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A Magic Library Mystery #1
Tomes and Terriers
Remembrance, Oregon, has a secret. Actually, it has everybody’s secrets. In a hidden library on Rosemary Street, the memories of all the town's citizens are recorded on the pages of magical books.
Every happiness. Every lie. Every crime.
Allison Rye’s husband lost his memory overnight. They went to bed married and woke up strangers—twenty-five years of marriage gone, poof. He can’t remember her name, let alone the home they’ve shared for decades.
Forced to sell the family bakery to pay for his care, Allison is left broke, unemployed, with no hope of recovering her old life. What choice does she have but to move in with her daughter in Portland?
But when a resident at her husband’s care facility is murdered—and a sweet old lady is blamed—Allison finds herself drawn into the investigation. She knows something that police don’t…something she can’t reveal without becoming a murder suspect herself.
With her intrepid foster dog, a Yorkshire terrier named Pogo, Allison sets out to prove that more than one person in Remembrance had it out for the victim. Too bad she only has a few days to dig up the evidence before she has to leave town.
Hope comes in the form of a friend who offers Allison a place to live for free, with just one little catch. Allison must become the sworn guardian of library of memories.
Reading the memory books is the perfect way for Allison to learn who committed murder at Golden Gardens Memory Care. But as she uncovers the true story of what happened that night, she learns other truths that make her question everything she knows about her own life.
First in the Magic Library series, Tomes & Terriers is a bittersweet magical realism mystery that will change the way you think about memory and magic, fidelity and friendship.
Every happiness. Every lie. Every crime.
Allison Rye’s husband lost his memory overnight. They went to bed married and woke up strangers—twenty-five years of marriage gone, poof. He can’t remember her name, let alone the home they’ve shared for decades.
Forced to sell the family bakery to pay for his care, Allison is left broke, unemployed, with no hope of recovering her old life. What choice does she have but to move in with her daughter in Portland?
But when a resident at her husband’s care facility is murdered—and a sweet old lady is blamed—Allison finds herself drawn into the investigation. She knows something that police don’t…something she can’t reveal without becoming a murder suspect herself.
With her intrepid foster dog, a Yorkshire terrier named Pogo, Allison sets out to prove that more than one person in Remembrance had it out for the victim. Too bad she only has a few days to dig up the evidence before she has to leave town.
Hope comes in the form of a friend who offers Allison a place to live for free, with just one little catch. Allison must become the sworn guardian of library of memories.
Reading the memory books is the perfect way for Allison to learn who committed murder at Golden Gardens Memory Care. But as she uncovers the true story of what happened that night, she learns other truths that make her question everything she knows about her own life.
First in the Magic Library series, Tomes & Terriers is a bittersweet magical realism mystery that will change the way you think about memory and magic, fidelity and friendship.
247 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 20, 2020
183 people are currently reading
217 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
June 1, 2020
I was intrigued by the premise of this story; however, once the protagonist became the keeper of the books, it became somewhat confusing to me, plus I just didn’t like how the memories were being revealed. I did enjoy the story between the protagonist and her husband. I admired her for never giving up on his memories returning. The Yorkie was precious!
September 14, 2020
A very new and interesting plot.
Sometimes cozy mysteries seem formulaic, but Tomes and Terriers has new and exciting twists. The main character is sympathetic and relatable, but not a wimp, not a witch, not an orphan, not a widow, not a divorcee---see, different!
I also love the diverse supporting characters--they seem like neighbors now that I've read the second book. This series just gets better and better. I cannot wait to read the third book!
Sometimes cozy mysteries seem formulaic, but Tomes and Terriers has new and exciting twists. The main character is sympathetic and relatable, but not a wimp, not a witch, not an orphan, not a widow, not a divorcee---see, different!
I also love the diverse supporting characters--they seem like neighbors now that I've read the second book. This series just gets better and better. I cannot wait to read the third book!
April 26, 2021
2 1/2 stars
This book has an interesting storyline, but the author took way too long to develop the story. In my mind, the story didn't start to come together until the last 25% of the book.
