Review: Dad Is Fat

Dad Is Fat by Jim Gaffigan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jim Gaffigan is a funny dude. His books are funny, and his standup is even funnier. But what I like most about him is how he takes very real situations and finds the humor in them. He's relatable. Crazy life, 5 kids, a wife he clearly adores? He turns it into funny "slice of life" stories. A little on the exaggerated side, to be sure, but that's part of his charm. And he pokes fun at himself most of all, so you can't get upset with him.

Dude, I seriously can't stop laughing. He's ridiculous. Jim, can't wait to see you again in Vegas!



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Review: Death in Four Courses

Death in Four Courses by Lucy Burdette
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not terrible. Probably on par with the first book. And Key West as a setting gives it a different flavor.

Haley is what is keeping me from loving these books. As a main character, I find her annoying. She reads as immature and not confident, and I just want her to grow up. The mystery is fine in this one, and while I guessed whodunit I was off on the why, but that's ok. Honestly, I don't read cozies expecting to be blown away by the plot twists and bad guys. I have a whole stack of thrillers waiting for me that can do that. But I do need to enjoy the main character. Haley and her grumpy gus love interest, Bransford, seem mismatched. Will we have to deal with her sticking her nose into things and him getting mad in every book? Seems that way.

I'll be back to give book 3 a shot. 2.5 stars, but rounding up to 3 because I am in a good mood.

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Review: Talking God

Talking God by Tony Hillerman
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Another great mystery with Leaphorn and Chee - this time we all leave New Mexico and head to Washington D.C. to investigate a John Doe found along the train tracks, interview an activist who seems to have ties to a Navajo family, and spend some time with Janet Pete.

Joe Leaphorn seems to be doing better after his Blessing Way. Glad Chee was able to help him. Jim, however, still is torn between two worlds. I can see these books are leading us towards a relationship with Janet, and I don't know if I like that, but she's better than Mary. Hopefully we've seen the last of her.

I actually enjoyed this mystery a lot even with the huge coincidence of getting Leaphorn and Chee in D.C. at the same time to partner up. And everyone is back home in the Navajo Nation so we will be driving the dusty roads of NM for the next one. 3.5 stars.


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Review: Lock In

Lock In by John Scalzi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a POFM in January, and I am pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it once I got used to the setting.

A terrible disease has swept the globe, causing people to be "locked in" to their bodies, essentially unable to do anything. However, technology finds a way, and now these people can transfer their consciousness to a robot-type device to interact with the world. Or they can join a virtual world and be what they want. Or they can hire someone to let them take over the bodies. Scary? Yes. And now you have the premise of the book. One of the most famous victims of Haden's Syndrome is now an FBI agent, and day one on the job he is assigned a case involving a Haden.

Once you get into the weird future/not future setting and the Haden technology, you have yourself a pretty good mystery with interesting characters. I'll probably read book 2, although the ending left me pretty satisfied and I think this could have just been a standalone. 3 stars.

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Review: Love You More

Love You More by Lisa Gardner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really love all of the twists and turns in this book. Every time I think I have it all figured out, bam. A new twist!

This is another great book with D.D. Warren and Bobby Dodge, but it is also listed as #1 in the Tessa Leoni series. She's the victim/MC/state trooper, and the entire book I found myself rooting for her. She's tough, she's a good mom, and I can see her being best friends with D.D. Alas, it's not meant to be. It asks you, how far would you go for love? For your child? And for Tessa, no length is too far.
There are a couple of places where I questioned her decisions, for sure, but as a raging lioness mother I get it. Plus, it's fiction, so we can all live happily ever after. Or as close as you can get in a crazy thriller.

Really great plot and characters. 4 stars.

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Review: After The Ending

After The Ending by Lindsey Pogue
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It's official. I just don't like New Adult. Even if it is a post-apocalyptic setting. I must be turning into a grumpy old woman. It took me like 3 weeks of reading a few chapters here and there to get through this hot mess of a book.

Both main characters bugged me, big time. Everyone around you is dying, yet you can do nothing but dream about love and nonsense. I guess I would hope to be tougher in this scenario. It's a good thing this book was free. Everyone dying of the plague? Oh, boo hoo, this boy hooked up with someone else and then he didn't pick me for his scouting team. I wish I was making this up, but I'm not. Grow a backbone and focus on what is most important, ladies. You all sucked.

Angst and bad decisions all-around. I hope everyone dies in book 2, but I will never find out, because I can only take so much nonsense.

