Fat Girls Hiking by Summer Michaud-Skog

A really good book if you are not white and superfit. Actually, even then. This book explores the nuances of doing athletic things (focus on hiking but including kayaking, climbing,yoga, backpacking, etc.) even if you don’t fit the “athletic” body type. 

With stories of real people interwoven with the author’s own experiences, you get a gamut of the experiences “nontraditional” hikers have had being out on the trails. Each of the interstitials also include a favorite hike with information about bathrooms, ADA-compliance, distance, elevation gain, address, and how to find the trailhead.

Three and a half stars

This book came out March 29, 2022

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Grand Tour by Patricia C. Wrede, Caroline Stevermer

Cecy and Kate are off on another magical adventure. This time they're on their honeymoon traveling around Europe. What should be a relaxing trip turns into something more when Thomas' mother is roped back into helping her old friends. Somebody drops off a magical package that someone else promptly tries to steal. It turns out that there are forces that seem to be agitating for the return of Napoleon to the throne and they are turning to magical means to do it.

A nice addition to the series. I'd be interested to see how this was shelved/categorized because this is a series about Young People but there are some more adult themes. My own inclination would be more toward the young adult but who knows?

Four stars

This book came out September 1st, 2004

Follows Sorcery & Cecelia

Followed by The Mislaid Magician; or, Ten Years After

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Brave, Not Perfect: Fear Less, Fail More, and Live Bolder by Reshma Saujani

 This is a message that has come out more and more since 2012; women have been taught to be perfect but we really need to be more brave. And that's hard because a lot of society doesn't want us to be. But there are ways to train ourselves (and upcoming generations) on how to makes sure that our sense of needing to be 100%before we try to be outweighed by our need to do the fun thing, the scary thing, the things that frighten us. 
For me, the most useful section was the one on ways to be braver. There are the ones that are obvious (at least to me) about taking care of yourself and examining which outcomes scare you more. Then there are the ones that scare me: asking for criticism and surrounding yourself with rejection. Ufda.

Four stars
This book came out February 5th, 2019

Borrowed as an ebook from the library

Opinions are my own

The Bilbao Looking Glass by Charlotte MacLeod

Sarah and Max are still trying to finalize their relationship. Sarah's cousin and his new wife have taken over running her boarding house so she's at the summer home and Max has come with her (but he is staying circumspectly in the carriage house.)  Too bad the "summer folks" have decied to stick their noses in Sarah's business even to the point of convincing her rather flighty and flittering aunt to show up early so the pair don't get the alone time they were hoping for. Max and Sarah go to a party where Alice B., the companion of one of the wealthiest women, drops a remark designed to put a wedge between Max and Sarah. And it works, temporarily, but then Alice B. is found dead, killed by an ax, and a Kelling & Bittersohn mystery starts in earnest.

There is a LOT of anti-Semitism from the "summer folks" in this book; it was in line with the characters that MacLeod created and starts off slow but builds to some truly reprehensible remarks. If you are a regular reader of classic mysteries, the "bad guy" isn't hard to guess but MacLeod does drop in some really good red herrings. And for such a short book, the characters, including those we may never see again (flight Aunt Appie, her grasping son Lionel and his four wild sons, Lionel's wife Vaney who is experimenting with lesbianism (a slur about this is also used by one of the sons), the groundskeeper Lomax and his shiftless nephew Peter.)

Three stars
Follows The Palace Guard
Followed by The Convivial Codfish
This book came out 1983
Borrowed this book from the library
Opinions are my own

Flea Market Magic by Bella Falls

 

I had been listening to the Southern Charms Mysteries and thought I would try this series. I made it through about two chapters but the narrator (who is absolutely lovely) is the same and there wasn’t much difference in the voice of either the narrator or the series so I switched to Kindle Unlimited. 

This first book is a set up for Ruby Mae Jewell. Even from the beginning we know that she is being set up for a knock to the ego as she first takes down an arrogant flea market seller and then the grandson of another seller who had accidentally gotten ahold of a magical object that allowed her to channel magic. The prediction Ruby Mae get says that she needs to be ready for a fall.
I have to say that, especially after the Southern Charms Mysteries, Ruby was fairly unlikable. She has literally every other "good guy" character in the book telling her not to use the crystal ball but she defies them all and uses it anyway because she is just smarter (and more stubborn) than anyone else. I had hoped that after she was proven wrong she might mellow out a bit but it doesn't seem like it. I will probably give this series one more chance just to see if she changes but I have a feeling she's not going to.

