Book Recommendation – The Mistletoe Mystery

I noticed something over the past few weeks. Many of the “reader” bloggers that I follow spend the weeks leading up to Christmas reading holiday themed books. I had added some of those books to my “To Read” list and actually got to read some of them.

Not too long ago, I saw that there would be a “holiday” novella about Molly the Maid out this year. I enjoyed the first two books in the series, so I added it to my list. I actually just finished reading it.

This is a book that can be enjoyed whether or not you are familiar with the rest of the series. Knowledge of the series and Molly’s idiosyncrasies helps you understand her thinking a bit more.

Anyway, before I go into my thoughts, here is the Goodreads Synopsis:

Molly the Maid has a whole new mystery to solve in this heartwarming novella from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid and The Mystery Guest.

Molly Gray has always loved the holidays. When Molly was a child, her gran went to great lengths to make the season merry and bright, full of cherished traditions. The first few Christmases without Gran were hard on Molly, but this year, her beloved boyfriend and fellow festive spirit, Juan Manuel, is intent on making the season Molly’s most joyful yet.

But when a Secret Santa gift exchange at the Regency Grand Hotel raises questions about who Molly can and cannot trust, she dives headfirst into solving her most consequential—and personal—mystery yet. Molly has a bad feeling about things, and she starts to wonder: has she yet again mistaken a frog for a prince?

A heartwarming, magical story about the true spirit of the season, The Mistletoe Mystery reminds us that love is the greatest mystery of all.

I was left a bit disappointed with this one. Don’t misunderstand me, I enjoyed the story. It was a perfect holiday read. My disappointment stems from my expectations.

In each of the two books in the series, there was a murder. Molly is the one who takes all of the clues and puzzle pieces and puts things together to discover who committed the crime. I went into this expecting a murder and there was none. So, my expectations left me disappointed.

I admit, the story doesn’t need a murder. The “mystery” is more of a soap opera type mystery than say a Perry Mason mystery. That being said, it became obvious to me how the book would end and I figured it out (and you will, too) before Molly does.

If you want a holiday story that will leave you saying, “Awwwwww…” and with warm fuzzies, this is it.

3 out of 5 stars.

Book Recommendation – The Christmas Guest

Now that it is officially the Christmas season, I’d like to offer up a holiday read for you. If you are looking for a quick holiday mystery to read, let me offer up one to you. I stumbled on author Peter Swanson when “Eight Perfect Murders” came up as a suggestion on Goodreads. That led me to read a few of this other books (The Kind Worth Killing, The Kind Worth Saving, Nine Lives, etc…).

When I saw that he had a Christmas book, I added it to my “to read” list. It’s been on there since just after Christmas last year. Since all the decorations are up, I thought this would be a good book to read by the lights of the tree.

The book is a novella. It is something that I read in one sitting. It wasn’t as good as some of his other stuff, but there was still a big twist in there which helped boost my rating of the book.

Here is the Goodreads synopsis:

An American art student in London is invited to join a classmate for the holidays at Starvewood Hall, her family’s Cotswold manor house. But behind the holly and pine boughs, secrets are about to unravel, revealing this seemingly charming English village’s grim history.

Ashley Smith, an American art student in London for her junior year, was planning on spending Christmas alone, but a last-minute invitation from fellow student Emma Chapman brings her to Starvewood Hall, country residence of the Chapman family. The Cotswold manor house, festooned in pine boughs and crammed with guests for Christmas week, is a dream come true for Ashley. She is mesmerized by the cozy, firelit house, the large family, and the charming village of Clevemoor, but also by Adam Chapman, Emma’s aloof and handsome brother.

But Adam is being investigated by the local police over the recent brutal slaying of a girl from the village, and there is a mysterious stranger who haunts the woodland path between Starvewood Hall and the local pub. Ashley begins to wonder what kind of story she is actually inhabiting. Is she in a grand romance? A gothic tale? Or has she wandered into something far more sinister and terrifying than she’d ever imagined?

