November Minireviews // Part 5

Part 5 & final for November!!!

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by Lizzie Shane – 3.5*

//published 2020//

If you’re looking for a fun Christmas romance that’s wildly impractical and has lots of dogs, this one would probably fit the bill.  It’s pretty typical Hallmarky fare – Ally returns to the small town where she grew up to stay with her grandparents, only to find that the funding for the dog shelter that they run has been pulled and they only have a few weeks to find homes for the dogs that are currently there.  The person who signed off on the funding removal is the mayor, grumpy single-dad Ben, who, in a moment of feeling really guilty about the situation, agrees to help Ally home the dogs.

There wasn’t anything groundbreaking here, but it was overall fun and relaxing with some funny dog moments.  However, I felt like the ending was rather drawn out and that Ben’s transformation wasn’t done particularly well – I honestly wasn’t sure he had really learned his “lesson.”  But still, good times.

An O’Brien Family Christmas by Sherryl Woods – 3.5*

//published 2011//

Conveniently, the next book in the Chesapeake Shores series was a Christmas book!  The entire clan is off to Ireland for the holidays (wouldn’t it be nice to be rich??).  My main problem with this book is that while I was fine with the woman-is-older-than-the-man in this pairing, everyone kept going on about the “huge” age difference.  How huge is huge??  Five years?  Ten? 25?  I honestly couldn’t decide if I was comfortable shipping them because while I knew that the guy was in his mid-20s, the constant “she’s SO much older than him” started to make me uncomfortable, not because of her being a woman and being older, but because if “so much older” meant she was 45 or something, that would just be kind of weird no matter what lol  It felt awkward that everyone kept going on and on about it.  For the rest, typical of the series with a little side story of the grandma/matriarch of the clan reuniting with the guy she loved in her youth, which was pretty sweet.

Let Me Call You Sweetheart by Mary Higgins Clark – 4*

//published 1995//

Last year I was participating in a challenge hosted by someone on Litsy who was turning 40 in 2022 and decided to try to read at least one book from every year she had been alive, 1982-2022.  Since I also turned 40 last year (!), I really enjoyed participating.  For the most part, I was able to hit every year organically, but by mid-November I still had a few years left to find, so I sorted through my TBR to see if I could prioritize the years I needed.  All that to say, that was how Let Me Call You Sweetheart got bumped up the list, but I’m glad it did because it was a properly creepy little thriller.

Kerry is a public prosecutor and a single mom.  When her daughter’s face is cut in a minor car wreck, Kerry takes her to a well-known plastic surgeon for treatment.  However, during the visits, she notices that two other patients that she sees there have a strange resemblance to a murder victim from a decade ago.  It appears that the doctor is “recreating” this woman’s face – but why?  And is he really?  This one had loads of red herrings and I really had no idea how things were going to come together.  One of my favorite MHC books I’ve read to date.

Dashing into Disaster by Rachel John – 4*

//published 2021//

I really enjoyed this modern riff of Sense and Sensibility, and also the twist on the fake-dating trope, where instead of falling for each other, one of the participants falls for someone else!  Like the rest of these Austen-inspired books by John, this one was just a little too short – I wanted more of the characters and their back stories and conversations.  This one just skimmed along the surface with a fun concept and likable characters, but not quite enough pages to really get into the story.

All I Want for Christmas by Wendy Loggia – 3.5*

//published 2020//

This was a pretty cute YA Christmas read.  17-year-old Bailey absolutely loves Christmas, and this year her Christmas wish is to have someone special to kiss under the mistletoe.  When she keeps running into an adorable guy with a British accent, she KNOWS he has to be the one – right?  And it’s definitely NOT going to be her classmate Jacob, who’s always been a little annoying – right??  There was a lot here that was a lot of fun, and it was so refreshing to read YA where the main character actually gets along just fine with her parents and family.  However, it definitely felt like the love triangle part dragged on for too long, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at Bailey who would get annoyed with Jacob for doing things like wrestling with his buddies or burping (ONE time, and he immediately said “excuse me”!).  Like, girl, he’s a 17-year-old guy, so maybe you need to get over yourself just a smidge.  But still, fun and fluffy, even if it wasn’t a new classic for me.

Running Total: Books that I’ve read but haven’t reviewed yet!! :::97!!!