Allison Rye the local bakery with her husband, Paul, who is now in a memory care facility. Allison has sold the bakery and the car to pay for Paul's care. As part of the local foster dog program, Allison visits Paul every day along with Pogo, her little foster dog. Pogo is a Yorkie who Allison hopes will help restore Paul's memory since they had a little Yorkie early in their marriage.
Now that the bakery has been sold, Allison needs a new place to stay. Mayra, the memory care facility administrator, offers her the chance to take over the "magic library,' which is housed inside a small home. In exchange for maintaining the library, Allison can live there with Pogo. Mayra, the current guardian of the library, tells Allison that she can only stay for three years. If she agrees to become the new guardian, she must immediately tear out and burn the pages relating to Mayra's term of guardianship. When Allison passes on responsibility of the library to the next "guardian," they must do the same.
Mystified by these odd instructions, Allison realizes the library contains all the memories of the town's current residents. As the residents die, their memories are removed from the books. She's frustrated by her husband's inability to remember. He sits quietly, repetitively stroking the wood table beside him. When Allison realizes he's mimicking the actions of making bread, she quickly dives into her duties hoping she will find memories that will help her husband.
As I said, it's an interesting story but is drawn out. I almost abandoned the book, but continued because I wanted to see how it ends. Not sure if I'll read the second book...
This book has an interesting storyline, but the author took way too long to develop the story. In my mind, the story didn't start to come together until the last 25% of the book.
Allison Rye the local bakery with her husband, Paul, who is now in a memory care facility. Allison has sold the bakery and the car to pay for Paul's care. As part of the local foster dog program, Allison visits Paul every day along with Pogo, her little foster dog. Pogo is a Yorkie who Allison hopes will help restore Paul's memory since they had a little Yorkie early in their marriage.
Now that the bakery has been sold, Allison needs a new place to stay. Mayra, the memory care facility administrator, offers her the chance to take over the "magic library,' which is housed inside a small home. In exchange for maintaining the library, Allison can live there with Pogo. Mayra, the current guardian of the library, tells Allison that she can only stay for three years. If she agrees to become the new guardian, she must immediately tear out and burn the pages relating to Mayra's term of guardianship. When Allison passes on responsibility of the library to the next "guardian," they must do the same.
Mystified by these odd instructions, Allison realizes the library contains all the memories of the town's current residents. As the residents die, their memories are removed from the books. She's frustrated by her husband's inability to remember. He sits quietly, repetitively stroking the wood table beside him. When Allison realizes he's mimicking the actions of making bread, she quickly dives into her duties hoping she will find memories that will help her husband.
As I said, it's an interesting story but is drawn out. I almost abandoned the book, but continued because I wanted to see how it ends. Not sure if I'll read the second book...
April 30, 2022
“That’s what’s in there. That’s why you can’t have guests or roommates if you become the guardian of the books. The number one responsibility of the guardian is keeping the library a secret. You can’t tell anyone. Not one person.”
August 16, 2022
Tomes and Terriers by Hillary Avis is the first in the "Magic Library" mystery series. Main character is Allison Rye, whose once perfect life has imploded around her.
Allison was living the dream. Married to the love of her life, Paul, and owning a bakery while watching their daughter Emily grow up has been ideal. Unfortunately, Allison's perfect life came crashing down when Paul mysteriously lost his memories overnight. Now he's in a memory-care facility, and Allison has been forced to sell the bakery to pay for his care. Emily is in med school in Portland, and Allison may have to go live with her daughter. When visiting Paul one day, the answer to her prayers lands in her lap when one of the employees says that Allison can take over the small house she's been living in...with one catch. The house is a library of sorts, and the books there contain the memories of every resident of Remembrance, Oregon. Allison would become the guardian of the library, but she can never divulge its secrets. Allison takes up the mantle, pleased that her new house is only blocks from the facility where Paul lives. She begins taking her foster dog, a Yorkie named Pogo, to visit Paul, in hopes it will jog his memory of their own Yorkie. After one such outing, when Allison was visiting some other residents, one of them ends up dead--murdered with a pair of knitting needles. The woman's elderly roommate is tabbed as the primary suspect, but when Allison searches through the books in the library, she discovers that Lillian didn't do it. Now she'll have to convince the police without revealing the secret of the library.