Over thirty years later the events of that horrific week are revisited, along with a diary from that time. What began in a small English village in 1989 reaches its ghostly conclusion in modern-day New York, many Christmas seasons later.

The book was a nice read while I waited for the one I had on hold. It wasn’t like some of his other books, but the twist caught me off guard. Once that happens, the rest of the story all falls into place.

I would have given the book 3.5 stars, but the twist brought it up to 4 stars for me.

Book Recommendation – The Life Impossible

Since reading The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, I’ve come to enjoy his stories. I had been on a wait list to read his latest book, The Life Impossible for a while. I was happy when it was finally my turn to get it

I won’t lie, this was a bit different than his others. It was a bit more … Sci-fi/Magical/Fantasy. I hadn’t expected that.

I almost had to think of this as a movie, if that makes sense. When I came at it from that angle, I enjoyed it a lot more.

Before I go on, here is the Goodreads synopsis:

The remarkable next novel from Matt Haig, the author of #1 New York Times bestseller The Midnight Library, with more than nine million copies sold worldwide

“What looks like magic is simply a part of life we don’t understand yet…”

When retired math teacher Grace Winters is left a run-down house on a Mediterranean island by a long-lost friend, curiosity gets the better of her. She arrives in Ibiza with a one-way ticket, no guidebook and no plan.

Among the rugged hills and golden beaches of the island, Grace searches for answers about her friend’s life, and how it ended. What she uncovers is stranger than she could have dreamed. But to dive into this impossible truth, Grace must first come to terms with her past.

Filled with wonder and wild adventure, this is a story of hope and the life-changing power of a new beginning.

Grace, the Math teacher, tends to talk math a bit much as she thinks. It’s kind of a coping mechanism for her. Some people eat when they cope, she does math problems. Ok.

I felt the characters were “real” enough and I connected with them. The story is one that kept my interest. There were times that I felt the story could have been a Twilight Zone or Star Trek episode, which isn’t a bad thing.

I can’t say that everyone will enjoy the book, I’m sure some of my readers will enjoy it. Tell me what you think of it…

3 out of 5 stars.

Book Recommendation – Viviana Valentine Gets Her Man

One of the hardest things about using my library’s Libby App is the occasional wait. This was the case recently as I had finished one book and was waiting for another. When this happens, I usually go to the other Library App (Hoopla). It is there that I will grab something short to read until my book becomes available.

I began to search for something like a short mystery when I stumbled on a title that screamed “Film noir.” The audio book was a little over 6 hours long. That’s three trips back and forth to work, so I borrowed it. Viviana Valentine Gets Her Man is a 1950’s detective story and didn’t take a lot of thought to get through.

As I read it, in my mind I pictured an old black and white detective movie. There were the occasional slang words (like “dollface”) that added to the “noir” feel. It wasn’t something that blew me away, but it wasn’t a bad little read.

Here is the Goodreads synopsis:

Life as a secretary in New York just got tougher when Viviana Valentine’s boss winds up dead in this debut historical mystery, perfect for fans of Susan Elia MacNeal and Frances Brody.

New York City, 1950. Viviana Valentine is Girl Friday to the city’s top private investigator, Tommy Fortuna. The clients can be frustrating, and none more maddening than fabulously wealthy Tallmadge Blackstone, who demands Tommy tail his daughter, Tallulah, and find out why she won’t marry his business partner, a man forty years her senior. Sounds like an open-and-shut case for a P.I. known for busting up organized crime—but the next day, Viviana opens the office to find Tommy M.I.A. and a lifeless body on the floor.

The cops swoop in and Detective Jake Lawson issues a warrant for Tommy’s arrest. Desperate to clear Tommy’s name, Viviana takes on the Blackstone case herself. When she goes out for a night on the town with the heiress, she begins to learn the secrets behind Tallulah’s life and loves—and discovers that the body in the office is none other than Tallulah’s betrothed. Meanwhile, Lawson is itching to solve his murder case, and continues harassing Viviana for answers—until she’s the victim of an attack by a group of goons hooked up with a gangster named Santino Napolitano, a.k.a. Tino the Conderoga. Tino’s connected to the death of Tommy’s brother, and now he’s trying to get to Tommy through Viviana.