November Minireviews // Part 4

Towards the end of November, I decided it was probably close enough to Christmas to start reading Christmas books haha

The Wailing Wind by Tony Hillerman – 3.5*

//published 2002//

This one was a decent mystery, but I was somewhat aggravated by how much trouble Bernie got in, considering she had no reason to suspect that the body she found had been murdered.  Still, it was nice to see the Chee/Bernie relationship finally getting some traction!

25 Days Til Christmas by Poppy Alexander –  3.5*

//published 2019//

My first Christmas read of the season was a bit of a mixed bag.  I liked the characters and even the overall story, but Kate’s life started bad and kept getting worse and worse!  Every time there was a chance for something to go wrong, it did, so the majority of the book was kind of depressing.  Then, everything gets magically resolved in about five pages towards the end.  I don’t always need my Christmas romances to feel super realistic, but after so many pages of unrelenting things-going-wrong, it would have been nice to have more reassurances that the turn for the better was actually permanent and not a fluke!

Christmas Ever After by Karen Schaler 3.5*

//published 2020//

Schaler’s books are always a mixed bag for me, mainly because she is always a little obnoxious about herself and how popular her own books are, something she somehow manages to work into these stories in a meta fashion.  My original review says that “this one was pretty terrible, but that’s kind of what I’m into when I’m reading Christmas romances,” and I have to say that still stands haha  The drama meter was at max here, but it was still an okay read.

A Treason of Thorns by Laura Wemouth – 3*

//published 2019//

Sometimes a standalone fantasy definitely feels like it should have been more than one book, and this was the case here.  I wanted more of everything – more character development, more worldbuilding, more conversations – the concept here was SO intriguing and interesting, and I felt like we barely got the surface of what was happening.  There were also a lot of weird jumps in characters – someone is a bad guy, oh no wait actually a good guy after all! Without a lot of in between to explain why we suddenly trust this person when we didn’t trust them at all a few pages ago.  I really wanted to like this one because I found the concept so interesting, but in the end it just didn’t work for me.

The Blythes are Quoted by L.M. Montgomery – 4*

Somehow, I had never heard of this book until it was picked for our Kindred Spirits Buddy Read in November!  Apparently, shortly before her death, Montgomery gathered together some short stories and poetry and put them together, although it wasn’t published this way until just recently.  The poetry is presented as though written by Anne or Walter, with usually a few lines of commentary afterwards by whichever family members were gathered to hear it read out loud.  The majority of the book is set during the era of Rainbow Valley, with a shorter section (maybe a third of the book) set after WWI, as WWII is looming on the horizon.  If you come to this book hoping to get a lot of post-Rilla of Ingleside information about the lives of the Blythes, you won’t find it here.  We get hints that everyone married the “right” person (Rilla/Ken, Jerry/Nan, etc), and you did see some of the emotional difficulties that the family faced after the war was over, adjusting to the fact of Walter’s death.

My biggest issue with this book is that the Blythes are SERIOUSLY quoted.  Like, constantly.  Usually 3-5 times per page.  I almost wonder if Montgomery was purposefully trying to be obnoxious since everyone wanted her to keep writing Anne books long after she had lost interest in the characters.  Most of the mentions of the Blythe family (and Susan Baker) are tangential – along the lines of, “he knew it to be true, because he had heard Dr. Blythe tell the story last week” or “she reminded him of Dr. Blythe’s wife – not exactly beautiful, but still captivating.”  I recognized some of these short stories from other collections, except with a generous sampling of Blythes sprinkled in!  I was reading these just one or two stories a day for the entire month, so it worked for me.  However, I think the Blythe-references would have gotten pretty aggravating if I had tried to read this entire book in one go.  I’m not sure this is one I’ll pick up again, and I definitely don’t think that it adds anything to the Anne series as a whole, but it was still very interesting to read once.

Running Total:  I’m going to try something new and keep a running total of how many reviews I have left to write at the bottom of each of these posts! I’m curious to see if I’m gaining any ground at all, or if I will always be five months behind!!  Current number of books read but not reviewed: 86!

November Minireviews // Part 3

I need to be off work more often! Look at all these posts in a row!!

Borgel by Daniel Pinkwater – 5*

//published 1990//

I can’t really explain why I love this book so much, but I absolutely do.  Along with The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death, this is probably tied for my favorite Pinkwater book of all time.  This book is full of nonsense and adventure, as Melvin travels through time, space, and other with his maybe-uncle and a talking dog.  As I said the last time I read and reviewed this book – If you’ve ever thought that maybe time was like a map of New Jersey and space was like a poppyseed bagel, this may be the book for you. It’s also a great read if you love popsicles.

Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon – 4*

//published 1944//

This is one of those books that has been on my shelf forever and I’m not sure why I’ve never read it.  The musical The King and I is based on the story of Anna Leonowens, a young English widow who becomes a tutor for the king of Siam’s favorite children and concubines in the 1860s. This is historical fiction that is stronger on the historical than the fiction, as Landon greatly admired Leonowens and drew heavily on her journals and letters from the time.  As a look into a completely foreign culture, this book is quite interesting, although as a straight story it has moments where things drag a bit.  And, because it’s based on real life, not everything gets tidied up the way one would wish.  Still, an engaging and worthwhile read.

Hunting Badger by Tony Hillerman – 4*

//published 1999//

Another solid installment to this series, with a giant manhunt through the dangerous canyons on the Utah-Arizona border.  As always, Leaphorn and Chee are following separate yet connected threads that bring the mysteries together to a satisfying conclusion.  I’ve also greatly enjoyed watching other relationships develop in these stories – they could definitely be read individually, but working through them in order makes the secondary characters much more engaging.

Persuading the Captain by Rachel John – 4*

//published 2020//

Another fun little Austen modernization, as with the other two books I read of John’s, this one was just a little too short to really get into the characters’ lives and motivations.  Still, a fun, fast read.

The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy – 4*

//published 1919//

This one is a collection of short stories, so they do start to get a little same-y after a while.  Still, it’s always great fun to see how the Pimpernel and his colleagues are going to triumph over the dastardly villains, so overall a fun read.

November Minireviews // Part 2

Could I be through my November reviews by the end of March??

Honest Illusions by Nora Roberts – 4*

//published 1992//

This is another of Roberts’s books where she covers a long time period with the characters, with over half of the book in the “past” before it catches up to the “present.”  But I always end up liking her characters so much that I’m happy to spend time with them and watch how they grow and what has made them into the people they are today.  Her books are a little spicier than I prefer, but her fantastic storytelling makes me more than willing to skim the parts I don’t care to read.  I thoroughly enjoyed this one with a combination of magicians, jewel thieves, and blackmail.

Full Moon by P.G. Wodehouse – 4.5*

//published 1947//

I honestly love Wodehouse’s Blandings Castle books so much.  This was the typical madcap romp involving secret identities, disguises, over-confident uncles, terrifying aunts, star-crossed lovers, absent-minded peers, and a pig who has twice won the Fat Pigs Contest at the Shropshire Agricultural Show.  Silly and ridiculous, naturally,  but all good fun with loads of hilarious one-liners and twists.  Truly, no author so consistently can raise my spirits like Wodehouse.

Beach Lane by Sherryl Woods – 3.5*

//published 2011//

Another mediocre but “fine” installment of the Chesapeake Shores series.  Something about this series became a sort of stubborn insistence that I was going to finish reading them all despite not really caring that much about what was happening.  This was a decent story about Susie and Mack, who have been “not dating” for quite some time.  But just when they are finally thinking about taking the next step, Mack loses his job and Susie is diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  I actually thought these aspects of the story were handled really well, especially Susie’s struggle with realizing that even if she survived cancer, she would never be able to have her own children, something she had always wanted.  But, as usual, the drama lasted a little too long.

The First Eagle by Tony Hillerman – 4*

//published 1998//

Speaking of series that I’ve been reading forever, I also read the next installment of the Leaphorn and Chee series.  I really just have thoroughly enjoyed this series.  Both Leaphorn and Chee are engaging characters and I love how their different ways of looking at life and problems complement each other.  This one did a great job weaving together two separate mysteries that end up being connected.  As always, the beliefs of the various tribes of the region are handled so well, adding depth and interest to the story without bogging it down.

Emma the Matchmaker by Rachel John – 4*

//published 2019//

Emma is probably my least favorite of Jane Austen’s novels, so I’m always slightly leery of retellings of it.  Although, on the other hand, it’s not like I have anything to lose since I already don’t like anyone haha  Written by the same author as Engaging Mr. Darcy, I was hoping to see some cross characters, since these are listed as part of a series, but the series part is a misnomer – they’re just all Austen retellings, otherwise there is zero connection between the books, which was disappointing.  But I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed this book.  The characters, including Emma, are actually done well, and the various connections and disagreements between them made sense in the updated context.  As with Engaging, this book felt a little too short – there were definitely things that could have been fleshed out a lot more – but still enjoyable.

