The Insomniacs
by Allison Winn Scotch
Sleepless in the Diner (3/30/2026)
The Insomniacs is a very original take on a group of people with the common problem of insomnia, although these folks had an extreme form. This band of four ended up meeting at a diner and forming a club to help each other through this ordeal. The participants all had different stressors that had disrupted their prior more normal sleep patterns, and these problems are revealed and examined during the course of the book. Uniting the four is a desire to help the youngest member of the group and resolve her dilemma. Two of the members form a special bond that smolders along until the end of the book when the mystery of the youngest member is finally completely understood and subsequently resolved. The book is particularly interesting in its beginning and end, but it drags a little in the middle. Overall, I would characterize this as a pleasant cozy mystery.
Dandelion Is Dead
by Rosie Storey
A Wild Ride (10/1/2025)
Dandelion is Dead is a very original and convoluted psychological romance novel featuring two emotionally scarred individuals whose individual psyches and attachment developments are on a prolonged roller coaster ride. These two talented and attractive characters are very likeable but intermittently exasperating as they face their own emotional demons, the problems of online dating and clubbing, and their own plus other past and present relationships. My fondness for the book was also an oscillating ride with ultimately a feeling of satisfaction for having taken this literary journey.
A Club of One's Own
by BookBrowse
Helpful (8/13/2025)
As someone who has run book clubs in the past and is now helping run another book club, this book has a lot of useful information.
The Botanist's Assistant
by Peggy Townsend
Educational and Entertaining Mystery Novel (6/24/2025)
The Botanist's Assistant was an entertaining mystery filled with numerous scientific pearls about plants and poisons. There were a lot of interesting characters and plot twists encountered during the course of solving the murder mystery. If you are a science and mystery fan, I believe you would like this book.
L.A. Women
by Ella Berman
"Friends" (3/12/2025)
L.A. Women
This book covers events predominantly 49 to 60 years ago with L.A. as the backdrop at a time when there existed a very different environment for gays and to a lesser extent women compared to today. What hasn't changed is the psychological burden of bad parenting on some offspring and the love-hate relationship between some sorts of "friends", one of whom may have an unhealthy competitive flaw that results in surreptitious malevolent behavior.
The book is focused on the flawed relationship of the one uptight accomplished friend and her more outgoing, naturally talented compatriot. The story sometimes drags because of the featured role of the angst ridden former in the narration of the story. I had a hard time liking or often even caring about this woman, so I didn't particularly enjoy the book.
However, the book is well written and conveys some unpleasant truths about how we have behaved and alas still behave in some ways. Thank goodness we have improved in how our gay friends are treated today.
In short, this is a skillfully rendered portrayal of a certain time in the USA which is well done but unpleasant to look back on. It is also painful to recognize that insecurities still undo once healthy friendships.
Serial Killer Games
by Kate Posey
Uneven Debut Novel (12/28/2024)
This interesting book had lots of twists and surprises, but character development was uneven and sometimes woefully lacking. For example, the lawyer in the story was supposedly a legal maven, but he was a social zero with ventures into the negative number realm. The female lead was difficult to like or even understand, perhaps because her character was revealed in such a haphazard fashion. There were lots of bright and amusing moments in the story, and I believe the author's next effort will be better given the intermittent excellent stretches of the book.
In the Garden of Monsters: A Novel
by Crystal King
Surrealistic (8/17/2024)
The author was inspired by Salvador Dalí's visit to the Sacro Bosco in Italy in 1948. She employs a historical fiction account of Dali's renting the estate containing this garden as the setting for his project of painting a series of surrealistic works that feature the statues of the Sacro Bosco and the protagonist Julia (his model and also artist who can't remember most of her past). In addition to Dalí and Julia, the cast of characters include a handsome, other worldly owner host of the estate, Dalí's unforgettable wife Gala and several other interesting characters. It is a surrealistic, gothic mystery founded in Roman mythology with the model Julia representing Proserpina. There are a number of twists and turns which augment the mystery, and the vivid descriptions of the garden and the Dalí organized feasts further enhance the enjoyment of the story. This is an enchanting book which I highly recommend.
Leaving: A Novel
by Roxana Robinson
Leaving Believability (12/11/2023)
Leaving is a very well written book with interesting characters and events, but it has a major flaw in my opinion. The male lead is true to form in the first half of the book, but behaves in an increasingly unbelievable manner as the book progresses. The character change would have impressed Paul of Road to Damascus fame, although here we are on the Boston to NYC metropolitan areas route.
This would be a decent book club offering for discussion, because its characters are otherwise quite memorable and others might disagree with my characterization of this book's main man.
Above the Salt: A Novel
by Katherine Vaz
Excellent Historical Fiction (10/2/2023)
Above the Salt by Katherine Vaz is a very well researched and fascinating historical fiction novel. The characters are well developed and interesting. The plot is excellently laid out, and the historical material is very illuminating. All in all, this is a top notch read and is highly recommended.
The Continental Affair: A Novel
by Christine Mangan
A Disappointing Ride (7/20/2023)
Henri, a former Algerian gendarme who is now working for relatives in southern Spain, tails Louise, who is running from her past in London and whoever expected the money that she accidentally came into possession of while visiting the Alhambra.
