This is a book that nearly everyone I know needs…or at least that was the case in the months leading up to our recent election. Written by psychologist Tania Israel, Beyond Your Bubble is designed to teach skills to facilitate constructive dialogue, particularly with those whose views differ from your own. Skills include effective listening, …
Thomas Perry has been writing for years, but keeps being discovered by new fans. Although his latest, Eddie’s Boy, is fine as a standalone, it is part of the “Butcher’s Boy” series, and The Informant, the most recent in that series, is referenced throughout, so it might be best to at least read that one …
Over the past three years, I have read and enjoyed Lisa Jewell’s books I Found You (2017), Watching You (2018), and The Family Upstairs (2019), so I was happy to receive a copy of this year’s Invisible Girl from Atria Books and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. In a slow spot in my …
I’m a big fan of psychological thrillers, and Alex Finlay’s Every Last Fear sounded like exactly what I was looking for to take my mind off the pandemic, election, etc. From the opening line (“The bodies were found on Tuesday”), I was hooked. The story is told from multiple points of view and it jumps …
In 2017, I read and reviewed Rather Be The Devil, which was number 21 in the John Rebus series. In that one, Rebus was newly retired, trying to wean himself away from detecting…but of course, stuff happens and he steps in to investigate. In A Song For The Dark Times, #23in the Rebus series, he …
I’ve enjoyed Lisa Unger books in the past, and was in the mood for a solid DAY of escape from pandemic and election frenzy. Confessions of the 7:45 is perfect for that, and I am grateful to Harlequin/Park Row and NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for this honest review. Selena Murphy is on …
John Banville, called “the Irish Master” by The New Yorker, has apparently written over a dozen novels, none of which I had read (or could remember reading), so when Hanover Square/Harlequin and NetGalley provided a copy of Snow (in exchange for my honest review), I confess it sat in my TBR pile for awhile. With …
The premise of Rumaan Alam’s Leave The World Behind was intriguing: Amanda and Clay take their teenage children on a week-long getaway from their home in NewYork City to a luxury vacation rental (think top-of-the-line AirBnB) and find their peace and quiet abruptly ended by the arrival of a frantic older African-American couple (Ruth and …
As a sucker for true crime and someone who has read a TON of books in this genre, M. William Phelps is one of the authors whose books are always on my TBR list, and one whose books generally are well written. Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley, I received a copy of his latest, …
Ever since I read The Dry, I’ve been a big fan of Jane Harper. Haven’t been able to decide which of her novels has been my favorite, but with The Survivors, there is definitely another contender for that title! The narrator of The Survivors is a young man named Kieran Elliott. He and his girlfriend …
This book sat on my TBR shelf for awhile because I am a celebrity book club snob. For some reason, I had it in my head that Reese Witherspoon’s book club would have a list of titles that were all fluffy stories. Finally, I ran out of things to read and started this one. TBH, …
NOTE: Some of the content of this review appeared in my review of Unacceptable by Melissa Korn and Jennifer Levitz, published and reviewed July 2020. Both books cover the “Varsity Blues” college admissions scandal. Prior to reading these books, my knowledge on the subject was pretty much limited to what I had seen in People …
Not long ago, I read Dave Cullen’s fabulous Parkland and it reinforced not only my horror about school shootings but my complete lack of understanding about the shooters. And although on one level I know they are not all the same, in my brain they all seem to coalesce into a group of people wo …
I’ve read some of Mr. Meltzer’s fiction (although I couldn’t name you a single title) and I am sort of a sucker for conspiracy theories, so I was happy to receive a copy of The Ten Greatest Conspiracies of All Time from Workman Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Some of the …
I’m generally a big Michael Connelly fan, with the newer series featuring Renee Ballard (sometimes partnered with Harry Bosch) probably being my favorite, but I’m also a Lincoln Lawyer fan (which I read with an image of Matthew McConaghey etched in my brain). So I was especially happy to get an ARC of The Law …
In 2010, Grisham’s book A Time To Kill introduced attorney Jake Brigance, later made into a pretty good movie with Matthew McConaughey perfectly cast as Jake. Then in 2013, Jake returned in Sycamore Row, where Jake once again worked his magic in the courtroom. Now, we have the third installment in the JB series, and …
I see a lot of one-star reviews — clearly from cult members who are angry at the author for tarnishing the reputation of the First Lady. Also lots of multi-star reviews, seemingly from people who appreciate a fairly well-written and very detailed story of how SWW was thrown under the bus (or the train, as …
I am of the generation raised when being patriotic was the default: we dutifully recited the Pledge every school day, stood at parades when the flag went by, etc.etc. We were taught that the U.S. was unquestioningly on the “right side” in every conflict, and that we were against tyranny, and definitely always pro-freedom and …
My niece lives in Australia and I periodically make an effort to learn something — anything! — about her new homeland. I confess I am woefully ignorant about Australia’s history (as well as the present situation there, other than the big backstory about it being a destination to which prisoners were sent and a few …
I love Michael Robotham! In 2015, I read The Night Ferry, then in 2016 I was KNOCKED OUT by Close Your Eyes! 2017’s The Secrets She Keeps was not quite as terrific (for me) as the other two, so maybe that is how I missed 2019’s Good Girl, Bad Girl. It was the first in …