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2025 Reads and Reviews - Anything Goes
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Where the Heart Is
Billie Letts
4/5 stars
This book revolves around Novalee, a seventeen-year-old who was about to leave her family to be with her boyfriend. Unfortunately, he dumps her in Oklahoma, and she ends up living in a Wal-Mart. Luckily, she meets someone who can her out. I enjoyed this book! 1995
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Where the Heart Is
Billie Letts
3.5/5 stars
" An hour ago, seventeen-year-old, seven months pregnant Novalee Nation was heading for California with her boyfriend. Now she finds herself stranded at a Wal-Mart in Sequoyah, Oklahoma, with just $7.77 in change. But Novalee is about to discover hidden treasures in this small Southwest town--a group of down-to-earth, deeply caring people willing to help a homeless, jobless girl living secretly in a Wal-Mart. From Bible-thumping blue-haired Sister Thelma Husband to eccentric librarian Forney Hull who loves Novalee more than she loves herself, they are about to take her--and you, too--on a moving, funny, and unforgettable journey to . . . Where the Heart Is." Synopsis from the book! 1995 I enjoyed it!
The Egg and I –Betty MacDonald – 1*
Betty MacDonald’s “memoir” of her life as a newlywed on a chicken ranch in the Olympic Penninsula area of Washington was a runaway bestseller when it first appeared in 1945. I have to give her credit for making a life “in the wilderness” with the man she loves, despite her own background of relative privilege. But I was highly disappointed in the book. I do not at all like the way MacDonald portrays the local people, especially the Native American population. I know times were different then, but I don’t find denigrating others funny or charming or even excusable.
LINK to my full review
A Cup of Friendship – Deborah Rodriguez – 3***
Also issued as “ The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul”. Sunny is a 38-year-old American who has found a “home” in war-torn Kabul, Afghanistan, running The Coffee Shop. Sunny is often willfully blind to local customs, beliefs, traditions. Yes, the traditional treatment of women is appalling, but running headlong into the fray seemed not only naïve but extremely dangerous. That her business thrives is mostly due to the ex-pat community that she serves. I did really like the two Afghan women – Halajan and Yazmina – who work in the shop.
LINK to my full review
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The Egg and I
–Betty MacDonald – 1*
Betty MacDonald’s “memoir” of her life as a newlywed on a chicken ranch in the Olympic Penninsula area of Washington was ..."
I loved Betty MacDonald's books especially The Egg and I!
On the Wrong Track – Steve Hockensmith – 3***
Book two in the “Holmes on the Range” series of mysteries set in the American Wild West, circa 1893. I really like this series. One of the best things about the series is Hockensmith’s way with words. In addition to the brothers, Hockensmith populates the books with an array of interesting and colorful side characters.
LINK to my full review
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Twist: A Novel
Colum McCann
3/5 stars
The book surrounds Anthony Fennell who is a journalist about to cover the underwater cables off the coast of Africa which may break. Interesting book but hard to describe! Fiction
: The Legend of the Bluebonnet – Tomie DePaola – 5*****
This is a lovely children’s story book that relates some of the Native American legends about the wildflower that is the Texas state flower – the Bluebonnet. It’s a wonderful lesson about family, community, sacrifice and selflessness. Beautiful illustrations, too.
LINK to my full review
A Merry Little Meet Cute – Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone – 3***
A porn star is cast as the heroine in a time-travel Christmas romance movie (think Hallmark Channel) opposite a former teen pop idol / bad-boy. Instant attraction on both parts. Lots of sex. Both with hearts of gold, though, and of course, a HEA ending. Not your typical Christmas rom-com, but okay for the genre.
LINK to my full review
Under the Big Top – Bruce Feiler – 3***
Subtitle: A Season With the Circus. Feiler is a writer who got a rare opportunity to spend a season with the Clyde Beatty-Cole Brothers Circus, as a clown. He detailed his experiences and the life of circus workers in this book. I found this quite interesting. Feiler didn’t sugarcoat the difficulties of life on the road, nor did he pull any punches when describing the personalities and activities of some of the workers. I was disappointed, however, that there were no photos.
LINK to my full review
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Evening Class
Maeve Binchy
This story revolves around Aidan Dunne, a Latin teacher and Nora Donoghue from Dublin and their relationship.
