February Minireviews // Part 1

Oof, I was doing so well and then, as always, fell off the bandwagon!!  Things got really crazy around here as we decided to jump into the exciting project of putting down vinyl plank flooring all over pretty much our whole house!! Ourselves!!  So yeah, that was lively, but we are DONE and it looks FABULOUS! But it took two full weekends and some evenings and here we are haha

And, more importantly, here are some FEBRUARY reviews!!

Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik – 4*

//published 2006//

I liked the second book in this series better than the first, mainly because Laurence isn’t as much of a prig.  Still, the story is rather dense, with a lot of characters to track.  I had to print off a character list – it really annoys me when authors have huge, complicated worlds with a zillion characters but don’t  bother giving any kind of information.  This series desperately needs a glossary, a drawing of how the dragon battle harnesses work, explanations about the different kinds of dragons, and character lists.  I think the main reason it annoys me is that I know the author has to have these things in order to write the story, so why not share so the rest of us can get our heads around what you’re writing???  A solid story, and I am planning to continue the series, but I do keep kind of putting off book three, so that may be an indication of how much I am really enjoying these haha

The Secret Keepers by Trenton Lee Stewart – 4*

//published 2016//

I really love The Secret Benedict Society books, and this story (by the same author) has a similar vibe.  Reuben and his mother are on their own, and struggling financially.  Reuben’s mother has to work two jobs, which means Reuben spends a lot of time on his own, exploring the city even though he’s supposed to stick to approved areas.  One day, he discovers a mysterious device.  While trying to find out what it is and how it works, he gets drawn into a complicated plot as it becomes apparent that he isn’t the only person who wants this item.  There were times that this story dragged a little, or that Reuben made such a cloth-headed decision that I wanted to bop him on the head, but overall this was a fun middle grade read with a likable protagonist and plenty of excitement to keep the pages turning.  And nothing like a villain who can go invisible to keep things scary!

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder – 4*

//published 1935//

I thoroughly enjoyed my reread of this one.  As a kid, I remember thinking it was exciting and full of adventures.  As an adult, I was absolutely terrified by everything they went through!  And sometimes frustrated with the parents who made some decisions that I found a little questionable, all things considered.  It was very interesting to read this with the Litsy group, as a few of our fellow readers were so inclined to take offense at everything that I was a smidge confused as to why they were reading this book to begin with.  While yes, Ma especially had a strong prejudice against the Native Americans in the region (and I realize that they were illegally homesteading in Indian Territory), I was honestly amazed at how callous some of the modern readers were about the very real dangers and fears the family faced.  In particular, there is one chapter where Pa has had to ride to the nearest town, a multi-day journey, leaving Ma and three small girls all alone in their cabin.  Two Native American men come into the house, force Ma to cook them dinner, stead multiple things from the home, and leave.  Several of our readers had the audacity to think Ma had overreacted by being absolutely terrified by this event!  Setting aside race, in what world is it not absolutely horrifying to imagine two strange men, who don’t even speak the same language as you, coming into your home where it is just you and your three small daughters and no way of protecting yourself??  Personally, I think there is simply a great deal to discuss and learn from in this story, as from other historical pieces.  The Ingalls’s story is only one side of the story, yes, but it IS a side and still worth understanding, as is the perspective of the native people whose land was being stolen at the time.  Both are valid and both are a real part of our history.  All I know is that I would have spent all of my time perpetually petrified by all the dangers to be faced!

Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts – 4*

//published 2018//

Wow, this was kind of a tough one.  It’s a great story and I really grew attached to the characters.  However, the material is tough to get through – the story starts with a terrifying killing spree, with three teens shooting up a busy shopping mall.  This part of the story is handled well – it didn’t feel unnecessarily gruesome, but it did capture the absolute horror and helplessness of the victims.  The story then jumps forward in time, focusing on the lives of two of the people who lived through the event – one young man who went into law enforcement because of his experience that night, and a young woman who was one of the first people to call 911 during the shooting.  The biggest reason that I don’t see myself rereading this one is because the whole point is that the mastermind behind the shooting wasn’t actually there that night – and now is going on to kill people who survived that night who “should” have died.  The shooting itself was pretty horrific, but then to watch people who survived and changed their lives after living through it still get senselessly murdered – that was just so hard to read.  It made for a great, suspenseful story, but parts of it were just so incredibly sad.  In some ways, this was one of my favorite of her books that I’ve read, just because it was written so well, with the sensitive material handled deftly, but I doubt it’s one that I’ll revisit.