Three stars

This book came out October 30th, 2019

Book borrowed from library

Opinions are my own

Lucky the Hard Way by Deborah Coonts

 At the end of the last book, Lucky’s best friend and former lover, Teddie, was in trouble. In 

Macau no less. So, even though she’s just about to open her own casino, Lucky flies to China to go to Macau and figure out exactly what is going on. It doesn’t help that someone just tried to murder Miss Minnie and someone else is putting enough pressure on her recently shot father that he is worried that their entire family fortune is about to be lost.

Lots of action, not a lot of depth. I do like that the love triangle that could exist, doesn’t. Other authors would draw out Lucky’s love for Teddie but Coonts allows her to feel a nostalgic love rather than a back and forth.

Three stars

Follows Lucky Break

Followed by Lucky Ride

This book came out November 18th, 2016

Book borrowed from library

Opinions are my own

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

 Having just gotten out of a relationship, Dani Brown is ready for some good old-fashioned no-strings sex. Zafir Ansari is not a good candidate for that. Yes, he is a great friend. Yes, he probably has a crush on her. And that’s why it wouldn’t work. They just couldn’t be no strings. But when Dani misses the memo about a fire drill and gets locked in to an elevator, Zafir rescues her and carries her out of the building. Because their electricity is so apparent and they work on a college campus, they immediately go viral. Zafir  would like to continue the relationship because it brings money to his nonprofit helping kids by teaching them rugby. Of course, they fall in love over the course of the relationship.
The ending is just a little too pat and both Zafire and Dani are just a little too perfect so this was more of a three and a half star book than tipping over into four stars for me but obviously quite enjoyable.

Three and a half stars

Followed by Act your Age, Evie Brown
This book came out June 23rd, 2020
Book borrowed from library
Opinions are my own

The Palace Guard by Charlotte MacLeod

Max and Sarah have been spending a lot of time together. He has a lot of free passes to various events (at least that's what he's telling Sarah) so they've been stepping out. Too bad an evening of music at Madam's (a building the Kellings have a fraught history with the building's original owner) is ruined when one of the security guards plummets off a balcony to the floor below. One of Sarah's many cousins is substituting in as another guard. He is able to tell them some of the behind the scenes information. When another guard dies though, this time by paint remover put into the alcohol bottle he kept hidden in his locker, it all starts to get very, very serious. 

A quick read - we get to learn more about Max and Sarah and the mystery is sound. Unfortunately, there is some casual racism in the book which made me uncomfortable and I'm hoping it doesn't continue in future books. 

Three stars
Follows The Withdrawing Room
Followed by The Bilbao Looking Glass
This book came out July 1st, 1981
Borrowed this book from the library
Opinions are my own

The Withdrawing Room by Charlotte MacLeod

Sarah Kelling is broke. Or pretty close to it. She is a recent widow and still rather young (at least that's what I am gathering; somehow I missed that this was the second book in the series and felt like I was missing a lot of information. Some slowly trickled in but it took awhile.) In an effort to keep her husband's family manor, she decides to take on boarders. When one of her boarders is killed in a subway accident, it is almost a relief as the man was decidedly unpleasant. But when another boarder dies, people start to believe there might be something more going on. Especially Max Bittersohn who worked with Sarah on a previous mystery.
A good story but I did feel lost for a lot of it. And Max doesn't even feature much in this book even though the series is Kelling and Bittersohn. He shows up halfway through and then is absent, apparently investigating, for quite a bit at the end.

Three stars
Followed by The Palace Guard
This book came out October 1st, 2002
Borrowed this book from the library
Opinions are my own

Witch Hunt by Cate Conte

When the book opens, Violet Mooney is having an ominous feeling, like this just isn't going to be a good day. But her yoga class goes well and the coffee shop visit with her best friend is helping until Carla Fernandez stalks in and accuses her of planning a seance. Violet feels blindsided. And an interaction with an unusual woman at her store doesn't help. The woman claims that she wants a reading but her aura doesn't match the statement. Her day goes sideways when she finds out that Carla has been murdered and Violet's own scarf was found nearby. At the police station, her life goes off the rails when her mother, missing for twenty-seven years, shows up with a sister, Zoe, that Violet knew nothing about.
This is a first book so there are some things that are a little thin like the development of Carla's character, the developing relationship with Carla and her mother as well as her sister, and all of the other people in town that are being set up to be in further books in the series. But overall, a cute book.