But Tommy’s still missing, and Tino is still out for blood. As Viviana digs into the dirty history of the Blackstone empire, she suddenly realizes the true danger at hand. Now, it’s up to her to find her missing boss and make sure she doesn’t turn up D.O.A.

I plays out just like an old movie and was enjoyable. If you are looking for a book you can get through quick, check it out.

3 out of 5 stars.

Book Recommendation – One Puzzling Afternoon

I had this book in my “favorites” on the Hoopla app for a while. The title intrigued me. I “favorite” a book I want to read and when it is time for a new read, I search there. After finishing my prior books I clicked on the book to read it, but it kept giving me an error. After a few weeks, I typed the title back into the search bar and found it again. This time it had a different cover and it loaded without any trouble.

I remember when it loaded thinking, “Well, after all this, I hope it is good!” I am happy to say that it was a good read, but I had some trouble reading it. Before I get into that, here is the Goodreads synopsis:

A mystery she can’t remember. A friend she can’t forget.

I kept your secret Lucy. I’ve kept it for more than sixty years . . .

It is 1951, and at number six Sycamore Street fifteen-year-old Edie Green is lonely. Living alone with her eccentric mother – who conducts seances for the local Ludthorpe community – she is desperate for something to shake her from her dull, isolated life.

When the popular, pretty Lucy Theddle befriends Edie, she thinks all her troubles are over. But Lucy has a secret, one Edie is not certain she should keep . . .

Then Lucy goes missing.

2018. Edie is eighty-four and still living in Ludthorpe. When one day she glimpses Lucy Theddle, still looking the same as she did at fifteen, her family write it off as one of her many mix ups. There’s a lot Edie gets confused about these days. A lot she finds difficult to remember. But what she does know is this: she must find out what happened to Lucy, all those years ago . . .

I enjoyed this book a lot. I mentioned early that I had trouble reading it. This was not because it was difficult to understand or follow. The main character, Edie, is forgetful. She is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s or dementia. This is where it got to me, and I suppose it was in a good way.

My grandmother had dementia. In the early stages, she would repeat a lot of things. She would have to stop mid-sentence because she couldn’t come up with the right words. She’d forget ingredients when cooking meals. I can still remember us having dinner at her house one day. She told us she thought she was “getting that Alzheimer’s.” My grandma deteriorated pretty quickly and eventually had to go to a nursing home for care.

The thing about this book was that you are getting the story told by Edie. She acknowledges that she is having trouble remembering thing. She relays the frustration involved in that. She is well aware of those “episodes” where she can’t remember something. She also remembers how it felt to come out of them. She deals with them the best that she can.

When she sees her friend from all those years ago, little things jog her memory. She knows that she went missing. She struggles to put the pieces together to get the whole story. She knows that her memory is fading and she needs to know what happened. Thus begins her quest to find answers.

As I listened to Edie throughout this book, I couldn’t help but compare her to my grandma. I wondered if her thoughts were the same thoughts that Edie was having. The struggle that Edie feels as she tries to remember was painful and sad to hear. It truly made me understand how terrible it must have been for her.

That being said, it was a good read. I wasn’t able to figure out the ending, and Critchley does a good job bringing it all together. My only beef with the story itself was that I wanted to know a bit more about what happened next. But that’s just my opinion.

4 out of 5 stars.

Book Recommendation – Local Girl Missing

This is another book that was suggested to me by my wife. Local Woman Missing was a good read. This is the first book by Mary Kubica I have read. If her others are as good as this, I will have to add them to my list.

Here is the Goodreads synopsis:

People don’t just disappear without a trace….