The Provincial Lady in London by E.M. Delafield – 3.5*

//published 1933//

In completely contrast to Shelter in Place are the lighthearted adventures of the Provincial Lady.  In this, the second volume, the PL has come into some money from selling her first book (Diary of a Provincial Lady) and is convinced by her friends that she should rent a small flat in London where she can escape from the daily cares of life and focus on writing her second book – except every time she goes to London, she seems to get more distracted than ever!  I read the first volume of this series with the Traveling Book Club, and because the same group of us decided to read together again for another round, we chose this second volume as one of our books.  However, this one fell just a little flat – some of the situations felt a little forced, and it’s obviously that the PL has learned nothing when it comes to things like living with her budget, appreciating her life, and not trying to impress others by exaggerating her accomplishments!  I did enjoy parts of this – there were some very fun little shenanigans and whatnot, but it lacked some of the sparkle that the first volume had, and the little undertone of bitterness and discontent that would flash from time to time in the first book felt even more prevalent here.  I’m not sure if I’ll pick up the third volume – although in it the PL does come to America! – and even though I’m reading with this same group of ladies for another round of Traveling Book Club, we decided not to continue the PL’s adventures together.

January Minireviews // Part 1

Well, well, well, would you look at that!  Reviews from THIS YEAR!  Progress!!!

Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca – 3.5*

//published 2022//

This series started with Well Met, in which the main character gets sucked into helping with the local Renaissance Festival.  I’ve enjoyed the other books in the series (although not as much as the first book if I’m honest) and appreciate the creative ways DeLuca finds to keep us on the RenFaire circuit.  If you’ve enjoyed the earlier books in the series, you’ll probably like this one as well, as it has a lot of the same ingredients.  I really liked these characters together.  However, I do always find DeLuca’s books to be quite sexist against men, and this one was true to form, with Lulu constantly going off on mental rants about how all men are inherently jerks.  It also really annoys me how frequently her female characters complain about men objectifying women, while also constantly going on about how hot men in kilts are.  Almost sounds… hypocritical?? My final eye roll for this book was the fact that DeLuca dedicated the book to herself for being so amazing.  I just.  So tasteless.  So all in all a fine, middle-of-the-road read, but filled with those annoying little nags that so often mix into romcoms these days.

The Girl From Widow Hills by Megan Miranda – 3.5*

//published 2020//

This one is a slow burn yet has weirdly addictive writing. As a child, Olivia was swept into her town’s drainage system while sleepwalking, yet managed to survive three days and was rescued, becoming a national story in the process. Years of being harassed and judged (she and her mother received a lot of money as a result of the rescue) has led her to change her name and try to escape the pressure of the past. But as the 20th anniversary approaches, Olivia is finding it harder to maintain her anonymity – especially when someone from her past appears in her front yard… murdered.

The whole sleepwalking thing was kind of creepy; it’s so scary to think that you can just get up and wander around doing things and not know it. I can’t imagine how terrifying it would be to wake up someplace different from where you went to sleep! This added just the right amount of unreliability to Olivia’s account. The reason that it stayed a soft pick for me is that while the ending was mostly satisfying, I felt like a lot of the secondary characters were just kind of left hanging. I wanted more resolution with some of the other people I had come to know throughout the story. Still, a solid read, and I can see myself reading another of Miranda’s books if it comes my way.

Wallace the Brave by Will Henry – 5*

//published 2017//

I’ve followed this account on Instagram for quite some time, so I used some Christmas money to purchase the four books Henry has published so far.  Set in a small coastal town in Rhode Island, it focuses on the adventures of young Wallace, his parents, his half-feral younger brother, and Wallace’s group of friends, especially his BFF Spud.  I genuinely love the warm, happy characters, especially Wallace’s parents, who are perfect.  The artwork is so fun.  My only complaint is that there aren’t a lot of longer storylines – most of the comics are self-contained, which is fine, but sometimes it’s fun to have a multi-comic story arc.  Still, these are just so delightful and I can’t recommend them highly enough.

Very Sincerely Yours by Kerry Winfrey – 4*

//published 2021//

As the star rating reflects, I did enjoy this book a great deal.  The characters are warm and funny, and I’m a sucker for the way Winfrey sets her stories in Ohio and fills them with people who actually enjoy living here.  I did have some nitpicking annoyances with this one, the biggest one just being that I’m over the message that EVERYONE has a THING that is their PASSION and if you want to be TRULY HAPPY you just have to FIND THE THING!!!  I just don’t think everyone has a THING and I also think it’s perfectly possible to be content, happy, and fulfilled without finding that THING.  The weird part was that this aspect of the story was left weirdly unresolved, as it never actually did feel like Teddy found her thing, so that seemed strange.  There were also some inconsistencies with Everett’s character that I struggled to get past.  All in all, not my favorite read of Winfrey’s, but still a fun and fluffy read, definitely above the average when it comes to contemporary romance.