Three stars
This book came out June 30th, 2020

Followed by Witch Trial
Book borrowed from library
Opinions are my own

Vultures in the Sky by Todd Downing

During a time of unrest in Mexico, there were a group of people on a train. They were all nervous because of the political issues as well as rumors of religious zealots. Then, there are also the vultures following the train... and someone is killed. Then another person. The remaining passengers become more and more nervous. But Hugh Rennert steps up to get to know the other passengers and tries to discover why a man should have been killed and why so many other passengers are lying.
Basically a locked room mystery, I heard about this book on the Classic Mysteries podcast. The mystery is described there as a fair play story (the readers should be able to guess who the murderer was) but I actually found it incredibly confusing. The book was published in 1935 and the attitudes and descriptions of the Mexicans and women are very much of the time and hard to read in the modern day.

Two stars
This book came out in 1935
Borrowed from the library
Opinions are my own

Enchanted Bones by Carolyn Haines

Sara Booth is startled to discover a young girl while she is on a horseback ride one day. The child is very young, has a birthmark that looks startlingly like a third eye, and also has note pinned to her back saying that she is cursed and that anyone who helps her will also be cursed.
There was a lot going on in this novella (lots of new-to-the-series history built in) but it was still an enjoyable read.

Three and a half stars
This novella came out June 16th, 2020
Borrowed this book from the library as an ebook
Opinions are my own

Lucky Stiff by Craig Rice

She was a side piece but Anna Marie St. Clair claimed to love Big Joe. Yes, she was found standing over him holding a gun,  but she is going to the electric chair claiming her innocence. There's a last minute phone call and Anna Marie is saved. But she doesn't want anyone to know. Instead, she decides that Anna Marie St. Clair will die. Her "ghost" will rise to haunt the living.  Her first stop? The bar John J. Malone is known to haunt. Her own lawyer had recommended him as a crooked lawyer but one who is only crooked in certain ways.
When John J. Malone sees Anna Marie in a dingy bar, he falls in instant love. And he makes it his mission to ensure that her life is going to be the best it can possibly be. Including getting her exonerated from murder. John's friends Helene and Jake Justus are worked but they are going to help their friend as much a possible. Even while Jake is dealing with problems relating to his casino.
If you like the Malone series, you will like this book.

I picked it up because of the Classic Mysteries podcast

Three stars
This book was published in 1945

Follows Having Wonderful Crime

Followed by The Fourth Postman
Ebook borrowed from Hoopla
Opinions are my own

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

 It's time to attend a (minor) celebrity wedding on a remote Irish island. Alternating chapters build in depth characters show the tension that exists before the guests arrive. Many because of old friendships and school ties. The tensions build, culminating in a death.
This book drew me in. There were parts where I wanted to stop and check the ending to see if it would be worth finishing, but I didn't. I could definitely pinpoint who the murderer was but wobbled on who was going to get killed. I loved that the author only gradually revealed the information regarding both the killer and the victim and that it paralleled the history unraveling.

Four stars

This book came out June 2nd

Borrowed this as an ebook from the library

Opinions are my own

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

If you're a classic mystery fan, you'll probably figure out a couple of the twists in this book. The author very fairly clues most of the mystery but the twists do feel more modern.
Malcolm Kershaw (Goodreads has this at book #1 in a series which is odd given the end; but that could be worked around) is a bookstore owner. Many years ago, he published a blog about eight fictional mysteries that contained what could be argued were perfect murders. They weren't that perfect since detectives usually solved the case but there were often extenuating circumstances. In the present day, there is an FBI agent who thinks that someone is using Malcolm's list as a checklist for murder. Malcolm, as the co-owner of a store that specializes in mysteries, is intrigued and decides to help out where he can. But getting involved in this mystery only pulls to the present the demons of his past.
It was nice to know the stories (I had read or watched almost all of them) but I don't think you need to have in order to enjoy this book.

