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: 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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11/22/63

11/22/63 by Stephen King

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Wow, wow, wow. Hop on those butterfly wings, because we are going on a crazy ride through time.

What if you could go back in time? Would you do it? I don't think I would, especially to change a major event in history. It's just too risky. King spends 800+ pages exploring how unraveling one thread of time could have impact, both large and small. The butterfly effect says changing one thing changes countless others, as Jake quickly discovers. But the past doesn't want to be changed, and Jake has to make a lot of hard choices to complete his mission.

An interesting look at alternative history, journey with Jake back to the 50s and 60s to stop the Kennedy assassination. Its worth the read.






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A Body at Bunco (Myrtle Clover Cozy Mysteries #8)

A Body at Bunco by Elizabeth Spann Craig

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I must be in a mood, because the high ratings and glowing reviews of this book disagree with my assessment. And my assessment is this book is bad.

Myrtle Clover is the worst. She's judgmental, and insufferable, and bitchy to everyone. I would never spend a half second with her. She's especially horrible to her hired help and her daughter-in-law. She seems to be less horrible to her only friend, Miles, but not by much. The best thing I can say about this book is I got it for free. So long, Myrtle. Enjoy the rest of your busybody life of meddling and judgment alone.



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Dead Wrong (Blackmoore Sisters Mystery #1)

Dead Wrong by Leighann Dobbs

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


This isn't a good book. The plot is ridiculous and doesn't make sense. There is weirdness with the cat that is never explained. And insta-love. Really, I tried to like it but just didn't. The characters are ridiculous. If you have this book, I hope you got it for free.

There are so many good cozies out there to read. Stay away from this one. The best thing I can say about it was it was short.

P.S. They aren't witches, and this isn't paranormal. Again, this isn't a good book.



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A Biscuit, A Casket (Positively Organic Mysteries #2)

A Biscuit, A Casket by Liz Mugavero

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Stan is slightly less annoying in this book. But not by much. At least the ridiculous theme song nonsense from the first book went away, and she wasn't doing quite as much "ooh, look at what I'm wearing" during this one.

This series is ok, but not great. The story was fine--it's a cozy mystery, so how bad can it be? The small town setting is cute. I like Jake, I think, but we don't get a lot of insights into him. We spend more time with his cop sister who clearly is as annoyed with Stan as I am.

But again, I don't love this series, but I also don't hate it. 2 stars. Since I'm a glutton for punishment I will also read book three. Yeah, yeah, I know. But you know I will.



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Second Glance

Second Glance by Jodi Picoult

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Coincidence, or fate? That is the question. Picoult is a favorite author of mine and this one doesn't disappoint.

Part ghost story, part romance, part history lesson, we are dropped into two timelines which are intertwined over time. A 70-year-old murder mystery and a modern day story are woven together into a bundle that all makes sense by the end. You end up with a ghost story along with an interesting history of eugenics and Native American cultures that is little-known but worth the read.

Ask yourself a few questions to see if you should read this book?
1) Do you like ghost stories? Then yes, please read.
2) Do you like murder mysteries? This one will keep you guessing.
3) Do you like stories that tie in real-life history? Read this one--it's fascinating.
4) Do you like alternating timelines? This is the book for you.

This is a hard one to summarize because so much is happening, but there is a little something for everyone inside. The strong motherhood story you have come to expect from Picoult with some supernatural twists and turns.





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Tolstoy and the Purple Chair

Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading by Nina Sankovitch

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I love books about books, and I love books about grief. This book covers both.

Nina Sankovitch's sister was diagnosed with cancer and died four months later. In an attempt to work through her grief and terrible loss, she sets a goal to read and review a book a day for an entire year. She and her sister shared a love of books right up until the end, and she felt it would be a fitting tribute to their relationship while helping her heal.

First of all, I'm jealous. I know I shouldn't be since it took the death of her sister to help her reach this goal, but I am. I would love to have the ability to read a book a day. Fortunately the author was a stay-at-home mom during this time and had 6-8 hours of time per day to knock out her books. She has a remarkably patient husband. He sounds great and she is lucky to have him. Secondly, I found so many books to add to my TBR shelf that I may never work through them all. Conveniently the author lists all 365 books at the end so you too can load up your TBR shelf with hidden gems. But mostly I enjoyed reading how she tied the books she read into working through her grief while still being a mother of 4 and a wife of 1. Definitely a book for book lovers!



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Kneading to Die (Pawsitively Organic Mystery #1)

Kneading to Die by Liz Mugavero

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


You know it is a bad sign when the main character annoys you in the first chapter. What is up with all of the "theme song" nonsense? Between that and the constant brand-name dropping and needless clothing / physical descriptions of everyone, I barely soldiered on. Plus, her name annoyed me.

HOWEVER, the mystery was ok enough to finish it without too much eye rolling. I'm down with the whole small-town, organic living, pet loving world. I'm not standing in my kitchen whipping up pet food from scratch with all organic fresh ingredients, but I have enjoyed many a farmer's market in my day. So the setting was quaint, and I enjoyed many of the side characters, even though the author threw in so many that you barely got to know any of them. She did waste half the book on a boyfriend you knew from the first line wouldn't be sticking around for book 2, and that annoyed me. I get it; it sets up the heroine for the small-town love interest in book 2.

This book was just ok. I didn't hate it. I didn't love it. 2 stars.