November Minireviews // Part 1

Woohoo!! On to a new month of books!!

Sir Percy Leads the Band by Emmuska Orczy – 4*

//published 1936//

I’m slowly working my way through all of the Scarlet Pimpernel books. Most of these are old enough that they’re out of copyright and I can get them as cheap reprinted paperbacks, or even little hardcovers.  Not as fun as getting them as actual old books, but here we are.  I definitely recommend reading the original book first, but after that most of the other books are similar in substance.  This one involves a big rescue mission and a love triangle, jealous romantic rivals, and plenty of adventures.

Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer – 4*

//published 1935//

I really love Heyer.  Her books are such a delight, with likable characters, sassy conversations, and plenty of little adventures.  This one was a little more melodramatic than some of her others, and I didn’t feel like the relationship between the two main characters was really that well-developed, but it was still a fun romp.

The Rules for Breaking by Ashley Elston – 3*

//published 2014//

I read The Rules for Disappearing in October and really enjoyed it, so I found a copy of the sequel.  Unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me.  The action in this one felt choppy and less cohesive, there were some character actions that didn’t really make sense to me, and Elston seemed to think just sort of killing off a bunch of inconvenient people in the end was a good way to wrap things up lol  And while I still liked the two main (YA) characters together in this book, there were times where Ethan seemed weirdly possessive instead of protective.  It was an okay read, but while I can see myself rereading Disappearing some time, I doubt I’ll pick this one up again.

Just Another Love Song by Kerry Winfrey – 4*

//published 2022//

After coming close to giving up on contemporary romance, this one was an unexpected delight.  I loved the characters and all the snark, banter, and inside jokes. I absolutely loved Sandy’s best-friendship with Honey. I really loved that there wasn’t a “bad guy” situation here – just regular people who made choices, some of which they regret. I loved that the overall theme of this book was about that balance between embracing and loving your life where you are, but still reaching for a dream. I really loved that Winfrey set this story in a small, rural Ohio town and actually populated it with regular human beings instead of a bunch of stupid hicks. I loved how Sandy and her friends love living in their small town and aren’t spending all of their time trying to escape it. I loved that Sandy had regular parents who love her and with whom she has a good relationship as an adult. I loved that the romance was closed-door and the swearing was minimal. I loved that a bunch of story revolved around the town’s festival/fair and how much of that felt realistic and familiar to me. I loved the puns.  I loved the absurd Ohio-themed B&B.

Ironically, the actual love story was what felt a bit weak for me – I really like Hank and Sandy and actually totally ship them as a couple, but their drama went on a little too long for me, and I was also somewhat uncomfortable with this whole “you’re happiest when you’re together“ presented in a sort of “this person will save you“ kind of way, especially since the entire rest of the book does such an amazing job of showing people who have decided to embrace where they are with their lives.

Also, do pumpkins really get that big by August?

But on the whole this book was just so funny and with such likable characters – I thoroughly enjoyed it, and greatly appreciated some positive Ohio representation!

Dracula by Bram Stoker – 4*

//published 1897//

Last year, I signed up for the “Daily Dracula” posts.  Dracula is comprised entirely of things with dates, like letters, telegrams, and journal entries, so some enterprising fellow thought it would be fun to read the whole thing by reading what went with each day ON that day.  It started in the spring and didn’t end up November – there are some fairly large gaps between entries, especially towards the beginning.  On the whole, I think I did this book a disservice by reading it that way for the first time.  Because of the gaps in time, or times when I was busy and didn’t have the time to sit down and read a longer entry straight through, I tended to lose some of the threads of characters and action.  I think the Daily Dracula would have been a really fun way to reread this book, but was maybe not the best way to read it for the first time.

Still, the story itself is great.  It’s a bit ridiculous and melodramatic, and it totally works.  There is definitely a lot of unnecessary filler in this book, and times where it gets a bit repetitive (instead of saying something like, “they caught him up on the details they had just discussed,” we literally get three pages of the same details we just read three pages earlier, etc), but I think it definitely deserves its slot as a classic.

Rearview Mirror // October 2022

Well, still running less than six months behind, so that seems pretty good.

Favorite October Read

While my favorite reread was obviously Wodehouse’s Meet Mr. Mulliner, I think my favorite of the new books I read was Only a Monster, a surprise win as I’m not always particularly fond of YA fantasy.