I am really really torn about this book. I didn't exactly like it, per se, but I couldn't quit thinking about it. I found it difficult to relate to Allison, and the mystery of Gertrude's death seemed to take a backseat to the mystery of Paul's memory loss. I've read other 'magical library' stories, but the premise of this one was wholly unique. Now, on to the multitude of things that bugged me...Spoilers!!!
- As soon as Gertrude was murdered, I was like, 'Allison can look through the books to see who killed her!'. It took Allison 2 or 3 days to think of it.
- When I learned that Allison was supposed to rip out the pages of the most recent guardian in the Guardians book and burn them so the other woman forgot about the library, I realized that someone must have tampered with Paul's memories in the same fashion. It took Allison forever to figure that one out, too.
- What really stuck in my craw, though, was the simple fact that someone's memories could be completely erased by tearing them out of whichever books they were recorded in. That made no sense. Just because the record of the memory is gone, why then is the actual memory gone? If that house burned down, does that mean that everyone in Remembrance will lose their memories?
- Also not making sense is the fact that Paul couldn't seem to form new memories. If 25 years of his life were obliterated, why could he not/did he not begin making new memories from that point forward? Each time Allison visited him, it was like he was meeting a stranger for the first time. Why would he not remember her from one visit to the next?
- SPOILER: At the end of the story, we find out who tampered with Paul's memories. It was a former guardian. If she did the deed in her capacity as a guardian, why then would her memories of what she'd done not have been erased when the guardian after her ripped out her pages and burned them? Instead, we see her smirking at Allison.
- Finally, if I were Allison, I'd go back to the library and methodically destroy each and every memory that bitch forged while she lived in Remembrance.
I'm at a loss as to how to rate this. As mentioned, I didn't particularly like the story, but again, it consumed my thoughts at odd times, which is the hallmark of good writing, whether or not we enjoy the book. Would I read another in the series? Probably not. I considered awarding this two stars; however, based on my obsessive preoccupation with it, I'm bumping it all the way up to a four.
Allison was living the dream. Married to the love of her life, Paul, and owning a bakery while watching their daughter Emily grow up has been ideal. Unfortunately, Allison's perfect life came crashing down when Paul mysteriously lost his memories overnight. Now he's in a memory-care facility, and Allison has been forced to sell the bakery to pay for his care. Emily is in med school in Portland, and Allison may have to go live with her daughter. When visiting Paul one day, the answer to her prayers lands in her lap when one of the employees says that Allison can take over the small house she's been living in...with one catch. The house is a library of sorts, and the books there contain the memories of every resident of Remembrance, Oregon. Allison would become the guardian of the library, but she can never divulge its secrets. Allison takes up the mantle, pleased that her new house is only blocks from the facility where Paul lives. She begins taking her foster dog, a Yorkie named Pogo, to visit Paul, in hopes it will jog his memory of their own Yorkie. After one such outing, when Allison was visiting some other residents, one of them ends up dead--murdered with a pair of knitting needles. The woman's elderly roommate is tabbed as the primary suspect, but when Allison searches through the books in the library, she discovers that Lillian didn't do it. Now she'll have to convince the police without revealing the secret of the library.
I am really really torn about this book. I didn't exactly like it, per se, but I couldn't quit thinking about it. I found it difficult to relate to Allison, and the mystery of Gertrude's death seemed to take a backseat to the mystery of Paul's memory loss. I've read other 'magical library' stories, but the premise of this one was wholly unique. Now, on to the multitude of things that bugged me...Spoilers!!!
- As soon as Gertrude was murdered, I was like, 'Allison can look through the books to see who killed her!'. It took Allison 2 or 3 days to think of it.
- When I learned that Allison was supposed to rip out the pages of the most recent guardian in the Guardians book and burn them so the other woman forgot about the library, I realized that someone must have tampered with Paul's memories in the same fashion. It took Allison forever to figure that one out, too.
