November 2021

    A Play for the End of the World by Jai Chakrabarti

    I’ve always loved stories that remind us of the way that art can change lives, especially things like the tales of prisoners banding together to create music, art, etc.  I was pleased to receive a copy of A Play for The End of The World by Jai Chakrabarti from Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and NetGalley …

    Please Scream Inside Your Heart by Dave Pell

    Dave Pell’s “Please Scream Inside Your Heart: Breaking News and Nervous Breakdowns in the Year That Wouldn’t End” is a kind of time capsule of the year 2020, month by month, by the man who calls himself the managing editor of the internet. Pell’s newsletter, NextDraft, is apparently well-known, but I admit I went into …

    Nothing To Lose by J.A. Jance

    I’ve generally enjoyed J.A. Jance’s mysteries, although I have always preferred the series featuring J.P. Beaumont (Seattle-based detective) to those with Joanna Brady or Ali Reynolds (which kind of surprises me, given my usual preference for well-written female protagonists). Possibly it’s the fully developed, well-rounded though flawed character of recovered alcoholic Beau and my relating …

    How To Win The Bachelor by Chad Kultgen and Lizzy Pace

    Another librarian’s review summed this one up perfectly: “Horrifyingly thorough!” This book was written by two “superfans” who watched every season of the Bachelor — so we dont have to! Despite the subtitle referencing the “secret to finding love and fame on America’s favorite reality. show.” they really don’t focus all that much on finding …

    Cryptocurrency for Beginners by Terry Borner

    Wikipedia defines cryptocurrency this way: “A cryptocurrency, crypto-currency, or crypto is a collection of binary data which is designed to work as a medium of exchange.” Um, OK. But it’s never made sense to me. If I have a Bitcoin, or some Bitcoin, what do I actually HAVE? And how can I “spend” it? And in …

    Good Enough by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie

    Back when  I had just received a cancer diagnosis, I found Kate Bowler’s book Everything Happens For A Reason to be entertaining, inspiring, comforting– all the things you want from a book at a time like that! Recently, I read her follow-up book, No Cure For Being Human, in which she addressed the fact that …

    Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout

    Apparently I am in the minority, at least among my friends (both IRL and online) — I haven’t read either of Elizabeth Srout’s books featuring Lucy Barton: 2016’s My Name Is Lucy Barton or 2018’s Anything Is Possible. So when I began her eighth book, Oh William!, I lacked any familiarity with Lucy, a plainspoken …

    The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

    As a child, I took ballet for several years. I am pretty sure my parents were trying to find some way to make me graceful…oh well. I do enjoy stories and films about ballet and ballerinas, and love watching dancers perform well. In any case, the premise of Rachel Kapelke-Dale’s The Ballerinas sounded like just …

    The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain

    If asked whether I was a fan of Diane Chamberlain’s books, my instant response would be yes…thinking of Necessary Lies, the first book our neighborhood read together. Looking back, I realize I have found her inconsistent (The Dream Daughter was only 2 stars, but I’m not much of a fan of time travel stories). But …

    No Cure For Being Human by Kate Bowler

    In 2018 (coincidentally, the year I received an unfortunate medical diagnosis), I happened to read Kate Bowler’s Everything Happens For A Reason (And Other Lies I’ve Loved). It hit me at just the right time, as her ability to describe the experience of battling cancer helped me face my own journey. Described as a “Christian …

    The Final Case by David Guterson

    I was REALLY looking forward to reading The Last Case by David Guterson, mostly because I loved Snow Falling on Cedars. Thanks to Knopf Dougleday and NetGalley, I received a copy in exchange for this honest review…and I REALLY wanted to love it. The story sounded like it was perfect for a well-written book by …

    Miss Me With That by Rachel Lindsay

    OK, I admit it:over the years, I have enjoyed watching and discussing episodes of both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette with my sister. Rachel Lindsay appeared on both shows, first as a candidate for perennial character Nick Viall (what is up with him returning over and over?) and subsequently as the first Black Bachelorette, where …

    The Left-Handed Twin by Thomas Perry

    True confession time: I was happy to receive The Left-Handed Twin, Thomas Perry’s latest effort in the Jane Whitefield series (thanks to Mysterious Press and NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review, and even happier to give it to my husband to read first. Like Jane, he was raised in Western New York State and …

    The Good Son by Jacquelyn Mitchard

    I haven’t read many of Jacquelyn Mitchard’s novels (although I recall Deep End of the Ocean — I looked it up and it was 1997, which shocked me!), but I am happy that I received a copy of The Good Son from Harlequin Trade Publishing/MIRA and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.  This story …