1996
Bury Your Dead – Louise Penny – 3***
Book # 6 in the Inspector Armand Gamache series of mysteries. This episode actually involves multiple mysteries, both current time frame and in the past. What I like about the series is the way Penny builds her characters, and their relationships to one another, over the course of the series. We get to know Gamache, his strengths and weaknesses, his joys and disappointments, over the various books, each episode giving the reader more insight into the man’s complex character.
LINK to my full review
Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories – L M Montgomery– 3***
This is a collection of short stories set around the Christmas holidays. It begins with our lovely Anne Shirley and an early Christmas with Marila and Matthew, and the “puffy sleeves” fashion trend. Most of the other stories do not involve Anne, but they are all heart-warming and charming. And isn’t that what the holidays are all about?
LINK to my full review
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Queen of All Mayhem: The Blood-Soaked Life and Mysterious Death of Belle Starr, the Most Dangerous Woman in the West
Dane Huckelbridge
4/5 stars
Wonderful non-fiction/biography about Myra Maybelle Shirley better known as Belle Starr, the most dangerous female in the West. I really enjoyed it. Biography
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Night Train
Martin Amis
4/5 stars
Detective female Mike Hoolihan has seen it a lot of cases and now
she is taking on the death of Jennifer Rockwell. She doesn't want to do it but she has promised to look in on it. I enjoyed this book! 1997
The Fear in Yesterday's Rings by George Chesbro
3 stars
I smiled all the way through this one. Vintage Mongo, full of vintage Mongo moments. In this one, he detours to revisit his previous career as a circus performer and of course this goes haywire. I can't wait for the next one to come in at the library.
Shadow of a Broken Man by George Chesbro
3 stars
The first in the Mongo Mysteries series -- which I am revisiting and intending to read all the way through this time. Mongo is the Carl Kolchak of private detectives and this case gets the ball rolling as someone comes in asking for Mongo to establish whether his wife's first husband is really dead. Weirdness ensures. A great read.
The Sound and the Furry – Spencer Quinn – 3***
Book number six in the Chet & Bernie mystery series takes our intrepid duo East to the Louisiana bayous to search for a missing man. I just love this series. Chet (the dog who failed obedience training) narrates the adventures that he and his human, Bernie, have when they take on various cases as part of their business, the Little Detective Agency. Quinn gives us a fast-paced book, with sprinkles of humor to lessen the tension.
LINK to my full review
Book Concierge wrote: " The Sound and the Furry
– Spencer Quinn – 3***
Book number six in the Chet & Bernie mystery series takes our intrepid duo East to the Louisiana bay..."
This sounds very entertaining!
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Elphie: A Wicked Childhood
Gregory Maguire
This book is based on the childhood of Elphie who rose to fame as an adult witch. I thought this was quite good! Fiction
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Lawn Boy
by Jonathan Evison
4/5 stars
This is a story about a young man, Mike Munoz, trying to get his life together while working as a lawn worker and trying to get ahead. I thought this was book was really well done. Fiction
A Year In the World – Frances Mayes – 3.5*** (rounded up)
Subtitle: Journeys of a Passionate Traveler. Mayes recounts her many adventures traveling from her home base in Tuscany as she and her husband roam through the British Isles, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Greece, Morocco, France and other areas of Italy. Her passion for travel certainly comes through loud and clear! I particularly enjoyed the way she wrote about food. I could practically smell and taste the dishes, and I was constant hungry for “more.”
LINK to my full review
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Deep Cuts
Holly Brickley
4/5 stars
Interesting book about Percy Marks who is into music but gives her own opinion about music. She ends up meeting Joe Morrow, a song writer. They end up becoming a partnership over the years but it is not an easy road between the two of them. I enjoyed this book. Books Off My Reading List
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Spitfires: The American Women Who Flew in the Face of Danger During World War II
Becky Aikman
5/5 stars
I loved this book about the 25 women fliers in World War 2 who risked their lives for their country. If you like women's history you will definitely like this book! Non-Fiction
Dark Obsession, Shelley Sessions and Peter Meyer4 exhausted stars
If anyone is seeking insight into how a child molester justifies his disgusting desires, and breaks the law over and over without ever feeling bad about it, look no farther. This true story was brutal to get through, but Shelley's persistence shows that a person can get through almost anything and the outcome was so worth it. For anyone tempted to feel sorry for the whiny, self-pitying child rapist, a glance at his victim's honesty and clarity will immediately set you straight.
