I really wanted to love this book. I kept trying not to let my negative feelings about the war get in the way…alas, it was not to be. The women who served as CSTs (Cultural Support Team members) in Afghanistan are amazing. I admire their courage, ability, and willingness to serve. But the whole idea …
I love true crime, especially when it reads like fiction. I wasn’t familiar with the event described in Dead In The Water by Matthew Campbell and Kit Chellel, but the subtitle grabbed me: A True Story pf Hijacking, Murder, and a Global Maritime Conspiracy. I didn’t realize how totally ignorant I was about international shipping, …
When I got this book, I knew it was a police procedural/political thriller, but I didn’t realize it had been published in 1982, a full forty (gasp!) years ago. So I had a “hmmm” moment before I started to read. I wasn’t sure a story about a female police officer in Washington, D.C. in the …
TBH, I’d never hear of Chad Zunker before reading Family Money (which I received from Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review). He has written a series featuring Sam Callahan and the David Adams legal thriller An Equal Justice, but somehow he was new to me. In Family Money, a man …
I’m positive I have read other books by Sara Paretsky that featured “plucky heroine” V.I. Warshawski, Chicago PI – but I couldn’t name one or recall a plot – just went into this one expecting a well-written story to take my mind off the pandemic, crime, corruption, etc. And Overboard is definitely well-written, as expected. …
I am fortunate to live in an area where we can grow food outdoors year-round…but for those in locations where there is actual winter, or those who just like the idea of growing food indoors,How to Garden Indoors & Grow Your Own Food Year Round by Kim Roman is a great book. There are four …
In 2016, Ruth Ware’s The Woman in Cabin 10 was a big hit, and I was among those who enjoyed it – a LOT. 2019’s Turn of the Key was a 3-star “meh” for me, then 2020’s One By One was a solid 4 stars. So I was eager to see whether her latest, The …
Several years ago, I became a big fan of Jason Kander, mostly as a result of hearing him interviewed and later by listening to his podcast Majority54. I was not his only fan: in President Obama’s last interview as President, Jason’s was the first name he gave when asked who gave him hope for the …
Nearly five years ago, I read and reviewed Shadow Man by Alan Drew, and I said it was “the best kind of novel: one that truly entertains the reader while making us THINK. Ben Wade is a great character, and I hope Shadow Man is the first in a series.” Then my (long) wait began, …
Last year, when I read and reviewed Chris Bohjalian’s Hour of The Witch, I wrote “I admit it: I have been a big fan of Chris Bohjalian, ever since I read Midwives several years ago. I consider Mr. Bohjalian one of the most reliable authors I read regularly, and I always look forward to his …
Christopher Reich worked at a Swiss bank for three years, which might be part of the reason why I originally thought his “insider info” would make for some really great storylines. But looking back, I only gave 3 stars to 2016’s Rules of Deception (#1 in the Ransom series) and also to 2018’s The Take …
I’ve been a fan of JohnSandford’s books for many years, and have generally enjoyed the Lucas Davenport books more than the Virgil Flowers ones…in fact, the last two Flowers books I have read, Holy Ghost and Bloody Genius, have been serious disappointments for me. So I was happy to see that the focus for Sandford’s …
OK, I admit it – the title Good Sh*t grabbed me. I have vivid memories of ““bathroom issues” going back MANY decades (missing the school bus to kindergarten because I was stuck in the bathroom, for example). And it seems that after retirement age, people’s lives way too often revolve around pooping – particularly in …
Jumping Sharks and Dropping Mics – what a great title! Gareth Carrol is a senior lecturer and researcher at the University of Birmingham in England, and has long been fascinated by idioms – what they are, where they came from, what they mean. Thanks to John Hunt Publishing and NetGalley I received a copy of …
I enjoyed Lucy Foley’s book The Guest List, so I was looking forward to reading The Paris Apartment. Thanks to William Morrow/Custom House and NetGalley I received a copy in exchange for this honest review. So…I didn’t finish it. I may have missed something terrific, but TBH I didn’t care about any of the characters, …
John Glatt is one of my favorite authors in my guilty secret genre of true crime. His book The Perfect Father (the horrifying story of Chris Watts, who murdered his wife and two little girls), published in 2020, got five stars from me and Golden Boy (the story of member of the Manhattan elite Tommy …
Harlan Coben’s book The Boy From the Woods introduced readers to Wilde, who was basically a feral child living on his own in the woods when he was “found” as a young child. Other characters included Hester Crimstein, her daughter-in-law Laila (Wilde’s on-and-off lover) and Laila’s son Matthew, whose father David was Wilde’s best friend …
Austin Rogers, a former contestant on Jeopardy, has compiled a ginormous mass of facts, organized them into themed rounds, sorted by difficulty. The focus is on pop culture and history from the 1980s to the present. Also included are geography, sports, music, flags – something for almost everyone! Great choice for trivia buffs or anyone …
Megan Rapinoe became REALLY famous as a soccer player. She then found herself the focus of tons of opinions, pro and con, when she stood up for Colin Kaepernick. They have a lot in common, being true social justice warriors. In One Life, Megan tells her story from childhood to the present day. There is …
Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier is a highly anticipated book, and it sounded like it was just my type of thing: a woman in danger, in a psychological thriller, the kind of book that you just CANNOT. PUT. DOWN. You know, pandemic escapism at its best. The story revolves around a couple, Lyla …