Review: Chihuahua Confidential

Chihuahua Confidential by Waverly Curtis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Pepe and Geri are back on the case. This time they are in Hollywood performing on the new reality series pilot, "Dancing with Dogs" which sounds silly until you remind yourself you are reading a cozy series about a talking Chihuahua. Geri and Pepe stumble onto a mystery involving what might be Pepe's old owner, some murders, and some dogs in danger.

Not to be taken too seriously, this is a fun, light series. Book 2 is better than book 1, so I'll give the next one a shot. 3 stars.

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Review: Graceling

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Surprised how much I liked it by the end! A bit of a slow build up, but I ended up loving how it came together.

Katsa is my favorite kind of heroine. Strong, smart, and flawed. The supporting cast is good, too. Po and Bitterblue help make Katsa who she is by the end. And she is flawed, to be sure. There were times in the book where I wanted to shake her. She has some messed up ideas about marriage, and love, but I'll give the girl a pass because of how she was raised. And the grace system is interesting, so I'll eventually read the other two books. Rounding up my 3 1/2 stars to 4 because I'm sappy and I loved Po.

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Review: A Superior Death

A Superior Death by Nevada Barr
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Road trip time! Pack your backpacks, kids, because we are headed from Guadalupe Mountains National Park to Isle Royale.

My favorite park ranger, Anna Pigeon, has been relocated from Texas to the cold shores of Lake Superior. She's enjoying the solitude, making a few friends, and still holding people at arm's length. But it's cool, because she's her own woman. Love her. She gets to drive boats around, do some shipwreck diving, and, best of all, no snakes in this one! A good mystery to unravel and same old Anna you know and love. 3 stars.

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Review: The Girl with All the Gifts

The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Totally not what I was expecting! I don't want to spoil you, because the book blurb is deliciously vague. Just enjoy your journey with Melanie, said Girl with All the Gifts, and let the story unfold.

It hits all of the good ingredients for me. Dystopian / post apocalyptic tale of survival, with a mysterious build-up and a VERY satisfying ending. I know some of you will disagree, but I liked it. 3 1/2 stars, and I think it would make a cool movie.



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Review: The Secret of Chimneys

The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another great mystery from my girl Agatha. This one introduces us to Superintendent Battle, a level-headed bloke who isn't easily fooled. I like him quite a bit. You know who else I like? Anthony Cade, good-hearted free-spirit, traveling the globe and helping out damsels in distress. He's great.

You get some great Christie twists in this one. She really was the best. Sit back and enjoy the ride, because she will fool you at every turn, and you get a satisfying ending, as usual. 4 stars

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Review: Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

What a miserable collection of terrible people. Just simply the worst. Rarely am I so glad to get to the end of a book. I need at least one redeemable character, so I slogged on until the end, to be left wanting.

Glad to cross this classic off my list and move on to happier things! Well written but not enjoyable. 2 stars for longevity. No stars awarded for entertainment value.

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Review: The Icing on the Corpse

The Icing on the Corpse by Liz Mugavero
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

More Stan. She's a bit less annoying in this one. Still not a good listener, though. And totally insecure about her relationship with Jake. And his sister. I'm over their nonsense.

The mystery was a bit ridiculous, as you might expect. I mean, there is a dog wedding on the cover, so you shouldn't go in expecting War and Peace. But if you like animals, cozy mysteries, and don't mind ridiculous hi-jinks, you'll have fun with this series.

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Review: The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm of two-minds about this book. I mean, it's time travel / reincarnation. I like that. Part spy thriller, part historical fiction, part mystery. All sci-fi. But the pace! Way too little happens for a book that spans lifetimes. If you go in with managed expectations, you should enjoy the ride.

But an interesting premise and I loved the ending. The ending saved it for me. Three stars.

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Review: Rise of the Wraiths: A Post-Apocalyptic Tale

Rise of the Wraiths: A Post-Apocalyptic Tale by Matthew Eliot
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Call me a masochist, because here I am reading book 2 after giving book 1 one star. You can yell at me later.

A charlatan comes to town claiming to heal the wraiths affected by the meteor storm. But can he? Probably not, otherwise we wouldn't have a book three (which I will not be reading). And we still have the dude stuck in NORAD-lite. And the dumb kids, and the faithless priest. It's very predictable and I have nothing good to say about it or myself for reading it.

The end. Here's to hoping another storm comes and finishes the whole lot off.

