The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives
by Elizabeth Arnott
Secret Lives… (12/6/2025)
The Secret Lives of Murderers' Lives
Elizabeth Abnott
Margaret Atwood once wrote, "Men fear women will laugh at them; women fear men will kill them." Set in California, 1966 with mostly accurate details (Princess phone so old hat by then) this clever, but somewhat disjointed novel unites three dissimilar women (with the common factor of having once been married to a serial killer) in a quest to solve a current serial killer's spree. I felt the emerging feminist element was a bit heavy handed, but did enjoy Margot, Bev and Elsie's development. The murders themselves were intriguing with an absurd but clever solution. I have wondered at times about the wife when a killer is brought to justice. I'm glad the author explored that avenue.
The Heart-Shaped Tin: Love, Loss, and Kitchen Objects
by Bee Wilson
The Heart-Shaped Tim (10/30/2025)
Bee Wilson has done it again! I'm a big fan of her book Consider the Fork and The Heart-Shaped Tin only reenforced my belief in her as an outstanding researcher and author. This far ranging book has something for everyone. My copy has notes every few pages of excerpts I must share with various friends.
Going far beyond a cake pan calling up a sense of loss (an ex husband and a mother), Wilson tackles every day kitchen objects and gives us a whirlwind of snapshots in history: Jacob Chaim"s spoon carved secretly in a World War II concentration camp; protesting Chavez with pots and pans; the explanation of Queen Elizabeth's sieve in a famous portrait, etc. She deals with the whimsical (the Merry Mushroom canisters of the 70's) and the unwanted - but valued - kitchen gifts one receives (hoarding and belated regret for getting rid of items also discussed.) The history of the corkscrew will fascinate my meticulous wine making friends.
This book is chock full of avenues to explore after she's done all the essential research for us. Thanks, Bee.
The Lamplighter's Bookshop
by Sophie Austin
Lamplighter’s Bookshop (5/18/2025)
I enjoyed this book, and initially thought it was above the standard fare, i.e. the sense of the bookshop “helping “ Evelyn; William correcting quotes, and Naomi’s advice from her mother. And who doesn’t enjoy the idea of improving a bookstore? The villain Violet was exquisitely portrayed, and Cecelia and Aunt Clara fit the bill nicely. All in all it was an enjoyable and predictable romance with a spirited heroine and snarly love interest.
The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant
by Liza Tully
The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant (3/12/2025)
The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant
What a rollicking fun mystery as the delightful title portends! With renowned and snooty Aubrey Merritt and inexperienced but eager Olivia as the awkward crime solving duo, this novel rolls along at an excellent pace. Is the case a murder or a suicide? I particularly liked the chapter titles (fun to speculate) and "Ollie's" written questions to herself as she did her very best to impress her new boss. The locale and character descriptions were apt.
Told through Ollie's perspective, possible suspects pile up, while Merritt reveals nothing. I almost cheered when we had a classic reading of the will when Merritt revealed all - much more than a murder…and like Ollie I missed an obvious clue and only get C for deduction skills…but this book gets an A with me. I'm looking forward to a sequel and a long series!
Serial Killer Games
by Kate Posey
Serial Killer Games (1/16/2025)
Serial Killer Games
by Kate Posey
What a fabulous book! I'm already casting the movie in my mind. The book opens within a crowded corporate building elevator with people discussing "The Paper Pusher" who supposedly is responsible for 9 deaths by falling from 9 different buildings within the last 5 years. Immediate suspense is established. We have two different narrators: handsome, but odd man in grey - Jake Ripper, a temporary employee who seems to have a body stashed in his trunk and a mysterious lady in black, Dolores who quickly adds to the mystery.
I don't want to give too much away as the plot twists and unexpected reveals are what keep you guessing, but the brilliant dialogue, snarky conversations, Las Vegas gambling spree, peoples' dying wishes and a macabre Christmas miracle are absolute fun. I found myself rereading passages and admiring the author's handiwork throughout.
The cast of secondary characters are pure gems. Dear Aunt Laura and her profession's warped sense of humor, Grant who is truly an odd person/roommate/pervert (but oh, what living quarters!) Cynthia from HR and Pete, the over zealous, self important, fledgling cop to name a few.
If you've ever succumbed to a True Crime podcast or wish there was more modern romance stories, this is the book for you!
Songs of Summer
by Jane L. Rosen
Songs of Summer (1/16/2025)
This romance novel had a lot going for it: clever "tracts" of music instead of chapter names, witty conversations (especially regarding music), an introduction (for me) to Fire Island. Overall, a charming book with maybe too much being sorted out: girl looking for birth mother, finding also birth father (who didn't know he was a father), two platonic relationships - but wait, one has side benefits and a secret engagement, the other one's parents are marrying, a rich bitch sister with problems, our heroine discovering she's Jewish by birth and attempting to embrace it, false identifies...etc. At times the mist-mash was a little too much. This would be a good beach read.
