Angels Watching Over Me by Lurlene McDaniel

Desert Star by Michael Connelly

I finished my book called When Dad Killed Mom by Julius Lester

I finished my book called The House on the Beach by Linda Barrett

The Narrowboat Summer – Anne Youngson – 4****
This was a charming coming-of-middle-age book. As Eve and Sally help out Anastasia by taking the boat through a series of canals and locks to dry dock for servicing, they get know one another and, more importantly, themselves. I’m not sure this would be the life for me, but I sure enjoyed spending some time with them, and imaging myself lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of waves, or feeling the sun on my skin as we gently moved through the canals.
LINK to my full review

The Dog Who Came In From the Cold – Alexander McCall Smith – 3***
Book Two in the Corduroy Mansions series, starring Pimlico terrier Freddie de la Hay. I love these ensemble works that Alexander McCall Smith writes, where we get to the residents of a building or neighborhood over time.
LINK to my full review

You’re Not You – Michelle Wildgen – 4****
This was at times very difficult to read. I could see Bec identifying more and more with Kate, and Kate relying on Bec as one would a best friend rather than an employed helper. And yet, Kate, kept a certain distance, because only she could, after all, truly experience the debilitating and ultimately terminal condition that is ALS. It’s a great debut, and I’d be interested in reading more of her works.
LINK to my full review

I finished my book called Hooked on You by Kathleen Fuller

Harlem Shuffle – Colson Whitehead – 4****
Whitehead is a talented writer and I love the characters he creates. I was invested in Ray and Elizabeth. I worried for his safety several times, especially in the last third of the book. I could feel his fear and anxiety when things went wrong. I may not have agreed with all of Ray’s decisions, but I certainly came to understand why he acted as he did. He had his own code and he stuck to it. The novel spans five years, from 1959 to 1964, and Harlem is practically a character. Whitehead’s descriptions completely transported me to that time and place.
LINK to my full review