Most Disappointing October Read

I think I’m going with a book I actually reviewed in October as well as read, Dangerous Beauty.  I really wanted to like this book, but I could never get behind the main characters as a couple, which meant the whole story didn’t really hang together for me.

Other October Reads

• 3*
  • Among the Shadows by L.M. Montgomery
  • A Dog on Barkham Street by M.S. Stoltz
  • The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
  • The Mystery of the Jittery Dog-Walker by Robin Gottlieb
• 3.5*
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
  • Appointment With Death by Agatha Christie
  • The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
  • Daddy’s Gone A Hunting by Mary Higgins Clark
  • Engaging Mr. Darcy by Rachel John
  • His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik
  • Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
  • Our House by Louise Candlish
  • The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston
• 4*
  • The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charles Mackesy
  • A Horse Called Mystery by Marjorie Reynolds
  • Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
  • Lady Thief by Kay Hooper
  • While My Pretty One Sleeps by Mary Higgins Clark
• 4.5*
  • A Fine and Pleasant Misery by Patrick McManus
  • Meet Mr. Mulliner by P.G. Wodehouse

October Stats

• Total Number of Books Read:  24
• Total Pages Read:  7275
• Average Star Rating for October:  3.67
• Longest Book: Jane Eyre (652 pages)
• Shortest Book:  Mystery of the Jittery Dog-Walker (126 pages)
• Oldest Book:  Jane Eyre (published 1847)
• Newest Book: Killers of a Certain Age, Dangerous Beauty, The Cartographers and Only a Monster were all published in 2022
• Top Genre: Thriller/Suspense (7 books)
• Top Format: Paperback (13 books)
• Top Source: Owned (14 books)

October Challenge Updates

• New states visited: Idaho and Wisconsin
• Chunksters read (800+pgs): 0
• Almost-a-chunksters read (450-799pgs): 1
• Classics read: 2
• Nonfiction read: 0

TBR Update

This is current as of today, not the end of October!!

• Standalones:  495 (up two)
• Nonfiction:  132 (holding steady)
• Personal (which includes all books I own (fiction and nonfiction), but lists any series I own as only one entry…):  597 (down two)
• Series (each series counted separately, not each book within a series):  250 (down one)
• Mystery Series (each series counted separately, not each book within a series): 110 (holding steady)
• New Arrivals – (I have a lot of books that I have been gifted or that I pick up somewhere and they get put on my “oh I’m so excited about this shiny new book” shelf… and then of course don’t actually get read.): 171 (holding steady)

Current Reads

Getting towards the end of the month, so not quite as many buddy reads going on.

• Almost done with Middlemarch – fewer than 50 pages to go!!
• Walden… kind of… I’m struggling with this one so I haven’t read it in a few days lol
• By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder – we finished Plum Creek and just started this one yesterday.  It’s probably the book I remember the least about so I’m interested to read it again.
• The Healing Woods by Martha Reben – my grandparents loaned me this one, a memoir written in the 50s – Martha suffered from tuberculosis and spent a spring-fall living in a tent in the Adirondacks.

Last Time on “Up Next”

Did I actually read my probable next five reads from last time?

• The Girl in the Tower and The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden – yes!! I really enjoyed this trilogy (I was in the midst of reading the first book, The Bear and the Nightingale, when I wrote my last Rearview Mirror post)
• The Magnolia Palace – yes!  I enjoyed but didn’t adore this historical fiction.
• The Black Stallion – yes!  This was a childhood favorite and I loved rereading it for the millionth time.
• The Last Garden in England – nope!  Still on the shelf and I may not get to this one this month after all

Up Next…

My probable next five reads…

• Dragonshadow and Flamebringer by Elle Katharine White – I just finished the first book in this trilogy, Heartstone, and quite enjoyed it.  It’s Pride and Prejudice set in a fantasy world with dragons and other magical creatures.  I’m really looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here, since we’ve covered the main P&P events in book one.
• The Girl and the Stolen Fiddle by Stephanie Julia Gibson – a friend of a friend actually wrote this, so my friend loaned it to me. I don’t really have any idea what it’s about, but it’s short, so we’ll see what happens haha
• The Ace of Hearts by Ashtyn Newbold – my sister got this historical romance series, so I’m going to give it a whirl
• Witch’s Business by Diana Wynne Jones – my next random TBR pick

And that’s a wrap for October!!  Maybe one of these days I’ll even write reviews for books I read THIS year!  :-D

