The Widows’ Guide to Murder by Amanda Ashby

Ginny Cole has been surprised by a lot of things lately. Her husband's death, how much more expensive everything is without him, the fact that she was hired so quickly as a part time librarian in her new home in the village of Little Shaw, the murder of her new, thoroughly dislikeable boss Louisa. 

Because Ginny is the first person in, she is the one to discover the body. And that also gets her pulled in to working with three other widows in Little Shaw to protect Alice, one of the women's daughters. 

I enjoyed this cozy because Ginny did seem well-rounded and actually worked with police and didn't take unnecessary chances. I wish we had gotten to see more of some of the other characters be as built-out as Ginny but there were a number of characters and this was (I'm assuming) a first book in a series. The number of characters also filled in some of the space for the plot so there wasn't a lot of space for this to be a fairly-clued story. 

Three and a half stars

The Widows' Detective Club #1

This book came out March 3, 2025

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Death Reports to a Health Resort by P.J. Fitzsimmons, Tim Bruce (narrator)

Inspector Wittersham is after Anty's uncle Pim, but Anty knows that his uncle couldn't have murdered the head of the health resort set in Epping Forest. So, the two are off, to a resort that doesn't let you do anything fun like gamble, drink alcohol, or smoke. Basically nothing fun. And they have a hound dog, Diogenes, that ferrets out all illicit material. 

Pim seemsm like the most obvious suspect because he actually threatened the man the day before. He swears that isn't the case, and Anty is ready to solve the case. His attempts at sneaking in his beloved alcohol are generally thwarted and Wittersham is sans his cigarettes and getting even testier than usual. 

Another amazing read from Fitzsimmons though not as sprightly as some other stories. 

Four stars

Anty Boisjoly #8

Follows Mystery and Malice aboard  RMS Ballast

Followed by The False Clue of the Twisted Red Herring's Footprint

This book came out October 29, 2025

Audiobook from Audible

Opinions are my own

Redshirts by John Scalzi

I think knowing the conceit of this book, since it was recommended to me by at least two people, took me a little bit out of the story itself.

Andy Dahl is about to join the spaceship Intrepid. He's going to added on with four other people, two he knows. But there's something strange on board the ship. The crew tend to scatter whenever the officers come around. And four is a large number of people to replace at one time. As Andy and his crewmates begin to explore, they begin to realize that not all of them will survive to a happy ending.

Three and a half stars

This book came out June 5, 2012

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Labors of Hercules by Agatha Christie with Hugh Fraser (Narrator)

Hercule Poirot is feeling like he is in a rut. Then a friend mentions that he is not very like his namesake, Hercules. So he decides to undertake the Labours of Hercules before he retires. In fact, he will only take cases that relate the the labors. So, a Pekignese dog becomes the Nemean lion. The multi-headed Hydra becomes a rash of gossip. He even has to descend into Hell.

During the short stories, we see familiar characters like Miss Lemon, George, even the Countess, Vera Rossakoff. An interesting mix of stories; some stretch quite a bit to be added to the original labors while others (like the last) are almost spot on the nose. 

Four stars

Hercule Poirot #26

Follows The Hollow

Followed by Taken at the Flood

This  book came out in 1947

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Age Happens by Jim Davis

Most of the book is dedicated to various birthday strips. Mostly Garfield's but some of Jon's. There are also sections with quizzes, fan art, and even an interview with the cat himself. The best, in my opinion, were Jim Davis's favorite strips with explanations of why. 

Four and a half stars

This book came out June 19, 2018

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Garfield Bigger Than Life by Jim Davis

This book includes veterniarian and love interest Liz as well as the diner and Irma. We also get introduced to one of Garfield's great enemies, the world's cutest cat, Nermal. Although, he doesn't seem to mind Nermal too much in the first visit. 

There are a LOT of turkeys and chicken legs consumed and furniture scratched by our favorite orange cat. Unfortunately, not all of the furniture belongs to Jon. 

Four stars

Garfield #3

Follows Garfield Gains Weight

Followed by Garfield Weighs in

This book came out in 1981

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own 

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Horvath, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Sam is a simple bear. She lives in her quiet town, runs her hardware store, and kills people to muffle the voices in her head. Of course, she doesn't kill anyone in town. That would be way too obvious. So why does a body show up during the local parade? And why does she think it may only be the first.

Suddenly, Sam is under the gun herself in a bid to find out who is a serial killer before her own misdeeds are uncovered.

This was an interesting story and I was bemused to see Sam encounter bears in the wild as opposed to herself. There was an interesting difference between the somewhat cheerful drawings with mainly pastel colors and the grim storyline.

Four stars

This book came out October 18, 2023

Borrowed as ebook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own