Shelby Tebow is the first to go missing. Not long after, Meredith Dickey and her six-year-old daughter, Delilah, vanish just blocks away from where Shelby was last seen, striking fear into their once-peaceful community. Are these incidents connected? After an elusive search that yields more questions than answers, the case eventually goes cold.

Now, 11 years later, Delilah shockingly returns. Everyone wants to know what happened to her, but no one is prepared for what they’ll find….

In this smart and chilling thriller, master of suspense and New York Times best-selling author Mary Kubica takes domestic secrets to a whole new level, showing that some people will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried.

This was really one of those books I couldn’t stop reading, well, listening to. The audio book was very well done. It is read from the point of view of four main characters. One of them is one of the missing women.

The book bounces back and forth between the present and the events of 11 years prior. As the two time lines move forward, little by little, things come together. I found myself wondering how some of the characters played into the story . Also, what role they may have played in the disappearances of the woman/women.

The ending is one I should have seen coming, but never did. I loved that it stumped me! Definitely worth a read!

4.5 out of 5 stars

Book Recommendation – We Solve Murders

It seems like it has been awhile since I recommended a book to you. This is not because I stopped reading, it is because I was working on features like Share Your Nostalgia or just didn’t have an open spot to post it. So today is as good as any day to post this, despite the fact that I read the book about three weeks ago.

I really enjoyed The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, so this one peaked my interest right away. I loved the title. It didn’t disappoint. Here is the Goodreads synopsis:

A brand new series. An iconic new detective duo. And a puzzling new murder to solve…

Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He does the odd bit of investigation work, but he prefers his familiar habits and routines: the pub quiz, his favorite bench, his cat waiting for him when he comes home. His days of adventure are over: adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy’s business now.

Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul. As a private security officer, she doesn’t stay still long enough for habits or routines. She’s currently on a remote island keeping world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio alive. Which was meant to be an easy job…

Then a dead body, a bag of money, and a killer with their sights on Amy have her sending an SOS to the only person she trusts. A breakneck race around the world begins, but can Amy and Steve stay one step ahead of a lethal enemy?

As the murders begin to pile up, and they begin to look connected, the investigation begins. As things begin to point toward Amy’s involvement in the murders, she begins to look for clues. This leads to her not only trying to piece things together, but trying to stay one step ahead of the killer who’s trying to pin things on her.

To steal an analogy from Shrek, the story is like an onion. The onion represents the mystery and as each layer is peeled back, we see more and more of what’s going on and how it all ties in together.

I really enjoyed this book. It was one that kept me guessing right up to the end. There were plenty of surprises in it and never felt like it dragged for me. I can really see this book leading to a series with Steve and Amy, but it stands alone as a great story, too.

Each character has their quirks and I think that’s what makes them so believable. They are people who I could see hanging out with. Honestly, I hope there is another book in this series, because I want to hear about the next adventure.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

Book Recommendation – None of This Is True

All I can say is, “Wow!” I could not put this one down. Lisa Jewell’s None of This is True was a novel that kept me wanting to know more.

I feel like I should give you the Goodreads synopsis before I start giving my thoughts, so here it is:

Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true crime podcast.

Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.

A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realize that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.

But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat.

Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?

Right from the start, the characters are a bit odd. The podcaster, Alix, seems to be the most normal of them. Josie is a bit creepy, if I am being honest. The more she tells Alix, the more “off” she feels. The things she mentions, the things she says, and the things she does point to a very disturbed person.

With each chapter, you learn more and more about Josie and who she is. The thing is – you know she has done something, but you have no idea what that something is! Little by little and piece by piece the puzzle starts to come together. You get bits and pieces and I found myself wanting to know “what was that about?” “How does that tie in with what is going on?” “Did she really just ask here THAT!?”

The book reminded me of Listen For The Lie, which also revolves around a podcast. But None of This is True was even better, in my opinion. Lisa Jewell really hit it out of the park! It was a suspenseful thrill ride that I absolutely enjoyed.

5 out of 5 stars!