Jane and Dan at the End of the World
by Colleen Oakley
Quite the Caper (11/22/2024)
The title was a little off putting but the book -fantastic! Even the chapters grouped under specific headings and the bomb pictures added to the suspense and delight. Jane, long married, tired of influencers' dictates, could have been me speaking. Husband Dan's unimaginative plodding along irritates her -especially when she discovers an affair. Why not ask for a divorce while out for dinner celebrating your anniversary? Her 6 year old, not well received novel added to the hilarity as the story unfolded. The serious. climate concerns were handed deftly, and did make one think. This book is a page turner with characters you won't soon forget. Who knew Elon Musk was the second richest man in the world?
Going Home: A Novel
by Tom Lamont
Going Home (11/6/2024)
This book grew on me. Teo's and Ben's up and down friendship-with its occasional hostility was hard for me to grasp. Teo was good and Ben was obnoxious it seemed. Sybil was intriguing )I loved "she was a glanced when it came to mirrors.") as was Joel's dead mother Lia. Vic was the easiest one for me to understand. I'm not that familiar with the Jewish religion and learned a lot. I admired Joel's language and what the author went through to invent it. By the end of the book I was crying for Vic and cheering for the others. Although I had difficulty initially warming up to the characters the book was a good, worthwhile read. I particularly liked the rather open ended ending leaving us free to finish the novel as we see fit.
Follow the Stars Home
by Diane C. McPhail
Follow the Stars Home (5/16/2024)
How could a book that had a historic river adventure on an inaugural steam & paddle boat including dangerous waterfalls, birth, continuing earthquakes, a fire, river geysers, Indians and needy people turned away be tedious? I blame narrator Lydia with her mind flitting around concerns for her father's approval of her husband Nicholas, her children's wellbeing, her mother's death, etc. Daughter Rosetta's every move bored me. I think a good rewrite would make a much better book…or even a movie
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
The House on Biscayne Bay (1/5/2024)
Excellent setting for a satisfying novel: Splendid Marbrisa is built in southern Florida where the well described (and fascinating) mansion has beautiful views, swampy alligators and snakes, and unexpected deaths. I found Anna's story to be much more compelling than Carmen's, and really didn't identify with standoffish Carolina at all. That said, it was a compelling, interesting read.
The Divorcees
by Rowan Beaird
The Divorcees (11/12/2023)
The Divorcees by Rowan Beaird is a splendid novel. I was expecting a cliched telling of various women and their problems (like an old, stereotyped B movie) and instead I got a pulsating, well written plot with two amazing characters: awkward literate and movie lover misfit Lois and entitled, mysterious Greer. Power struggles abound: men over women, women within their social circle, Greer over ranch owner Rita and fellow divorcees. I truly did not see the ending coming! I just may reread this before passing it on to my book club; it's that good!
Delicate Condition
by Danielle Valentine
A Delicate Condition (7/12/2023)
Danielle Valentines's book Delicate Condition is unnerving, engrossing, and downright scary. The cover mentions Rosemary's Baby. Yes, Rosemary's Baby on steroids with Gaslight included. We're transported into the hurly burly current world of overaggressive media followers, IVF woes, B list actors hoping for a break, pushy agents, placating doctors ignoring women's very real pain, and a woman wanting to achieve motherhood. Anna, her friend Siobhan, her agent Emily, her maybe not trustworthy husband Dex, the inserts of short tales of women throughout the ages, mysterious strangers and maybe Anna's own shaky grasp of reality made this book a real puzzle. Who could she trust? I could only read it in short snatches as parts were so disturbing to me. I suspected a crucial plot development but the ending still left me wondering.
The plot is imaginative but the writing is, at times, awkward and unpolished. I don't think my book club would care for this novel.
The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise
by Colleen Oakley
The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise (10/7/2022)
This delightful, intelligent, charming, laugh out loud caper grabbed me from the first few pages. This deft take on “Thelma and Louise” begins with 21 year old injured and angry Tanner squaring off against 84 year old injured and feisty Louise. Amazingly enough I identified with both of the characters - having lived with my grandmother briefly after college and now a senior citizen recovering from a broken leg and kneecap. We were admonished not to quote directly from the book until final editing was done, but that hasn’t stopped me from reading passages aloud to others. I am definitely buying this book for friends. I hope it’s published before Christmas!