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A Widow for One Year
John Irving
3/5 stars
This story surrounds Ruth Cole in three parts, as a child, then as an unmarried woman in 1990 and then we finally we see her in 1995. I liked this book, it is a bit too long but is still very interesting!
1998
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Sick Houses: Haunted Homes and the Architecture of Dread
Leila Taylor
This is quite an interesting non-fiction book about sick/haunted houses. Non-Fiction
Julie wrote: "Sick Houses: Haunted Homes and the Architecture of Dread
Leila Taylor
This is quite..."
How many stars would you give it?
Give the Boys a Great Big Hand – Ed McBain – 3***
First published in 1960, this is book number eleven in the 87th Precinct mystery series, and starts with the discovery of a severed hand in a tote bag. It’s a classic police procedural mystery that held my interest throughout. There are several red herrings (both for the cops and for the reader), but the boys of the 87th precinct are nothing if not tenacious. They WILL get the guy or gal responsible.
LINK to my full review
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Sick Houses: Haunted Homes and the Architecture of Dread
Leila Taylor..."
I forgot to put in the stars! I gave it 4/5 stars!
Julie wrote: "Fishface wrote: "Julie wrote: "Sick Houses: Haunted Homes and the Architecture of Dread
[author:Leila..."
That's good to know!
The Soul Of an Octopus – Sy Montgomery – 4.5**** (rounded up)
Subtitle: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness. Montgomery spent a year volunteering at the New England Aquarium to study and learn about octopuses. This is her memoir of that time, and it’s marvelous!
LINK to my full review
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Wiseguys and the White House: Gangsters, Presidents, and the Deals They Made
by Eric Dezenhall
4/5 stars
Interesting book about the gangsters who want their help with the Presidents and what they wanted to achieve with their help. He writes about FDR, Richard Nixon, LBJ, Ronald Reagen, John Kennedy, Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Non-Fiction
Uncultured: A Memoir, By Daniella Mestyanek Young
3 stars
A good memoir that takes the reader through almost every year of the author's life without bogging down or -- despite incredible amounts of trauma -- dwelling on the effects of the many terrible experiences she's gone through. Daniella escaped from the Family International -- also known as the Children of God cult -- and her story focuses mostly on how she pointed herself towards the future and kept moving forward, often without any resources, any meaningful support or any real plan. Read this one; you won't be sorry.
The Serial Killer's Apprentice, by James Renner
3 stars
I sent for a different book under the same title as this one, and the library sent this one by mistake. I read it anyway and was not sorry. This was a good book about a number of Ohio cases that had not been solved when it went to press. Googling for more detail on crimes I didn't know about did give me answers about some of them, but some I could not find anywhere. The last chapter, which gave the book its title, cast some serious doubt on a case that is supposedly cleared up. A worthwhile read, well worth your time.
The Serial Killer's Apprentice by Katherine Ramsland
3 stars
After receiving a book from the library with this title but a different author, I stubbornly sent for this one again and it finally arrived. I liked this one very much because it gave us Wayne Henley's unique perspective on Dean Corll's crimes and told us much more about how it all unfolded. The parallel cases discussed in here, like Lee Malvo's, and the bibliography and appendices were also very informative and useful. With all that said, the psychobabble in this book quickly grew tiresome and the authors seemed to be trying to constantly confuse the reader by telling and re-telling us about the same incidents, almost as if Randall Harvey and Homer Garcia were killed more than once while Henley happened to be there. Overall very good, but the text needed tidying.
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The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
Stephen King
4/5 stars
Trisha was supposed to take a trail hike with her mother and brother. She ends up going off the trail when her mother and brother start fighting. She decides to use her favorite baseball player, Tom Gordon to keep us her spirits up. Will she hook up with her family or is she doomed? I really enjoyed this book! Horror
The Secret Book and Scone Society – Ellery Adams – 2.5**
One of my book club buddies suggested this for our group so I re-read it. My opinion didn’t change much, though I did enjoy the discussion. The relationships between the four friends stood out more. But I also see that there is another secret that hasn’t been revealed. A ploy that I view as “forcing” readers to continue the series, and one that I hate.