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Review: IMPACT: A Post-Apocalyptic Tale

IMPACT: A Post-Apocalyptic Tale by Matthew Eliot
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

When will I learn to not get book 2 until I have read book 1? Never, apparently.

Continuing my post-apocalyptic, survival story jam I have going, I picked up books 1 and 2 in the IMPACT series. You see, a meteor storm has pummeled the earth and now there are wraiths roaming around, causing havoc. It's like they are zombies, but they aren't. It's a little confusing and the world building isn't the best. Anyway...

We have three distinct storylines happening. We have our friends in a NORAD type installation. We have a priest struggling to retain his faith in a world gone out of control, and we have two young kids who are really written poorly. In some scenes they act like they are 25 and in others they act like they are 10. Uneven writing all-around, really, but Alice and Adrian drove me nuts the most.

Not so much survival as doom and gloom. Not worth the time. Unless you are a dummy like me and get book 2 when you get book one and are a glutton for punishment.

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Review: Hot Money

Hot Money by Dick Francis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another fantastic everyman mystery by my boy Dick Francis. Man, I just loved him so much.

This one focuses of family, the heavy burden of being wealthy, and how your upbringing can mess you up, big time. Malcolm Pembroke collects wives and kids like he does money--that is to say he has a lot of all three. And they are dysfunctional, natch, like you would expect. Enter everyman good bloke and amateur jockey, Ian. Son number 3 (I think) out of nine. He's honest, and forthright, and saves the day like I expected him to, because that's what Francis wrote best.

This is a really good one for family dynamics, a twisted plot, and unexpected results. 4 stars and a thumbs up to old Dick.


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Review: Squall

Squall by Sean Costello
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was on a survival kick, and picked this one up for free. Probably a good thing. I mean, it's not terrible, but it didn't earn the third star.

Drugs. Bad decisions. Remote setting. Mary Sue and Gary Stu people caught up in the middle of some bad things. Very bad things. With very bad people. Implausible in parts, ridiculous in others, I still gave it the 2 star "it was ok" rating because, in the end, I was entertained more than I was rolling my eyes.

The ending was cheesy, but I still thought it was ok.

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Review: Two Winters in a Tipi: My Search for the Soul of the Forest

Two Winters in a Tipi: My Search for the Soul of the Forest by Mark Warren
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love soul-searching, back to nature stories. While this didn't necessarily scratch that itch for me, it was a decent read.

Imagine losing everything, and I mean nearly everything, in a house fire. That novel you were working on? Gone. Your clothes? Gone. Your beloved books, trinkets, and keepsakes? Gone. Mark Warren lost everything, and rather than go into debt trying to replicate his old life, he rebuilt it from the ground up. An outdoorsman and educator by trade, he built a tipi and lived in it while he connected with the land and reconnected with himself and what was most important.

A bit preachy and new-agey in places, it was still a satisfying read. 3 stars.

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Review: Henry VIII’s Wives: History in an Hour

Henry VIII’s Wives: History in an Hour by Julie Wheeler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

History in an Hour series: short reads to enhance your knowledge about a subject in under an hour. More like 20 minutes for this one.

Tough gig, being the wife of Henry VIII. As the rhyme goes: Divorced, Beheaded, Died. Divorced, Beheaded, Survived. No thanks, Henry. I've seen the Holbein paintings. You were not much of a catch. Too much pressure to produce a male heir. Too much infidelity and Royal Court nonsense. I wouldn't have done well in that time. Too much sass in me.

Straightforward information about each of the six wives. A good primer to get you started.

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Review: The Big Tiny: A Built-It-Myself Memoir

The Big Tiny: A Built-It-Myself Memoir by Dee Williams
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love tiny houses. I want to build one and live in it. My husband, who is a giant, does not share my love of small spaces. You see, he's over a foot taller than me, and would not like to live in the small box Dee Williams designed for herself and her dog.

A house on wheels? Yes, please. Then you can hit the road and go where the four winds take you. (Not literally, because I don't think this house would stand up to a tornado, but you take my point.) Sometimes life makes you stop and listen. The author had some health issues that made her take a different path. For some people it's tragedy. For some it's grief. For some it's a close call or a glimpse of someone else's horror. Whatever causes the wake-up call, more people need to hear it. Life is too short. Are you living the life you want?

She is a free-spirit, a vagabond, and thinks differently than most of the world. I like that. Dee, if you are reading this, I want to hang out on your front stoop and chat. I'll bring the coffee.

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