October Minireviews // Part 4

Last batch for October!! Still less than six months behind LOL

A Horse Called Mystery by Majorie Reynolds – 4*

//published 1964//

This is one of those older books that has been on my shelf forever.  I know I read it as a kid, but couldn’t really remember anything about it.  Owlie (so-called because of his glasses) is a bit scrawny and a bit of a target for the local bully.  He’s been saving his money to buy a bicycle, but on his way into town he sees a horse being mistreated and impulsively uses all his money to purchase it.  The rest of the book is about Owlie and the horse (Mystery) growing stronger together, and Owlie learning how to handle other people trying to manipulate and bully him.  This is one of those delightful books that has a lot of lessons without feeling remotely preachy.  I especially loved Owlie’s dad, who is an amazing role model.  Owlie’s mother is deaf/mute, and this is also handled so well throughout the story.

While this didn’t become my new favorite book forever, it definitely stayed on my shelf for a future reread.

Only a Monster by Vanessa Len – 4*

//published 2022//

This one was a surprise win for me.  Frequently, I find the OwlCrate books to be a bit meh, but this one was innovative and engaging.  The world-building was fun, the main character actually an interesting and likable person, and the story fairly well-paced.  I did feel like the ending was a bit rushed/too tidy.  I know that this is actually going to be a trilogy, but in some ways I didn’t exactly like where this one ended.  Still, I’m very interested to see what happens in the next book, which I do believe is coming out this year!!

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware – 3*

//published 2017//

I’m quite behind on Ware’s books, but the ones I’ve read I’ve enjoyed, although none of them have been ones I saw myself rereading time and again, as the characters generally manage to be quite unlikable.  Such was the case here.  There was an intriguing set up, but everyone in this book was just dreadful.  And while the atmosphere was good, I was never shocked or surprised by anything that happened, which meant the entire story felt rather draggy.  It wasn’t a terrible read, but definitely not a great one.

A Dog on Barkham Street by M.S. Stoltz – 3*

//published 1960//

Another older book that I picked up on the cheap somewhere, drawn in by the delightful illustrations by Leonard Shortall. However, this one just didn’t work for me.  I wasn’t really a fan of how the whole bullying situation was handled.  While the main character, Edward, is physically attacked and pushed around by Martin, Edward in turn frequently retaliates/starts conflict by calling Martin names and making fun of him.  I wasn’t sure who was bullying who.  Edward’s dad talks about how Martin is the way that he is because people in his life are mean to him, but everyone just kind of acts like oh well, guess Martin’s dad beats him up, nbd; and at the least Edward’s dad doesn’t even seem all that fussed that his son is mocking someone else.  I don’t know, it just felt a little stereotypical without a lot of resolution.  This was a short, fast middle grade read that is in the giveaway box now, adorable Shortall illustrations notwithstanding.

The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston – 3.5*

//published 2013//

This was one that I was planning to rate higher until the last few chapters went off the rails.  Meg’s family is in the witness protection program, and she barely remembers her real name any more.  She’s tired of her life being upended at a moment’s notice, but her dad refuses to tell her what he’s done to put their family in this situation.  The pacing was good here and the writing engaging.  I really did want to find out what was going on with Meg and her family, and there was definitely a lot of “who can you trust” done really well.  However, in the end Meg acts like a wildly stupid teenager, to a level of completely unbelievable, and it really lowered my overall enjoyment of the book.

While My Pretty One Sleeps by Mary Higgins Clark – 4*

//published 1989//

Ethel isn’t particularly well-liked: she writes exposé books about various rich and well-connected individuals, so when she winds up murdered there are plenty of suspects from which to choose.  But Neeve Kearney, who owns an upscale fashion boutique, had a genuine soft spot for Ethel, one of her best customers who has become a friend.  Neeve is drawn into the investigation, and as things progress, realizes that this murder seems to have some startling parallels to the murder of Neeve’s mother several years earlier.  This was a great mystery from Clark with likable (and unlikable) characters, good motivations from various suspects, and an intelligent MC in Neeve.  However, as usual, the love story aspect leaves quite a bit to be desired, and a few of the twists towards the end felt like a bit of a stretch.  Still, on the whole I liked this one and can see myself rereading it again someday.

October Minireviews // Part 3

Despite being super busy at the orchard in October, I weirdly got in a lot of reading.  So here is another batch of reviews!!