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Walden

Walden by Henry David Thoreau

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Dear Henry,
I'm so sorry, but your book was not what I was hoping for. I thought it would be a story of survival, of reflection, of getting back to nature. There was a little of the reflection and nature, to be sure. But seriously, Thoreau, you were right outside of town. You were near the railroad tracks. You were BORROWING someone's land. Not exactly roughing it, were you? You entertained friends and really didn't get away from it all like you seemed to think.

I don't think it was you, friend. I think it was me. I went in with high expectations, and came away underwhelmed. No hard feelings?



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Harvesting the Heart

Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It's amazing how your opinions change over time. I have read this book three times. Once before I had kids, once when my kids were young, and now when they are nearly grown. I have viewed it differently and taken something different from it each time.

I have more mercy for Paige and Nicholas this time around, but the real standout for me was Astrid. The first time, I felt I understood May. The second time, I felt I understood Paige. And this time, I relate most to Astrid. It's like I was a different person each time I read it, and I suppose I was.

Marriage is hard. Motherhood is hard. Growing up is hard. Anyone who tells you differently is a liar.

Anyway, Jodi Picoult, I still love your books, no matter what version of myself is reading them.



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LIV, Forever

Liv, Forever by Amy Talkington

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Insta-love and paranormal all rolled into a ball at boarding school. I nearly broke something with the strength of my eye rolling, but it was ok overall. The main character is annoying and unrealistic--a Mary Sue of an artist who got into a prestigious boarding school based on her extreme talent in--get this, COLLAGES. Really? She has bad grades but they want the collage maker to come as a scholarship student? Ok, sure. I'll overlook it, but I'm subtracting a star. Spoiler alert: she doesn't get less annoying in death. The two male main characters are stereotypical, but I liked them both by the end.

Ok but definitely not great. Overall 2 stars of "meh".



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The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry: A Novel by Gabrielle Zevin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I adore books about books! Once a bookseller, always a bookseller.

I'm not even sure what to say about this book because I don't want to give away too much of the plot. A.J. Fikry is a widowed bookstore owner on Alice Island, living a lonely existence above his shop and drinking too much in the evenings, until something happens in his shop that changes his life. Peppered with literary references, smart dialogue, and interesting characters, the community of Alice Island, Massachusetts comes alive (and yes, it's a real place, and yes, I would like to visit it, but only in the summer).

I will admit, I got a little teary-eyed at the end. Don't tell anyone, but I'm sometimes sappy about love, life, and books. And this novel has all three.



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The Winter People

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


An interesting book, and not anything I would typically read.

A story with two intertwining timelines, we journey in the past with Sara Harrison Shea, who was found dead after the death of her five-year-old daughter, Gertie. In the present day, we journey with Ruthie, who now lives with her family in Sara Harrison Shea's farmhouse in Vermont. After her mother disappears, Ruthie and her little sister Fawn find a copy of Sara's diary hidden in the floorboards of her mother's bedroom. As Ruthie searches for her mother, the past and the present collide and the truth comes out.


Suspenseful and a little scary, the story left me guessing at every turn. I don't usually read the horror genre, but enjoyed this one.



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Find a Stranger, Say Goodbye

Find a Stranger, Say Goodbye by Lois Lowry

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Lois Lowry, I love you.

Some of my favorite books growing up were written by Lois Lowry. "Anastasia Krupnik," "A Summer to Die" (sob!), The One Hundredth Thing about Caroline." As an adult, it has been nice to re-read some of the ones I loved before and explore newer books as well, like "The Giver." She's really amazing. Ms. Lowry, if you are reading this, I want to meet you and tell you how much "A Summer to Die" impacted me growing up!

"Find a Stranger, Say Goodbye" is a book about young woman searching for her birth parents during the summer between high school and college. Commencement is a time of beginnings, and Natalie feels she needs to discover this unknown piece of her past before starting college and her adult life.
It's classic, tug at the heartstrings Lowry. Natalie ends up learning more about herself during the journey and grows up a bit along the way.

Poignant and touching, Lowry tells a story that will stick with anyone who was adopted, loves their family, or has felt like they don't fit in. So pretty much anyone. She's that talented.



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Missing: A Memoir

Missing: A Memoir by Lindsay Harrison

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Since this is a memoir, I will try to be honest in my judgments, yet spare the snark for the most part. After all, it's about a real-life family living through a real-life drama; one to which thankfully I can't relate.

Missing is one young woman's story about the 40 days her mom was missing, and the aftermath of finding her body. But it is more than that. It's the story of one dysfunctional family, a messed-up mother / daughter relationship, and of growing up and recovering from an unspeakable tragedy.

Lindsay Harrison is immature, but honest. She doesn't try to make herself out to be the hero, or the one holding the family together. She lays it out there, flaws and all, and it makes her unlikeable. There were times when her bad decisions, immaturity, and rudeness made me want to shake some sense into her. I can't imagine what the family went through during this time. Unfortunately we only get Lindsay's thoughts, and reading about the perspective of her brothers and her father would have made the story more complete. Instead we are stuck inside the head of a pot smoking 20-year-old who seems to need counseling from the years of living with her manipulative, selfish, potentially mentally ill mother. Her POV just didn't do it for me.

This book is just ok. Not great. Not particularly captivating. Something was missing from making it "un-put-downable" for me, but it was still finishing from my "to be read" shelf. Two 1/2 stars.



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