- What really stuck in my craw, though, was the simple fact that someone's memories could be completely erased by tearing them out of whichever books they were recorded in. That made no sense. Just because the record of the memory is gone, why then is the actual memory gone? If that house burned down, does that mean that everyone in Remembrance will lose their memories?
- Also not making sense is the fact that Paul couldn't seem to form new memories. If 25 years of his life were obliterated, why could he not/did he not begin making new memories from that point forward? Each time Allison visited him, it was like he was meeting a stranger for the first time. Why would he not remember her from one visit to the next?
- SPOILER: At the end of the story, we find out who tampered with Paul's memories. It was a former guardian. If she did the deed in her capacity as a guardian, why then would her memories of what she'd done not have been erased when the guardian after her ripped out her pages and burned them? Instead, we see her smirking at Allison.
- Finally, if I were Allison, I'd go back to the library and methodically destroy each and every memory that bitch forged while she lived in Remembrance.
I'm at a loss as to how to rate this. As mentioned, I didn't particularly like the story, but again, it consumed my thoughts at odd times, which is the hallmark of good writing, whether or not we enjoy the book. Would I read another in the series? Probably not. I considered awarding this two stars; however, based on my obsessive preoccupation with it, I'm bumping it all the way up to a four.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2020
Allison Rye and her husband owned a wonderful bakery in the small town of Remembrance until the day when her husband goes out for a walk and is found and brought back home by a friend. But something happened that couldn't be explained. He returned not remembering anything - not his wife, bakery, daughter or anything else in his life. So Allison has put him in a nursing home while trying to make a go of the bakery herself to pay the bills. This book has some wonderful crazy characters that will make you laugh. While trying to get her husband to remember the past and his life, Hope the head nurse at the facility takes Allison under her wing in trying to keep her calm and just take small steps. When Allison has to sell the bakery and plans to move up north near her daughter, she is loathe to do so. Without a choice, she has her daughter giver her some time to work with her father. Without a job and a place to live, Hope tells her she can live free in the house she is moving out of as long as she protects the hidden library that holds some pretty strange things about all the residents of the town and she has 3 years to be the caretaker. So now she has her daughter give her 3 years and this way she can continue to work with her husband while she is fostering a yorkie puppy who her husband seems to relate to. I can go on, but you must read this first book in an incredibly promising series. I can't wait to see what happens next! I received and ARC from the author but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.
June 1, 2020
Allison Rye had what she thought was the perfect life. The Ryes & Shine Bakery that had been in her husband, Paul's, family for generations, a loving husband, a beautiful daughter who was studying to be a doctor ..... until one day she wakes up and Paul is missing. Sheriff Leroy Gauss finds him and returns him to the bakery. Paul has forgotten everything -- his wife, his daughter, the bakery -- Allison tried to make it work but she was forced she had to put Paul in Golden Gardens Memory Care. She had to sell the bakery and now had no where to go. When her friend, Myra Mitchell, the head nurse at Golden Gardens, offered to let her live in the "memory housne" on Rosemary Street, rent free. All she had to do was keep all of the secrets, not allow anyone to visit inside the house and find someone to take her place in three years. Little did Allison know that the house contained the memory of everyone in Remembrance. When Gertrude Winter is found dead at Golden Gardens and her roommate, Lillian Hale, is accused of her murder, Allison becomes involved in trying to prove her innocence.
This first book in this series has it all ..... great characters, dogs, some humor, some true life experiences, magic and mystery. I think Hillary Avis is off to a great start in this unique series. I received an ARC of this book. This is my honest review.
This first book in this series has it all ..... great characters, dogs, some humor, some true life experiences, magic and mystery. I think Hillary Avis is off to a great start in this unique series. I received an ARC of this book. This is my honest review.