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Review: I'll Give You the Sun

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I adored this book! I've had it on my shelf to read for several years and finally got around to reading it. So glad I did.

It's young adult, but it isn't. It deals with complicated issues and while the two main characters are teenagers, everything happening around them is drama. Adult drama. We have some heavy themes here with Jude and Noah. Death. Discovering your sexuality. Addiction. Infidelity. Ghosts. And wrestling with your own demons. You have peer pressure, teen angst, and whole host of bad decisions.

I can't say enough about how much I liked this book. Give it a read. Can't wait to hear what you think. 4.5 stars. If I keep thinking about it, I might bump it up to a rare 5 star read.

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Review: The Little Book of Lykke: The Danish Search for the World's Happiest People

The Little Book of Lykke: The Danish Search for the World's Happiest People by Meik Wiking
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I wish I worked for the Happiness Institute. It sounds awesome. Imagine researching happiness all day long.

Lykke is a sense of happiness and fulfillment. The Danish seem to have it mostly figured out, but the book shows how it happens all across the globe. Lots of great statistics and research to back it all up, and ideas for small changes you can make right now to impact your life in a positive way.

Just what I needed for the first month of the new year. 3 stars.

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Review: Whose Body?

Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I wanted to like this so much, but I'm afraid I went in expecting Agatha and no one can hold a candle to her.

Lord Peter is annoying. There, I said it. He drove me nuts with the way he spoke, too. But you know who I did enjoy? Bunter. He's going to make me read book 2. The mystery was ok, with Lord Peter creating a bunch of red herrings, mostly in his mind, and the characters are all pretty well drawn.

It's a 2.5 star start for me, but I will round up because Bunter is one of my favorite new characters.

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Review: Iron Lake

Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

New series for me. I'll definitely read the next one.

Meet my new friend, Cork O'Connor. He's the former sheriff, separated from his wife and trying to figure out his new normal. But you know how it is with these rugged, lawful good types. He can't seem to leave the badge behind. Doing someone a solid, he goes looking for a boy who didn't come home from his paper route and stumbles on a dead judge. It looks like suicide, so he calls it in. And what he uncovers next is a tangled web of deceit and bad decisions all-around.

I liked Cork enough to continue seeing him. I have a thing for lawmen, and he while he doesn't rev my motor as much as my one true love, Walt Longmire, it was still enjoyable. 3.5 stars.

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Review: The Marshland Mystery

The Marshland Mystery by Kathryn Kenny
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another adventure with Honey & Trixie. I have to say, this marginalization of Miss Trask and Regan is not sitting well with me.

This time we have a child prodigy who is misunderstood, and a little spoiled. Trixie, of course, isn't having it, as you might expect. Come on, Trixie, and grow up a bit, ok? She's a child, and you are a teenager. We also have a mystery involving treasure, some dried plants, and an old woman who lives alone on the edge of the marsh. It barely hangs together, folks. I promise this is one you can skip if you'd like because it kinda stinks and Trixie is a little mean.

I'm still giving it three stars but it is close to being 2.5.

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Review: By Book or By Crook

By Book or By Crook by Eva Gates
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Not a particularly strong start to a series, but I will probably read the next one.

It wasn't that I hated the MC, but she has serious family issues. It made her annoying, and I wasn't really rooting for her at any point. To keep her job, to find love, to stay in town. I just didn't like her enough to care. Plus the mystery was loosely held together and I didn't believe the motive for the cartoonish villain.

But...like I said, I'll probably read book 2 someday, because I just can't stay away from cozy mysteries. 2 stars. Well, 2.5 stars because of Charlie.

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Review: The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate

The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate by Gary Chapman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

What's your love language?

I'm Acts of Service mixed with Quality Time. My husband is Physical Touch. After over 2 decades of marriage, we have figured out how to make it all work, but it helps knowing how people need to receive love. I'm not sure how much is nurture vs nature, but in the end, if you care about someone you should be able to show them how they need to hear it. Or maybe that's my Acts of Service showing. Anyway...some good take aways here that can apply to all sorts of relationships. 3 stars.

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Review: The Gatehouse Mystery

The Gatehouse Mystery by Julie Campbell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

More adventures with Trixie and Honey. What a charmed life they lead!

