Littoral Librarian

    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 …

    Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight by Janet Evanovich

    I have been reading and enjoying Stephanie Plum’s adventures as a bond enforcement agent (bounty hunter?) for twenty-five+ years (gasp!), ever since One For The Money. And everytime a new one comes out, it makes me happy to know I’m in for hours of entertainment. Seriously, I can’t think of any that let me down…so …

    Or Else by Joe Hart

    I’m fairly sure I hadn’t previously read anything by Joe Hart, but I was happy to get a copy of Or Else (thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.  When they were kids, Andy Drake was friends with a girl named Rachel. As time went on, Rachel got into …

    The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

    Last month I read and reviewed Lauren Groff’s new book…the one by the author everyone RAVED about last year? The one so many people are raving about THIS year? And, admittedly, I felt like a loner because I JUST. DID. NOT. CARE. (That’s a feeling I don’t have that often, and when I do it …

    The Heron’s Cry by Ann Cleeves

    Until this week, I had not read anything by Ann Cleeves. When I received The Heron’s Cry in audiobook format and realized it was the SECOND in the Two Rivers Series (#1 was The Long Call), I went back and read the print version of the first book in order to be familiar with the …

    The Long Call by Ann Cleeves

    As an avid mystery fan, I’m not sure why I had never read anything by Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland and Vera series (neither of which I ever got into). But  then I received a review copy of her 2021 book The Heron’s Cry from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley in exchange for my …

    A Thousand Steps by T. Jefferson Parker

    When I first read T. Jefferson Parker’s Laguna Heat back in 1985, I had recently moved to Santa Cruz and was ecstatic to be living in a small beach town again — because I grew up in South Orange County (specifically in and around Laguna Beach) and graduated high school in 1965. So I know …

    Something To Hide by Elizabeth George

    When asked the name of my favorite author, the name Elizabeth George is what first comes to mind. As I said in 2018, reviewing The Punishment She Deserves (5 stars), “I LOVE Elizabeth George, and have been reading the Inspector Lynley novels (or, as I prefer to call them, the Lynley-Havers novels) since the mid-1990s …

    When You Are Mine by Michael Robotham

    I have read close to a dozen books by Michael Robotham, and have enjoyed many of them (particularly the Joseph O’Loughlin series), so I was happy to receive a copy of When You Are Mine from Scribner and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  The female protagonist in this psychological thriller is an officer …

    The Judge’s List by John Grisham

    If asked whether I was a fan of John Grisham, my best answer would be “sometimes.” I have loved some of his stuff (esp earlier books), but some have been “meh.” Last year’s A Time for Mercy, #3 in the Jake Brigance series, was a big disappointment for me (three stars — I’m an easy …

    Matrix by Lauren Groff

    I’m fairly certain that my desire to read Matrix, Lauren Groff’s new novel, was primarily motivated by FOMO — I felt like I was the only person I know who hadn’t read and loved Fates and Furies. So, thanks to Penguin Group Riverhead and NetGalley, I was ready to go with a copy in exchange …

    Never by Ken Follett

    I have enjoyed many of Ken Follett’s books (admittedly. Some  WAY more than others), so I was excited to dive into Never, his new novel set in the present (possibly future?) time. My husband seemed a bit disappointed that it isn’t historical fiction, so I am curious to get his reaction…but in any case I …

    Resistance by Jennifer Rubin

    Jennifer Rubin is best known today as a columnist for the Washington Post and a political commentator on TV. In the past, she was a labor and employment attorney and well-known conservative essayist. Yes, conservative! She was solidly in the conservative camp right up until DJT became President — and she was NOT a fan! …

    Last Girl Ghosted by Lisa Unger

    Lisa Unger has another solid thriller out, with Last Girl Ghosted following Confessions on the 7:45 onto the list of woman-in-danger thrillers. I’m not the intended demographic, being totally not interested in dating apps, quickie hookups, or advice bloggers, but I was quickly taken in by the story. (TBH I did find myself getting annoyed …

    Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

    Liane Moriarity is sort of a hot commodity these days, following the success of several books and subsequent TV versions of Big Little Lies (a friend called it “real estate porn”) and Nine Perfect Strangers. So I couldn’t pass up the chance to read a copy of Apples Never Fall from Henry Holt and NetGalley …

    Why They Stay by Anne Michaud

    I admit it, I’m somewhat fascinated by the weirdly dramatic episodes that have played out in “political marriages” over the past thirty years or so. When I was growing up, we had Presidents who were philanderers (the Kennedys) and criminals (Nixon). But there wasn’t a 24-hour news dump with details about the sex lives, scandals, …

    The Afghanistan Papers by Craig Whitlock

    In a master stroke of timing, Craig Whitlock (Washington Post reporter, winner of three Pulitzers)  has a new book about the war released as the last U.S. troops depart Kabul. My view of the war was that it was a quagmire, and we should have left years ago…and OMG reading The Afghanistan Papers made me …