May 28, 2020
Tomes and Terriers starts a new series for Hillary Avis and I’m already hooked. Allison’s husband, Paul, suffered a sudden loss of memory and is currently a resident of Golden Gardens, a senior care facility. Paul remembers nothing of their marriage or their daughter. When Allison is forced to sell their bakery, she is in desperate need of housing so that she can stay close to Paul and hopefully help him regain his memory. Her friend, Myra, suggests that she take over the lease on her small home. When Allison discovers the secret library within, she is intrigued and agrees to assume responsibility for the three year term. She hopes to find Paul’s missing memories and embarks on a thorough search of the rooms, each filled with books in every conceivable space. If she isn’t busy enough, Allison also fosters dogs and searches out forever homes. When a senior resident dies unexpectedly, Allison finds herself caught up in the case and ends up more involved than she ever intended. Once again. Hillary provides interesting and diverse characters, an intriguing mystery and humorous moments. I am loving the library and can’t wait to see what secrets Allison will uncover in future books.
January 3, 2021
I absolutely loved this and devoured it. The magic library idea was what made me want to get it from KU to begin with, but there was so much more. Family, relationships...and a good mystery too. Allison became the guardian of the town's memories contained in tons of books in the house she was given to live in. The former guardian was her friend who was a nurse at her husband's care facility.
The more Allison went through those books, the more she was convinced that Paul's memories didn't just disappear. She thought someone purposely took them from him. During the book, Allison and her friend Myra made friends with the new police officer from Hawaii named Kara. I loved the whole dog fostering and finding Pogo a home idea too. As memories guardian, Allison had to wrestle with her morals and what she knew was right too. One part was particularly sweet, and she knew she made the right choice.
Since this is only a three-book series, I knew this would end with a question, but no worries. I'm going to borrow the next in KU as soon as I'm done with the review. :)
The more Allison went through those books, the more she was convinced that Paul's memories didn't just disappear. She thought someone purposely took them from him. During the book, Allison and her friend Myra made friends with the new police officer from Hawaii named Kara. I loved the whole dog fostering and finding Pogo a home idea too. As memories guardian, Allison had to wrestle with her morals and what she knew was right too. One part was particularly sweet, and she knew she made the right choice.
Since this is only a three-book series, I knew this would end with a question, but no worries. I'm going to borrow the next in KU as soon as I'm done with the review. :)
May 28, 2020
This is a great start to a delightful new series. The characters are well defined and quite likable, although I am reserving judgment on the likability of a character introduced near the end of the book. This story doesn’t slow down and neither does Allison. If she isn’t visiting her husband at the nursing home, she is walking her foster dog and trying to find his forever home, or trying to clear the roommate of the woman who was murdered. And, if she isn’t doing one of those things, she is trying to ferret out her husband’s memories from the books in the library. It is a pleasure to read such a fun book and know that I won’t find any bad language or sex scenes. The plot is clever and well executed. I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozies and who doesn’t mind a wee pinch of magic.
Disclosure: I was given a free ARC and am voluntarily leaving this unbiased review.
Disclosure: I was given a free ARC and am voluntarily leaving this unbiased review.
September 12, 2020
Allison Rye is a foster pet person. She also is the wife of Paul, someone who doesn't remember who she is. She foster's a tiny Yorkie/Terrier that reminds her of the family's pet Tiny and takes the dog to the care home where her husband now lives at. She has just sold the family business, a bakery, and now needs to find a different place to live. She is allowed to live in a small house in Remberance. She is allowed to stay there rent-free for three years then needs to pass it on to someone else...but this house holds special powers that she must keep a secret. Then someone at the care home is dead, the same place her husband lives at. The police think the room-mate killed the woman. But Allison knows differently. How can she let the police know without breaking the terms of her staying in the house? What is so magical about this house? You will need to read the book to find out. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.
April 27, 2021
What a creative idea for a book series!!