Seriously, though, how large is the Wheeler's estate that they have a deserted Gatehouse on the grounds that people have forgotten about? I'm trying to picture a world where her mother and father didn't immediately tear it down. Deserted, dirty, holes in the roof...definitely a surprise that they let that stand. Anyway, the girls decide it will be their clubhouse, naturally. And then Trixie finds a diamond (Honey immediately can tell it's real, because the girl is overflowing with diamonds, yo). Bad guys are on the prowl, and the mystery is on. Oh, and we get a new chauffeur because my boy Regan hates anything that doesn't run on 4 legs and Miss Trask is busy being a total boss babe.

What will happen with the diamond? Guess you will have to read for yourself. This one is especially stretching the bounds of imagination, but I still gave it 3 stars.

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Review: The Light Between Oceans

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've had this one on my list absolutely forever and finally got around to it. I did the audio and the narrator was decent, if a bit hard to understand in parts. I was hoping for so much more in this book.

I have to admit, I went in knowing nothing but it was a romance set in Australia and it was made into a movie. I didn't know the plot, and I think that actually helped. I loved the intrigue around Lucy, how the secrecy impacts everyone's lives, and the back and forth perspectives. And while it wasn't the best book I've ever read, I did enjoy the story. It drives home how secrets are damaging and sometimes no good comes from the truth, too. Be careful what you wish for.

I liked the ending but wanted to have more the blanks filled in for the missing years. 3 solid stars.

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Review: A Shot in the Bark

A Shot in the Bark by C.A. Newsome
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Well, at least it had dogs in it. That's worth one of the stars.

We have a quirky artist, a prickly cop, dogs, and a serial killer. While that sounds like a solid 3 star read, it really was barely 2. We get to bounce into the mind of the killer, which was an interesting take on it, but the execution was fairly boring. I forced myself to finish. And color me surprised at the twist ending. No, seriously, I was a little surprised, but I'm not sure I'm surprised enough to read book 2. Those dogs are going to have to take themselves to the dog park. 2 stars.


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Review: Abby: Mail Order Bride

Abby: Mail Order Bride by Verna Clay
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The series title says it all: Unconventional. We have a 38-year-old woman, firmly on the shelf. We have a widower who needs a mother for his kids. Abby takes a chance and they all live HEA.

Come on, now. You know that wasn't a spoiler. Why in the world would we read mail order bride books if they all didn't live happily ever after? Nothing too crazy in this one. It has sweet moments, both hero and heroine made it all work and outside of a lack of communication that made me a little crazy it was good enough for 3 stars. I'll probably check out book 2 someday.

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Review: The Governess Game

The Governess Game by Tessa Dare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another fun historical romance by Tessa Dare. Not quite as wonderful as book 1, but still really great.

We have an unexpected, and unconventional heroine. Smart, snappy, and a little weird. We have the party boy, misunderstood hero. A comedy of errors brings her to him as a governess for his two strangely adorable nieces. She's what they all need to turn their lives into a HEA, my favorite kind of book.

Now that I've had time to reflect on the plot and how much I liked it, I'm revising my star rating to 3.5, rounding up to 4. The half star is subtracted because it annoys me when people have misunderstandings because THEY. JUST. WON'T. TALK. TO. EACH. OTHER. Still fun, and I'm sure I'll read it again someday, so 4 stars.


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Review: A Killer Collection

A Killer Collection by J.B. Stanley
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

A real stinker. Unlikeable characters, a plot that barely hangs together, and a unflattering light on people who collect antiques.

The only high point was the ending, and that is saying a lot. I would pass on this one unless you need this book for a specific challenge. At least it is a fast read! 1.5 stars.

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Review: The Happy Valley Mystery

The Happy Valley Mystery by Kathryn Kenny
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Still adjusting to the change in writing styles. If I remember correctly, it evens out in a bit, or I just get further away from the first six books and forget how they read.

Trixie and the Bob-Whites are headed to the most exotic of locations: Iowa. As a midwestern girl, this one hits home for me. I grew up just across the border, Trix. You're gonna love your sheep farm adventure. Uncle Andrew invites the Bob-Whites to stay at his farm while he is in Scotland. Ok...a little weird on the host's side, and kinda crappy on his farm help team, but whatever. They hop on a plane and boom, Iowa, folks. And there is a mystery, natch, about missing sheep which Trixie is bound and determined to solve. Will she? Let's hope so, or no one will buy book 10.

We get some fun references to life in the midwest - 4-H, school dances in the gym, skating on the pond - and a scary flood, plus a little teen romance at the end. Not gonna lie, I've been waiting for this. Still enjoyable, even with the writing change. 3 stars.

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