The Empire of Dirt: A Novel
by Francesca Manfredi
The Empire of Dirt (6/9/2022)
Although the title is less than intriguing, this novel certainly is. I was immediately drawn into Francesca Manfredi's story of a twelve year old girl's maturation balanced against uneasy family dynamics, a strange curse hovering over her home, "the blind house," and the problems associated with best friend/boyfriend at that young age. This book swerved back and forth from religious to sensual to ghastly incidents with aplomb. The final words of a "microscopic vengeance…a silent inheritance somewhere in the genes, unfurling in its own time," left me pondering much more than this story.
Flesh & Blood: Reflections on Infertility, Family, and Creating a Bountiful Life: A Memoir
by N. West Moss
Flesh & Blood (8/13/2021)
I was surprised how readable and relatable this book is despite my life experiences being completely different. No wallowing in self pity - just a straightforward account of her miscarriages and underlying disease, leading to surgery, supplemented by musings on nature, life/death, religion, ancestry, with humorous - often hilarious -thought waves breaking through it all.
I appreciated the medical details and definitions, envied the mother/daughter relationship, and wished I had known Grandma Hasting. The trip to Holland echoed some of my mishaps abroad. I especially liked the poetic flavor that rose to the surface of the book - and the recipe, too!
Ruthie Fear: A Novel
by Maxim Loskutoff
Ruthie Fear (5/31/2020)
This is not the book to read during a pandemic, recession, rioting time. I felt it was a quasi Jungle Book/HillBilly Elegy take on motherless Montana native Ruthie Fear, daughter of hardscrabble Rutherford.
From her early years she has a mighty battle against nature, others, and yes, herself. The dedication warns of the part wolves will play throughout as our grey-yellow eyed heroine confronts (among other things) prejudice against Salish Indians, local job loss and economic woes, climate change, encroaching development, billionaire's playgrounds, a bio-chem lab (generating conspiracy theories among the locals), gender discrimination, brain damage from professional sports, timelessness, and much more.
The writing is well-crafted but the sheer totality of its message made it a hard book for me to read. The conclusion seemed the only possible way to end all the many problems.
Miss Austen
by Gill Hornby
Miss Austen (2/14/2020)
What a wonderful step into the world of Cassandra Austen - and sister Jane. I was thoroughly delighted with Hornby's rendering of Jane and Cassie's lives. I have read other "Austen-add on's" and this one -by far- captures (what I perceive to be) the sisters' relationship - and the plight of the unmarried woman in 18th century England. It's fun to see Jane as a little "snarky" at times and Cassie's inner thoughts contrasting with her outward behavior. All in all, a great read!
Patsy: A Novel
by Nicole Dennis-Benn
Patsy (6/11/2019)
I knew nothing about this book other than it had a bright cover when I packed it and headed out on a trip. From the beginning I was drawn in. The Jamaican dialect, daughter Tru, balancing wants and needs, and Patsy's plight(s). I was unsure how my companions would feel about immigrants and lesbians but at one point I HAD to share the story, and one of the best discussions ever evolved. One friend shared that her daughter was a lesbian and had kept it secret from us. Another rethought her views on immigration policies. And what it means to be a mother was, of course, the hot topic. This book should fare well in book clubs. Patsy and Tru make lasting impressions.
The Family Tabor
by Cherise Wolas
The Family Tabor (4/14/2018)
Cherise Wolas has done it again. Her strong, evocative writing immediately pulled me in. The Family Tabor explores the paths Harry, Roma, Phoebe, Camille and Simons' lives are taking…and the paths they NEED to take. Memory suppression, avoiding acknowledging an inner hunger, presenting a less than true self to family members – so much is tackled and obtained in this book. Wolas has an in depth understanding of human nature. In addition, I learned much about the Jewish religion and child psychology. Kudos…and I enjoyed the nod to her first book in Phoebe's reading material.
Other People's Houses
by Abbi Waxman
Other People's Houses (11/25/2017)
I have mixed feelings regarding this book. Opening it I was delighted to see the cast of characters (always a plus) and then, joy of joys, a neighborhood map! Frances Bloom, the linchpin of the book, is immediately identifiable as "the reliable one" whose thought processes – both witty and, at times, profound – strike a chord of recognition with anyone who has ever been married or a parent.
scenario and by page seven any voyeur's appetite is whetted. The novel is off and running with an excellent start!
It held my interest…for a while. Then I found it to be rather ho-hum. The various parents (and their problems) are paraded out. I never felt (with the exception of Charles) their joy or pain. Many of the conversations seemed contrived, not distinctive to the character and, forgive me, too heavy on the fucks, shits and babes, just as none of the children's voices rang true.
And yet I did care about Frances. And Bill's situation. The others? Not so much. Still, there were stretches where I thought, "Hey, this is good!" As I said, I have mixed feelings.