Remembrance is a small town in Oregon where the history includes a special remembrance tree with the special ability to record memories. When the tree died, the town made it into paper to store the memories in a magical but hidden library of which Allison is the new librarian. She is fostering a cute terrier named Pogo, and visits the Golden Garden care facility daily to see her husband, Paul, who lost his memory, inexplicably, two years ago. As she tries to help Paul remember her, their daughter and the Ryes and Shine bakery they owned together, she also winds up trying to figure out who may have killed one of the other residents. A fascinating mystery, with a slightly magical vibe and interesting characters! I received an ARC from the author and write this review voluntarily. But I’m anxiously awaiting the next book, Pages and Pyrenees, to continue the story!
Remembrance is a small town in Oregon where the history includes a special remembrance tree with the special ability to record memories. When the tree died, the town made it into paper to store the memories in a magical but hidden library of which Allison is the new librarian. She is fostering a cute terrier named Pogo, and visits the Golden Garden care facility daily to see her husband, Paul, who lost his memory, inexplicably, two years ago. As she tries to help Paul remember her, their daughter and the Ryes and Shine bakery they owned together, she also winds up trying to figure out who may have killed one of the other residents. A fascinating mystery, with a slightly magical vibe and interesting characters! I received an ARC from the author and write this review voluntarily. But I’m anxiously awaiting the next book, Pages and Pyrenees, to continue the story!
May 26, 2020
Magic Library Mystery Book 1
I absolutely adore this Cozy! Here's proof: I read an ARC, but quickly pre-ordered because this story is just so good and I can't wait to continue the series! While reading, I saw an email question "What is your favorite Cozy?" TOMES AND TERRIERS might just be that!
The story [only the first in a new Series!] is suffused with dogs and a magical memory Library and some really wonderful characters, including our middle-aged protagonist, her husband, and the dedicated, heartfelt, nurse at the assisted living home. Of course, not everyone is perfect: there are a couple of grumps, some smartypants, and an eight-year-old con artist. But the combination is heartwarming, the plot is super-intriguing, and the difficulties are almost insurmountable. Can't wait for the Sequel!
I absolutely adore this Cozy! Here's proof: I read an ARC, but quickly pre-ordered because this story is just so good and I can't wait to continue the series! While reading, I saw an email question "What is your favorite Cozy?" TOMES AND TERRIERS might just be that!
The story [only the first in a new Series!] is suffused with dogs and a magical memory Library and some really wonderful characters, including our middle-aged protagonist, her husband, and the dedicated, heartfelt, nurse at the assisted living home. Of course, not everyone is perfect: there are a couple of grumps, some smartypants, and an eight-year-old con artist. But the combination is heartwarming, the plot is super-intriguing, and the difficulties are almost insurmountable. Can't wait for the Sequel!
May 27, 2020
A Magical Library Opens New Doors
This book is the first of a new series. This is not the regular episodic type of series, rather it has one overreaching story arc that continues book to book. Sort of like a soap opera. The story is very good and quite original. There is a major trigger that a potential reader should know; one of the centers of this book is a memory care facility. In fact, our heroine's husband of 25 years has lost all memory of the past 25-30 years and does not know his wife or daughter. That truly brought tears to my eyes. On the upside, our heroine fosters dogs. The story is full of dog rescue, fostering, and adoption. This book features a tough little Yorkie. The main mystery is done well and resolved in an interesting manner. The human characters are quite unique. I love that the author does not go on and on about fashion, food, or crafts.
This book is the first of a new series. This is not the regular episodic type of series, rather it has one overreaching story arc that continues book to book. Sort of like a soap opera. The story is very good and quite original. There is a major trigger that a potential reader should know; one of the centers of this book is a memory care facility. In fact, our heroine's husband of 25 years has lost all memory of the past 25-30 years and does not know his wife or daughter. That truly brought tears to my eyes. On the upside, our heroine fosters dogs. The story is full of dog rescue, fostering, and adoption. This book features a tough little Yorkie. The main mystery is done well and resolved in an interesting manner. The human characters are quite unique. I love that the author does not go on and on about fashion, food, or crafts.