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren – 4*

//published 2020//

I’ve had this one on my shelf for a couple of years and finally got around to it.  It was a really fun romcom, although the fake relationship led to multiple situations where I got serious secondhand stress from the lies!!  I loved the banter between the two main characters and did overall ship them together.  However, Olive herself got on my nerves a lot, especially her tendency to hold a grudge.  There is a point in the story where Ethan sides with his brother instead of Olive.  Later, he apologizes to her about it, and that’s the point where Olive should have been willing to admit that she would have done the same thing for her sister if the situation had been reversed, but instead she acts super snotty about it.  Part of being in a relationship is not just admitting when you’re wrong, but being graceful towards your partner when they admit that they were wrong, and Olive has a LOT of work to do in that department.  This book would have really benefited from giving us Ethan’s perspective – Olive was just a little too abrasive for me to fully enjoy being 100% in her head the entire time.  A fun read, but not necessarily one I’ll pick up again.

December Minireviews // Part 4

Last batch of reviews for 2022!!!

How to Ruin the Holidays by Becky Monson – 3*

//published 2021//

I literally couldn’t remember anything about this book, so I looked up the synopsis, which still doesn’t sound familiar.  My review on GR just says, “Not bad, just boring,” and apparently that’s so true that this book has now been erased from my memory!

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens – 4.5*

//published 1843//

Okay, I’ll admit it: I had never actually read this classic before.  However, I have the Muppet version memorized, and I feel like that should be good enough! :-D  There’s a reason this one is a classic – the writing is delightful, the characters relatable, and the story engaging.  But I honestly do prefer the Muppet version; a good song and dance does jazz this story up a bit, and the Muppet version is actually renown for its historical accuracy when it comes to costumes and sets.  All around a very worthwhile read, but not necessarily one I see myself rereading every year as many do.

A Heartfelt Christmas Promise by Nancy Naigle – 3.5*

//published 2020//

So this one was absolutely terrible and I loved it.  It’s 100% a Hallmark movie on the page in all its cheesy glory.

Vanessa is sent to a small town in North Carolina because the whatever conglomerate corporation she works for needs more warehouse space for one of their other businesses, so Vanessa needs to close down the local factory. What do they make? FRUITCAKE! Makes perfect sense to shut down an actually profitable fruitcake factory a month before Christmas, right? Right!

Soon Vanessa is caught up in all the small-town drama, and falls for widower Mike, who raises and sells beautiful draft horses along with his 16-year-old daughter, Misty, who is also perfect in every way, including the fact that she’s better at business management than most people in their 40s.

It turns out that the factory – thanks to Misty’s suggestions!!!! – actually has become more efficient with their space, meaning that there are now two giant buildings standing empty!!! Exactly what they need for the warehouses!!!! Surely corporate will be pleased to find out that they can literally have their cake and eat it, too, with warehouse space AND continuing the fruitcake factory’s profitable business as well, right? RIGHT???  And there’s NO WAY that ANYONE will misunderstand Vanessa’s motives, right??  RIGHT???

Look, if you’re thinking about reading this, it’s because you like cheesy Christmas romances. If you like cheesy Christmas romances, you’ll probably enjoy this one. It wasn’t my favorite; a solid 3.5* from me, but it was perfectly entertaining, if 100% predictable a smidge ridiculous.  It was great for a one-off read and also lovely to pass on to someone else for their holiday entertainment this coming Christmas.

Hidden Riches by Nora Roberts – 4*

//published 1994//

In order to wrap up the 1982-2022 challenge, I needed a 1994 book, so I turned to Roberts’s backlist and found this not-Christmasy tale.  I actually really enjoyed this one.  Dora owns an upscale antique shop and frequently looks for specific items for repeat customers.  When Dora buys some things at an auction, she has no idea that they weren’t supposed to be in the sale – they were sent there by accident and actually house hidden, stolen, smuggled items inside of them – items the real (criminal) buyer is quite anxious to get back.  Thankfully, Dora’s new neighbor happens to be an ex-cop, just the kind of guy you want to have around when things start getting crazy.

I loved Dora’s family – they added some levity to the intensity of the rest of the story.  Roberts generally does romantic suspense very well, and this was pretty typical fare. There were a few side-character murders that made me kind of sad, though.  Still, all in all a solid read.