Book Recommendation: The Storied Life of AJ Fikry

I sure enjoyed The Storied Life of AJ Fikry. It was one of those books that I could see it as a movie while reading it. (Spoiler alert: they already made it into a movie).

I listened to the audiobook. The issue with audio books is that you don’t see the words. So I didn’t catch on to what the author was doing at the beginning of each chapter. They would start with an introduction of a book, which was often followed by AJ’s thoughts on them. It didn’t take long to put it together, though. I can easily see myself doing something similar for some special people in my life …

I digress. Let me give you the Goodreads synopsis before I say any more:

On the faded Island Books sign hanging over the porch of the Victorian cottage is the motto “No Man Is an Island; Every Book Is a World.” A. J. Fikry, the irascible owner, is about to discover just what that truly means.

A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island—from Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who’s always felt kindly toward Fikry; from Ismay, his sister-in-law who is hell-bent on saving him from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who keeps on taking the ferry over to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.’s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, A.J. can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly.

And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It’s a small package, but large in weight. It’s that unexpected arrival that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn’t take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J.; or for that determined sales rep, Amelia, to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light; or for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.’s world; or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn’t see coming. As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love.

This was such a great story! As the synopsis says, the heart of the story is AJ’s “make over.” The people he is trying to avoid in the beginning all are so important to this make over. We see a man who is pretty much done with life being thrown a huge curve ball that steers his life in a new direction. As life often does, that isn’t the last bug curve ball that is thrown his way

“You know everything you need to know about a person from the answer to the question, What is your favorite book?”
― Gabrielle Zevin, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

Books, and their connection to each character, also play a role in the story. They also tie all the chapters together.

I was only left asking one question when the book was over. Thinking about it now, it really wasn’t something that had to be answered. However, I was left wondering about the future of one character. Perhaps there will be a sequel, but it really wraps up in a way that fits the story.

I will probably find out where the movie is available to stream and see how it compares to the book . The story is one that I could easily find myself rereading.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

Book Recommendation – The Last Chance Library

I have always been one of those people who has fought for the local library. I believe that they are extremely important to the community. My brother has worked for a library for almost 30 years. He even wrote a guest blog for me on their importance. You can read that here:

Guest Blog: Libraries Are Important!

I don’t even know how I came upon my latest read. It may have been in a list of books that came up when I searched for a different one. The title, The Last Chance Library, caught my attention. After reading the synopsis, I had to add it to my list.

Here is what Goodreads had to say about it:

June Jones emerges from her shell to fight for her beloved local library. And through the efforts and support of an eclectic group of library patrons, she discovers life-changing friendships along the way.

Lonely librarian June Jones has never left the sleepy English village where she grew up. Shy and reclusive, the thirty-year-old would rather spend her time buried in books than venture out into the world. But when her library is threatened with closure, June is forced to emerge from behind the shelves to save the heart of her community and the place that holds the dearest memories of her mother.

Joining a band of eccentric yet dedicated locals in a campaign to keep the library, June opens herself up to other people for the first time since her mother died. It just so happens that her old school friend Alex Chen is back in town and willing to lend a helping hand. The kindhearted lawyer’s feelings for her are obvious to everyone but June, who won’t believe that anyone could ever care for her in that way.

To save the place and the books that mean so much to her, June must finally make some changes to her life. For once, she’s determined not to go down without a fight. And maybe, in fighting for her cherished library, June can save herself, too.

I could easily see this book being turned into a movie. It had very distinct and likable characters. I found myself relating to many of them on different levels. It’s hard to imagine now, but I was shy and rarely fought for anything when I was young. I was just like the main character, June.

It was also very relatable. In schools, cities, and government in general, they are always worried about the bottom line. In way too many cases, programs, community events, and such are often cut or closed down to “save money.” The decisions to do this never seem to take into account how it will affect the people using them.

That being said, I was rooting for the group of friends as they fought for their little library. It was a heart warming story that I recommend for lovers of libraries and books.

4.5 Stars out of 5