June 30, 2020
Good but short read. If your dearest love suddenly wakes up and can't remember his life before that morning, what's a wife gonna do? With the help of a foster Yorkie named Pogo, Allison Rye is determined to help her husband Paul regain his memories. Myra, nurse at the home where Paul resides, is a friend of Allison and also her greatest supporter/ Allison's daughter, Emily, is graduating from med school and pressuring her mother to move to Portland and not spend so much time "with a man who doesn't know we exist". Allison cannot, and selling their business and house to try to find financial relief she encounters a remarkable boon. Free house for three years if she will resume the duties of the library within. With those duties comes the vow of silence to what is inside the books, and the temptation they will bring.
July 15, 2020
Wonderful book! Allison's husband has suddenly lost many memories, including recognition of his wife, and is in a nursing home. When she steps in as the new guardian of the Remembrance Library, she suspects that someone has deliberately torn out pages of her husband's memories. First and foremost, however, is trying to solve the death of another resident of the nursing home – blamed on the roommate, an elderly woman with mild dementia. A book with fascinating new ideas on how to solve a mystery, but you also feel the love Allison has for her husband. Her foster Yorkie Pogo plays a big role as well, and the writing is very good – pulls you right along. Be warned – there is a cliffhanger at the end, but I was so caught up in the book that I will gladly read the next, which promises to pull together a few important story threads.
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May 31, 2020Tomes & Terriers is a delightful cozy mystery that begins a new series. There are dogs, a magical library of memories, an older woman, Allison, as our super sleuth, her husband Paul who has lost 25 years of memories, Myra, the woman in charge at Golden Gardens where Paul is a resident and more. All these characters and more seem like old friends by the time you read to the end. When a body is discovered, is it murder, an accident, or something else? As the current guardian of the town's memories, Allison has some "insider" knowledge about the event. There are clues and misdirections a plenty in this engaging book.
June 1, 2020
Totally amazing! What a clever new idea Avis has come up with. I have always enjoyed her work, but I think this one is so different and so novel, it is brilliant. Allison's husband went for a walk one morning and did not return home. When the police found him and brought him back, his memories of the past 25 years were totally wiped out. Allison had, for the past 2 years, stayed with him, trying all ways to remove whatever is causing the barrier to the memories and to re-jig his memory.
Many heart rendering and painful bits within the story, and yet many hopeful and bright moments too. What a great read! Can hardly wait for the next book!
Many heart rendering and painful bits within the story, and yet many hopeful and bright moments too. What a great read! Can hardly wait for the next book!
June 2, 2020
This cozy mystery has great characters. Allison Rye and her husband owned a wonderful bakery in the small town of Remembrance and then out of the blue her husband looses his memory? So he goes to Golden Gardens, a senior care facility. Allison visits Paul (her husband) but he does not remember her. She also visits two ladies. The next day she finds out that one of the ladies has been stabbed to death and the roommate is the prime suspect. So Allison decides to find out who really killed the roommate because she doesn’t believe the sweet lady could have done it. Very interesting read with magic and it keeps you wanting to read to see what happens next. Looking forward to the next one.
October 14, 2020
The library with the memory books is a neat twist. There are a couple of mysteries going on in this story. It's a bit slow-paced but interesting enough that I kept reading. The characters are good. One of the mysteries is resolved and it kept me guessing until near the end. I do hate that the book suddenly ended with a new loose end to solve and a carry over. Not quite a cliff-hanger, but definitely more than a tease. I turned a page and the book just ended, right in the middle of a scene. Grr! So I give it three stars and would normally have given it 4 for a decent story and very good editing.
June 25, 2021
This is the first in the series. The main character is Allison. Her husband of 25 years suddenly loses his memories of Allison and their daughter Emily and their life together. Allison is trying to help him remember but to no avail. She takes over the magic library , where all the memories of the town are kept. No one really knows about this place because as someone new takes over, They burn the memories of the last. Allison figures out that someone tore out most of her husbands memories but she has no idea who. She finds the memory of her daughter's birth and lets him read it. Now he remembers Emily. She thinks she knows who stole the memories but can she prove it?