The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay – 4*

//published 1936//

I love a good cozy mystery where the victim kind of deserves to get knocked off, and this 1936 mystery that’s been reprinted by the British Crime Classics really fit the bill.  The family patriarch is a pretty big jerk, so it’s no surprise that tensions are high when he insists that the entire family gather at the country house for the Christmas season.  When he’s discovered murdered, the problem is definitely not a lack of motives!  The pacing here was good and this had that golden age rhythm to the storytelling.  I can definitely see myself rereading this one.

Running Total: Books that I’ve read but haven’t reviewed yet: 82!!!  High/Low: 97/82

December Minireviews // Part 3

A Will and Way by Nora Roberts – 4*

So I had set aside this book with two Roberts stories in it, assuming that with a title like First Snow they were probably Christmasy.  Well, they weren’t haha  However, I did enjoy this one – classic trope where two people who don’t like each other have to live together in a giant mansion for six months in order to inherit the money.  Along with (naturally) falling in love, there’s a suspense element as well.  Nothing groundbreaking, but a fun read.

Local Hero by Nora Roberts – 3.5*

I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much.  A single mom moves into a new apartment.  Her son hits it off with one of their neighbors, Mitch, who ends up also being the author/illustrator of her son’s favorite comic book series.  While overall this was a fun read, I did find Mitch to be kind of pushy, and it also felt a little weird that the mom was so immediately willing to trust him with babysitting her kid.  Not a bad one-off, but it definitely had the 1980s vibe going on.

Loves Music, Loves to Dance by Mary Higgins Clark – 4*

//published 1991//

Another not-Christmas read, this one was to fill in my 1991 slow for the 1982-2022 challenge on Litsy.  The entire premise centers on the idea of people placing and answering personal ads for potential dates, so that was kind of a fun throw-back.  A serial killer leaves behind just one shoe of each of his victims, which is really the only way the police have of connecting his crimes.  This one was quite suspenseful, and since we get some scenes from the killer’s perspective, pretty creepy, too.  A solid installment in Clark’s long list of writing.

Christmas With Anne by L.M. Montgomery – 4*

A little collection of Christmas-themed short stories by Montgomery.  Like most of the short story collections featuring her work, some of these were stronger than others.  A few were a bit on the saccharine side, but many were quite enjoyable.  It did feel odd to include two random chapters from Anne books in this collection – as someone who has read and is very familiar with the original novels, I enjoyed the revisit of these scenes, but if I had never read the Anne books, I think they would have felt a little out of place.  Enjoyable, but nothing that really stood out.

Raising the Horseman by Serena Valentina – 1*

//published 2022//

Not remotely Christmasy, I read this one for the traveling book club.  A retelling of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, sort of, this one had loads of potential but instead decided to spend most of its time telling readers how terrible men are.  I ranted about this one at length over on GoodReads, and am actually going to link you there instead of copying it all over here.  In short, though, this one was just genuinely boring, the characters weren’t remotely believable or interesting, there were a lot of instances where character decisions/dialogue didn’t match up with earlier character decisions/dialogue, and the whole thing just felt jumbled and directionless.  This book just didn’t deliver. The writing was lackluster, the characters terrible, the plot nonexistent, the story repetitive and dull, and not a single moment of Halloween creepiness to make up for it.  Just.  Ugh.  No.

A Wedding in December by Sarah Morgan – 4*

//published 2019//

This is typical Morgan-fare.  Rosie is getting married in Colorado, so her family comes from England to Aspen.  They’re somewhat concerned because it’s been a rather whirlwind relationship – especially Rosie’s older sister, Katie, who is determined to breakup or at least postpone the wedding.  Rosie’s parents have been together a long time, but have secretly been separated for a few months and are planning to divorce – they just haven’t figured out how to tell their children yet.  As with all of Morgan’s novels, my only complaint is that it could have been longer and more detailed.  We have Rosie dealing with wedding complications, meeting her soon-to-be-husband’s family, and fending off the doubts Katie is planting.  We have Katie, who is so blinded by her assumptions that Rosie must be doing the wrong thing that she can’t actually see what their relationship looks like – despite the help of the best man, Jordan, who happens to be hot and single.  And then the parents, who feel like their marriage has just hit a dead end, but since their daughters don’t know that, have decided to pretend to be as happy as ever for the next few weeks, and then tell them the truth about their upcoming divorce after the wedding – but in the meantime, they’re sharing a cabin and Rosie keeps setting them up on romantic dates, determined that they should be enjoying a “second honeymoon.”  There’s some drama, some good conversations, and some fun scenarios.  Not my favorite book of hers, but still very enjoyable.

Running Total: Books that I’ve read but haven’t reviewed yet: 87!!!  High/Low: 97/87

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 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.

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.