The story that includes a train ride across Europe had great potential, but the relationship between Henri and Louise developed at a glacial pace and fell short of expectations. There were interesting episodes interspersed amongst the overall slowly moving story, but this was not a book that one just couldn't put down. The train ride and the book were disappointing.
The Montevideo Brief: A Thomas Grey Novel
by J. H. Gelernter
James Bond Equivalent in the Early Nineteenth Century (4/22/2023)
The Montevideo Brief features an early nineteenth century James Bond equivalent whose adventures carry him from Europe to South America with intermixed duels, a Beethoven concert, many seafaring battles, imprisonment by pirates and later a very successful venture against them, international intrigue between England, Spain, and France, encounters with the fledgling American intelligence agency and budding navy, and a slowly developing female relationship. There was a lot of good historical data as well as some exciting scenes. However, it seemed more like a screenplay than a standard novel.
Iron Curtain: A Love Story
by Vesna Goldsworthy
What Is Freedom? (1/8/2023)
Iron Curtain is a very interesting story contrasting the freedom of an entitled daughter of a powerful Communist leader in her home country with the freedom of a very financially poor wife of a feckless poet in England. Milena, the female protagonist, grows during the story from a spoiled brat to a very strong woman. How that happens is the essence of the story. I recommend this well-written book.
The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill
by Brad Meltzer, Josh Mensch
Little Known Events of WWII (12/14/2022)
The Nazi Conspiracy is an interesting story revealing many of Germany's plots during WWII to change the outcome of the war. In particular, Nazi involvement in Iran played a very large role in this novel. Nazi special forces were sensationally successful in rescuing Mussolini during a stage in the war, but they were not able to achieve the same success in Tehran due to the efforts of Soviet and British intelligence services. Overall, the book was a nice review of the course of WWII and added some lesser known facts and stories to the saga.
The God of Endings: A Novel
by Jacqueline Holland
A Bloody Disappointment of a Vampire Book (10/29/2022)
This was a very original take on the vampire saga, and it was well written and sensitive. Unfortunately, it moved at a glacial pace and was frequently repetitive and uninteresting. It was a challenge to make it through the entire book, and I can't recommend it.
The Lies I Tell: A Novel
by Julie Clark
Suspenseful, psychological thriller. (3/27/2022)
The Lies I Tell is a fascinating story about an avenger con artist and a journalist who is also on a mission of revenge. The story is superbly told with lots of twists and turns, and it is a fast, fun read. It is one of the most enjoyable books that I have read over the past few years.
Two Storm Wood: A Novel
by Philip Gray
Great Historical Fiction (12/17/2021)
Not only is this great historical fiction, it is also a fascinating mystery/detective story. One gets a real feel for the carnage of WWI. The incredible number of dead left in the battlefields after the war ended was vividly illustrated as were the lives of the trench raiders (equivalent to the German Storm Troopers who started this feature of the war). The bravery and dogged persistence of the Englishwoman trying to find her fiance near where he was reported missing led to the steady unwinding of the mystery of his ultimate fate. There were lots of twists and surprises along the way that enhanced the enjoyment of this very entertaining and educational novel.
The Latinist: A Novel
by Mark Prins
The Latinist (10/25/2021)
The Latinist was an interesting, complex story involving classical mythology, early Roman poets and their mysteries, present day grief, deceit, longing and love, and multiple surprises along the way and at the end. Set predominantly in Oxford, but also in Italy and in the English countryside, the story steadily picked up speed as it progressed. The characters were well depicted and intriguing. Several key events revolved around a knowledge of Latin, physical anthropology, and even an old article in the British medical journal, The Lancet. I was both entertained and educated by this excellent novel which I can heartily recommend.
Smalltime: A Story of My Family and the Mob
by Russell Shorto
The Johnstown Mob (3/11/2021)
Smalltime is an amalgamation of Italian American, western Pennsylvania, mafia, and family histories that come together in an interesting, entertaining fashion. One really got a feel for the hardships that Italian Americans faced in being accepted into American society, and an understanding of why they not infrequently pursued a counterculture life style to get by and prosper. The author does a good job of piecing together the story through historical research and exhaustive interviews with the major players in the Johnstown, PA mob, particularly those pertaining to his family connections. As an historical family memoir, it fulfilled its mission and was educational and fun to read.
The Blind Light: A Novel
by Stuart Evers
Bittersweet (10/21/2020)
Set in England, this multigenerational novel focuses on the interpersonal relationships between two families that started with the military service friendship of the two patriarchal figures. The book starts slowly as the reader is introduced to the characters and their backgrounds. In addition, the short chapters and the jumping around between the characters makes it challenging to truly get into the book until one has read more than one hundred pages. After that, the characters and their interactions steadily draw you in until you feel like you have known these people most of your life. It's a bittersweet story that reminds me of the emotions experienced when reading Stoner by John Edward Williams.
The Woman Before Wallis: A Novel of Windsors, Vanderbilts, and Royal Scandal
by Bryn Turnbull
A Pleasant Diversion (7/23/2020)
The Woman before Wallis was an entertaining, escapist read about a cast of characters who were particularly prominent in the first half of the twentieth century. The majority of these people were neither particularly likeable nor admirable in their behavior, but the story was still readily digestible. I would have liked a more detailed epilogue, but a quick visit to Wikipedia resolved that shortcoming. If you need a vacation from all the problems of today, you might find this book to be a pleasant diversion.