Our House by Louise Candlish – 3.5*

//published 2018//

This one had such an engaging premise.  Bram and Fi are taking the “mature” course by following a modern co-parenting technique instead of a traditional divorce – they’ve kept their house and also rented a small apartment, and they take turns staying one place or the other, while their son is able to stay in his house all the time – the “bird’s nest” method.  Except one day Fi comes to her house after a few days not there to find total strangers moving in.  Bram is missing, and now no one seems to know what is going on.

This one kept me engaged and reading, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending, so it brought my overall enjoyment down a bit.  Still, a solid thriller with some fun twists.

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd – 3.5*

//published 2022//

Sometimes I read a book and wish it were a lot better, and this was one of them.  The concept here is absolutely fabulous, but the inconsistency in the world/magic-building was just dreadful.  There were so many things that didn’t match up, so many people whose motivations were never remotely explained, and just – it was close to being this big win but ended up being flat, despite me wanting to love it, because I LOVE MAPS and the idea of magic maps was just completely intriguing to me.  I don’t have to have every single thing about a magical system explained to me line-by-line, but there needs to be consistency and in-world logic, and that was totally lacking in this book.  Still, I would be willing to give another of Shepherd’s books a try… probably.

Among the Shadows by L.M. Montgomery – 3*

This collection just wasn’t what I was expecting.  I was anticipating a book of ghosty stories, but instead these were all just sad.  Apparently the “darker side” is really just stories with sad endings and sad characters.  Lots of adultery, drunkenness, and death.  Some of the stories weren’t bad, but I didn’t love any of them.

Daddy’s Gone A-Hunting by Mary Higgins Clark – 3.5*

//published 2013//

I’m still working through the pile of Clark’s mysteries I’ve accumulated at random book sales.  However, I didn’t take notes on this one and can’t remember it very well, other than feeling rather meh towards it in the end, since it went into the giveaway pile!

Appointment With Death by Agatha Christie – 3.5*

//published 1938//

While I’m always going to enjoy a Christie mystery, this isn’t one of my favorites.  I just felt so bad for this whole family who has been abused their entire lives by their horrid mother!  It was hard for me to get past that.  The actual mystery is good as always, and I do love Poirot, but this one is just really sad.

October Minireviews // Part 2

More reviews from the depths of time!!

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy – 3.5*

//published 2019//

This is one of those books I kept seeing everywhere and finally read.  It’s a picture book, mostly, and should have felt trite and Hallmarky, but instead somehow came through as just gentle conversations about life, love, personal value, etc. without being too preachy.  There isn’t any kind of story or anything like that, just little snippets.  It was pleasant as a thoughtful one-time read, but wasn’t a book I felt like I needed to cherish.  Definitely struck me as the kind of book people buy to give as a gift to other people, and I don’t exactly mean that as an insult haha

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn – 3.5*

//published 2022//

This book had a super fun premise and a lot of funny moments, but it was one I wanted to like more than I actually did.  The characters were virtually indistinguishable from one another, and the anti-man sentiment was dished out pretty heavily.  Apparently men just lounge around and collect paychecks while women have to WORK.  Also, EVERY woman is just weighed down by guilt about everything because MEN make them feel horrible no matter what choices they make about life.  Sorry, but if you choose to feel guilty, that’s on you.  But whatever.  The story itself was a lot of fun, and I would definitely pick up a sequel if one came out, but it was a little too preachy for me to really wholeheartedly enjoy it.

Meet Mr. Mulliner by P.G. Wodehouse – 4.5*

//published 1927//

It’s no secret that I love Wodehouse, and this short story collection was a great deal of fun.  If you happen to drop in at the Angler’s Rest for a drink, you’ll probably run into Mr. Mulliner, who has an unending well of stories about various relatives of his – something for every occasion!  Some of these were quite silly, as Wodehouse can be, but all of them were quite funny.  Not my favorite collection, but a great deal of fun.

Lady Thief by Kay Hooper – 4*

//published 1981//

I picked this one up at a library discard sale somewhere along the line, because the synopsis sounded interesting.  I actually didn’t realize at the time that it was a Regency romance rather than a modern one.  The author has an absolutely adorable note in this reprint of her first novel, pretty much asking readers to be nice to her because she didn’t know what she was doing when she wrote this one LOL  As expected, then, this one is a bit melodramatic and predictable, but still it was somehow very likable.  There is a second short story included that I also really liked.  All in all, while this wasn’t an amazing tale, it did make me think that I should check out some of Hooper’s later writing.