LINK to my full review
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Ghost Ship: The Mysterious True Story of the Mary Celeste and Her Missing Crew
Brian Hicks
4/5 stars
Very interesting book about a ship that gone astray and the lengths they went to try and find this ship! I thought this was quite good. Non-Fiction
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Fairy Tale
Stephen King
3/5 stars
Interesting but very lengthy story about a young man, Charlie who meets Howard Bowditch who lives alone. Charlie ends up doing chores for him and he later finds out that Bowditch knows of a portal to another world! Horror
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The Story of ABBA: Melancholy Undercover
by Jan Gradvall
4/5 stars
Interesting story about the group ABBA, from their early beginnings to when they split up! I enjoyed this book! Non-Fiction
Sun Dog Memory – Doug Armstrong – 3.5***
A Depression-era family saga full of lies, treachery and vengeance. Armstrong goes back and forth in time from 1930 to 1911. We learn how the Albrights came to the Kansas homestead and their efforts to make a go of it, and how their fate becomes intricately linked to that of the town’s wealthy railroad executives. There’s a lot of intrigue here and the reader is just as clueless as the main character, Jed. I’m not sure that I ever figured out who was really behind all the treachery, and while I thought the family saga had a satisfactory resolution, the epilogue threw me for a loop.
LINK to my full review
A Certain Age – Beatriz Williams – 3***
Williams gives us a novel of romance, family secrets, and scandal in New York Society, set during the Roaring Twenties. The title refers to two things: the age of the era in American society, and a woman of “a certain age.” Williams definitely gives the reader a sense of the era … speakeasies, flappers, bathtub gin, horse races, etc. I saw through the murder mystery pretty quickly, but it held my attention throughout.
LINK to my full review
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Motherless Brooklyn
Jonathan Lethem
3/5 stars
This is the story about Lionel Lessrog who lives in a home for boys during the 1970's and has Tourette Syndrome. One his friends Frank is a hero to him and helps him out. But there is a lot of mischief and stealing. When Frank is knifed and killed. Lionel wants to help solve the crime and tries to solve the crime! 1999
Jesus Freaks: A True Story of Murder and Madness on the Evangelical Edge, by Don Lattin3 stars
It's hard to give a high rating to a book that left me so heartsick and disgusted, but it's as well-researched as the author could manage and the information seems to have been handled very responsibly. The one sentence that brought all the fragments together for me as I read was somebody's statement about how we need to stop thinking of the Family as a religious cult and see it instead as a crime syndicate. Ricky is only the highest-profile victim. RIP Ricky.
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Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection
John Green
4/5 stars
This fascinating book is about tuberculosis, which is one of persistent and deadliest infection in the world. Green tells the story of Henry who has TB. Well written and interesting! Non-Fiction
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My Next Breath
Jeremy Renner
4/5 stars
This is the story of the actor Jeremy Renner who went out on New's Year Day when he was crushed by a fourteen-thousand-pound snow cat nearly killing him. This was a fascinating and scary tale about his will to survive. Biography
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Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television
by Todd Purdum
4/5 stars 9/7/2025
Fascinating book about Desi Arnaz and his career in TV and Film.
Books On Film and Entertainment
The Little Old Lady Who Struck Lucky Again! – Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg – 2**
Book number two in the League of Pensioners series, featuring elderly Martha Anderson and her friends – Brains, Rake, Christina and Anna-Greta. The first book was a hoot, and I rather enjoyed the outlandishness of it all. But this one…. Well, it seemed to me that the author was just trying too hard to make this a comical crime caper, but it came across as tedious.
LINK to my full review
Library Lovers
Books mentioned in this topic
Stupid TV, Be More Funny: How the Golden Era of The Simpsons Changed Television—and America—Forever (other topics)The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers by Michael Newton (other topics)
The Night We Lost Him (other topics)
Whalefall (other topics)
The Gas and Flame Men: Baseball and the Chemical Warfare Service during World War I (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Alan Siegel (other topics)Jim Leeke (other topics)
Charlotte Beradt (other topics)
William J. Hall (other topics)
Todd Purdum (other topics)
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Mile High – Liz Tomforde – 2.5** (rounded up)
A pro hockey player and the flight attendant on the team’s private plane hook up. Lots of sex, and they eventually realize there is more to this relationship. Tomforde also tackles issues of body image, social medial bullying/shaming, and celebrity culture.
LINK to my full review