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Books You're on the Fence About - 2025
The Maid's Secret by Nita Prose
The last book in the Maid trilogy and the biggest disappointment of the series.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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Death and the Librarian by Victoria Gilberthttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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
I was drawn to Central Park West
because the author was James Comey. But it was a little too dry for me. My three star review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Unnatural Selection by Coco Cooper
A contemporary satire about a dog who acts human. Kinda weird, and fairly entertaining except for the final quarter.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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
I'm closing out the week with
Mistaken Identity Crisis by James J. Cudney https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
How much you like Trhough An Open Window
will depend on your tolerance for sweet and magical. My three star review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I wanted to love The Book Club for Troublesome Women, but it veered to far into soap opera territory. More women’s lit than historical fiction. My 3.5 star review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Woman Who Met Herself by Laura Pearson
I like this author, but I don't think this was her best work. It's not bad, but it's not great either.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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
I See You’ve Called in Dead
missed an opportunity to be all about the humor. A little too soppy for my taste. My three star review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
It's a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan 🎧 3 1/2-StarsJust Let It Go.
My Review
The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin by Alison Goodman 🎧 3-StarsEvan's name still isn't cleared.
My Review
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
My second book for the week was
Murder in the Tattoo Parlor, the return of Elizabeth Perona's Bucket List Mysteries.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Ex-Wives Club by Sally Hepworth
The second story of the Alibis collection works much better a a domestic suspense than as a thriller. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished Culpability
. While I didn't love it, it was a compelling read about AI. My thoughts: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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
Strangers in Time
combined good characters with a predictable plot. My 3.5 star review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Faithless - Hunter Shea - (New York)
Genera: Horror, Ghosts
3★
Review:: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of The Beast in the Clouds: The Roosevelt Brothers' Deadly Quest to Find the Mythical Giant Panda by Nathalia Holthttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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my review
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Wartime Comes to West India Dock Road by Renita D'Silvahttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
It's a decent book, just not a plot I particularly cared for.
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
Here is my 3.23 rounded to 3 stars review of Girls, Crimes, and the Ruling Body by Barry R. Ziman:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Political Thriller
Descriptive
Lack of dialogue in the first half
Much improved second half of the novel
I am sorry to say that Abide with Me, an earlier Elizabeth Strout novel didn't appeal to me as much as her others have. Plenty of readers love it, so I think this one's just a me-thing. Check their reviews. 😊
My review of Abide With Me
Storybook Ending by Moira Macdonald
A decent book, as long as you aren't looking for a romance or a romcom novel.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished Theo of Golden
. This is a splendid and uplifting story. Highly recommend. My thoughts: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Here is my 3.48 rounded to 3 stars review of Love & Other Cures For the Recently Undead by H.J. Ramsay:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Post apocalyptic / dystopian romantasy
Good characterization
Pulled on the heartstrings
Friends Sharing Book Love
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https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...