Three stars
This book came out March 3rd, 2020
Borrowed this as an ebook from the library
Opinions are my own

Case for Three Detectives by Leo Bruce

The Classic Mysteries podcast has hooked me into reading many books. Some of which I enjoyed more than others. The thought that this author was playing off the stereotypes of other detectives intrigued me. And... it was fine. But I think the author spent a little too much time on the other detectives and not enough with the detective whose series this book starts.
A murder occurs in a locked room. The local policeman seem to have a person in mind but he has been told by his superiors that he must work with the local amateurs in the area because they are so adept at solving cases.
The mystery itself was fine enough but again, lost out to the large descriptions and "solutions" of the three detectives.

Three stars
This book came out
Borrowed this as an ebook from the library
Opinions are my own

Cork Dork by Bianca Bosker

What would make someone quit a steady job in journalism (even when the book was written, hard to do) and decide to take a year and a half to become a sommelier? It seems her journalistic curiosity has a lot to do with it. And this is definitely a well-written book but it did drag for me after awhile. I made it through to the end but reading about wine that much palled for me. I know that other readers have enjoyed it thoroughly, mainly because of the writing, because other people in my book group have said that's the part they like.
The best part about this book is that it cemented my decision to not learn more about wine that what I do like and what I don't.
p. 35 "But I hadn't quit my job to hang around normal, well-adjusted people any longer than I had to

Three stars
This book came out March 1st, 2017
Borrowed as an ebook from the library
Opinions are my own

Nine Times Nine by Anthony Boucher

The Classic Mystery podcast again describes this better than I ever could. The biggest drawback was the fact that this book was written in a time where political correctness didn't exist so there are some discordant notes and the mystery is a little out there.
Sister Ursula's first mystery doesn't have her in it very much. Instead, a lot of the story is focused on Matt Duncan. Through a series of odd events, he ends up the protege of Wolfe Harrigan, a journalist who thrives on exposing cults. When the latest cult he's researching heaps the curse of nine times nine on his head, Wolfe is not worried. But then he is killed behind locked doors with Matt as one of the witnesses. The leader of the cult was distinctive in his yellow robes but was also on stage at the same time.

Three stars
This book came out 1940

Followed by Rocket to the Morgue

Borrowed as an ebook from the library
Opinions are my own

The Virgin and the Rogue by Sophie Jordan

Heavy cramps aren't fun and Charlotte Langley sure knows that. Her sister, Nora, has potions that work but this month's potion tastes different. It turns out that Nora has been experimenting. And this experiment? It makes Charlotte horny. Which is a problem because the man she finds is not her fiance but the illegitimate stepbrother of her sister's husband.
Samuel Kingston is considered lucky by some because his father, though never married to his mother, has acknowledged him. And that has allowed him to participate in his father and stepmother's rather dissolute lifestyle . But since he has seen what that lifestyle did to his mother, he has rejected it. Even if he hasn't participated in that lifestyle for quite some time, that doesn't mean he's good enough for a woman like Charlotte. When she throws herself at him, he's shocked but not prepared to take of all that she's seeming to offer. However, that doesn't mean that he believes that her fiance is the right one for her either.
I wasn't going to read this book but then I heard Sophie Jordan talking about it on the Fated Mates podcast. Love potions? Phhttt. No interest. But then she talked about the issues surrounding have a character under the influence and how you build a love story around that and I reconsidered, "hm, this might not be what I thought."
Great character building; subtle building on a previous book (that I hadn't read) and following books; nice relationship growth. Still some cringe-y moments that prevented a five star book but was still three and a half stars for me.

Three and a half stars
This book came out April 28th, 2020

Followed by The Duke Effect
Borrowed this as an ebook from the library
Opinions are my own

Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik

Ada von Hasenberg is a child of one of the three head houses of the High Council but, as a younger child, she is of little value unless she marries. And her father did contract a marriage for her to Richard Rockhurst. Ada decided she didn't want to get married and fled. She's got a bounty on her head and, two year later, has finally been captured by a merc ship. But she's not their only bounty. The ship also has the notorious Marcus Loch, the man who was rumored to have killed his entire troop during the Fornax Rebellion. If Ada wants to escape, she's going to need to team up with Marcus so that she can figure out why she has suddenly become so valuable to the Rockhurst house. What she uncovers will shake the entire High Council and lead to a house war.
Great world building and an introduction to a world that is just fun to read. I like the second book in the series just a little bit more but this is second in my heart.

Four stars
This book came out February 5th, 2019
Followed by Aurora Blazing
Borrowed this book from the library
Opinions are my own