A Fine and Pleasant Misery by Patrick McManus – 5*

//published 1978//

McManus has always been a part of my life.  He’s on the most-quoted authors in our household; it’s astounding how relatable his articles are.  However, it’s been a long time since I read through his books, so I thought I would start through them again.  For those who don’t know, McManus wrote articles for magazines like Outdoor Life about hunting, fishing, hiking, and growing up in the backcountry of Idaho.  His books are collections of those articles, so while there are plenty of repeat characters and settings, there isn’t really any kind of cohesive plot throughout the book.  As with all short story collections, some are stronger than others.  I personally love his childhood tales the best, but it’s rare that one doesn’t at least make me snicker.  McManus has a great knack for stringing the reader along – you know at some point he’s gone from fact to fiction, but you’re not exactly sure when that shift happened.  If you’re not much into the outdoors or hunting, his writing may not be for you – but personally I think there is a lot of universal wisdom to be found in his writing.

October Minireviews // Part 1

October was busy, but not as insane as August and September, so I did get some more reading in!

His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik – 3.5*

//published 2006//

This series has been on my TBR ever since I heard of it.  Alternate Universe set during the Napoleonic Wars except with DRAGONS??  Count me in!  While I liked this one, I didn’t love it.  The pacing is slow and the main character really got on my nerves as he was so unnecessarily formal and obnoxious, getting all pissy about people not, whatever, shaking his hand right or other equally stupid things.  He was just such a snob and spent most of the book being annoyed because people would say things “wrong” or in a tone of voice he didn’t like.  Like, get over yourself, dude.  But he gradually loosened up and I liked him better when he did.

My biggest issue with this book, though, was the lack of information about dragons.  Considering how important they are to the story, wouldn’t it have been nice to include more information about them?  Their size, how the crews work, why certain dragons are used certain ways?  It was really hard to get my head around the dragon having an entire crew because we aren’t really told how big they are… I guess big enough that several people can clamber about all over them??  There is a brief, unsatisfying appendix in the form of an excerpt from a “dragon history book” that is more or less useless.

However, on the whole I loved the concept and liked most of the characters, so I’ve continued to work my way through the series, albeit slowly.

Mystery of the Jittery Dog-Walker by Robin Gottlieb – 3*

//published 1966//

I picked up this book at a library discard sale in 1997 and while I have to imagine I read it at some point, I couldn’t remember anything about it.  It was a perfectly fine little MG read, but the entire plot hinged on an adult character not “confessing” about something that had happened, and in the end his reasoning made literally no sense to me.  So, after 20-odd years, this one headed off to a new home.

Engaging Mr. Darcy by Rachel Johns – 4*

//published 2018//

I read this one a couple of years ago.  It’s a modern adaptation that doesn’t get too crazy.  I really liked the characters, and felt like the scenarios were adapted well.  However, it’s a really short book, so I found myself really wanting more from the story.  I mostly reread it because the author wrote an series of Austen adaptations and I wanted a reread fresh in case there were overlapping characters to her other books.  Sadly, there were not.  Still, a fun little read.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain – 3.5*

//published 1876//

Continuing to make my way through some classics, I think I read Tom Sawyer as a youth, but didn’t have any clear memories.  It’s also possible that I had never read it, but just saw the Wishbone episode.  All in all, an enjoyable and entertaining read, but not one that blew me away.  I did like the irrepressible Tom, who can be mischievous but is still goodhearted at the core.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte – 4*

//published 1847//

I had extremely low expectations going into this one, as I have vague memories of trying to read it in high school and not getting anywhere.  This time I read it with the delightful PemberLittens group on Litsy, and while I don’t see myself rereading it, I did enjoy it more than I anticipated.  I was concerned that it was just going to be one big long misery-fest, especially with the way the story opens, but the action did pick up when Jane left for school.  I really admired Jane as a person – her strong commitment to her morals, her independence, and her determination to do what was right no matter the cost.  There was one line in particularly that I felt summed her up and that I found so thoughtful – “Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour … If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth?“  That’s genuinely fantastic writing.

Jane’s biggest weak spot was her love for Rochester – that guy was a jerk, and I never could get behind the “love” story part.  Ditto with St. John – I didn’t despise him the way many of my fellow readers did, but he was definitely so single-minded that he couldn’t see anyone else’s perspective.  Not exactly endearing.

All in all, I was kind of expecting to hate this one, but actually found myself completely drawn into the story.  I doubt I’ll reread it, because who wants to revisit dumb Rochester, but I definitely ended up respecting and liking Jane herself far more than I imagined I would.