June 22, 2020
I really enjoy Hillary Avis' books. Allison needs to find a new place to live. Her husband completely lost his memory 2 years ago and she is determined to get his memories back. She has lost the bakery that was their life together. She finds a new home and this house holds all the memories of town. While getting used to her new position and the keeper of the library, she is also dragged into a murder. Then there is the mystery of Paul's memory. This book is very well written and I was sad at the end because it meant a wait for the next book. Give this one a read.
May 6, 2021
Great book
Allison, the heroine in this urban fantasy cozy mystery is the type of person you want as a friend. She’s doing everything she can to help Paul, her husband with a very specific type of amnesia. Just as she’s making a breakthrough—using a very unconventional method—she meets the person responsible. This was a page turner. Dog lovers will probably love it, though one dog is described as being hungry. I know some people are very sensitive to that sort of thing (good news, all dogs are super happy by the end.)
Allison, the heroine in this urban fantasy cozy mystery is the type of person you want as a friend. She’s doing everything she can to help Paul, her husband with a very specific type of amnesia. Just as she’s making a breakthrough—using a very unconventional method—she meets the person responsible. This was a page turner. Dog lovers will probably love it, though one dog is described as being hungry. I know some people are very sensitive to that sort of thing (good news, all dogs are super happy by the end.)
August 31, 2021
A memorable story where "happily-ever-after" isn't always just around the corner. I love the main character; she is hopeful and compassionate and normal. She gets down sometimes (who wouldn't in her shoes), but she always manages to crawl out of her funk, see above her setbacks, and keep moving forward with new goals and hope.
The idea of a "remembering library" is original and thought-provoking. I enjoyed this book so much; within minutes of finishing it, I purchased the next book in the series.
The idea of a "remembering library" is original and thought-provoking. I enjoyed this book so much; within minutes of finishing it, I purchased the next book in the series.
June 2, 2020
Allison, whose husband doesn’t have his memories, becomes the keeper of the library of books filled with the memories of the people of Remembrance. A woman is murdered while another is accused of her murder. Allison tries to locate the book which details the memory of the murderer before her own murder is written in one of those books. Allison wants her husband to regain his memories of her and their life together. Can she find his memories among all of the books in the library?
June 25, 2021
Total sympathy with Allison, sigh
A magic library full of people's memories, and Allison's husband needing his. I was literally crossing my fingers for a good outcome, but at least part of the mystery is solved. Love Allison and Mira. Pogo is a little gem. Great little book, also giving a glimpse of life in a care facility, and how much little diversions, and kindness mean to people. Now I must find the next book, have to find out how Allison's searches turn out.
A magic library full of people's memories, and Allison's husband needing his. I was literally crossing my fingers for a good outcome, but at least part of the mystery is solved. Love Allison and Mira. Pogo is a little gem. Great little book, also giving a glimpse of life in a care facility, and how much little diversions, and kindness mean to people. Now I must find the next book, have to find out how Allison's searches turn out.
July 13, 2021
Very interesting concept for a book! I liked the characters and the descriptions of Allison's new home/library. When she explored to search for books, the descriptions made the reader feel like they were standing next to Allison. However the book was not exactly uplifting, her husband has lost his memory and no longer recognizes his wife of twenty-five years. Definitely an unresolved issue with a cliffhanger ending.
May 28, 2020
This is a new series from Hillary Avis, new genre also. It's different, a little more deep in the story than her previous books but interresting too. The characters and story are well built. I'm curious to see where the next books will bring us.
I received this book as part of an ARC team and this is my honest review.
I received this book as part of an ARC team and this is my honest review.
June 2, 2020
What a marvelous book that leaves you with new questions along with some from this book. This series is so different as there is a secret the story revolves around more than the murder that happens. I am dying now to read the next book in this series and I am hoping it will help me figure out the answers that I couldn't find in this first book.
June 5, 2020
What a great start to a series. You will be laughing but also feel sad. Paul goes for a walk and is returned by a friend not remembering anything, including his wife and daughter. Love the characters including the dogs. And of course you have some grump people and con artists. What a great cozy mystery.
I received this as an ARC and this is my honest and voluntary review.
I received this as an ARC and this is my honest and voluntary review.
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