Friday, July 2, 2021

The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie

Not my favorite Agatha Christie for sure but an okay read nonetheless.  Part of my yuck includes casual racism and romanticizing of physical violence. 
Short synopsis: Girl, who recently lost her father, sets out to find adventure. When she witnesses an accidental death on a train platform, it sets off a train of excitement which leads to South Africa as well as several attempts on her life. Colonel Race is actually a minor character but the events in this book do lead him in to his life of fighting crime.

Three stars
This book came out May 1923
Followed by Poirot Investigates
Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Premium Plus
Opinions are my own



Thursday, July 1, 2021

No Stone Unturned by James W. Ziskin

Hot on the heels of the last book, hotshot reporter Eleanor "Ellie" Stone has been asked to come and photograph a crime scene. It is the lovely, beloved daughter of the local judge. She is able to scoop the competition but she is also asked by the judge, personally, to figure out what happened to his daughter.
There are many twists and turns in the case; Jordan might have been a beloved daughter but that didn't mean that she didn't have her own secrets. Then her best friend is murdered as well. Ellie might have the closest shave of her life in trying to figure out what is going on in this story.
These books are getting a little too grim for me so I may stop reading but I think that there are some readers who will appreciate the story.


Three stars
Follows Styx & Stone
Followed by No Stone Unturned
This book came out October 15th, 2013
Hard copy of mine
Opinions are my own



Wednesday, June 30, 2021

June 2021 Rereads

 As always, opinions are my own

My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren


My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren
Four stars
This book came out December 4th, 2018
Borrowed as ebook from Libby







All the Colors of Night by Jayne Ann Krentz
Four stars
This book came out January 7th, 2021
Follows The Vanishing
Borrowed as audiobook from Libby




River Road by Jayne Ann Krentz
Three and a half stars
This book came out January 7th, 2014





Gone Gull by Donna Andrews



Gone Gull by Donna Andrews
Meg Langslow #21
This book came out August 1, 2017
Follows Die Like an Eagle
Followed by How the Finch Stole Christmas


How the Finch Stole Christmas! (Meg Langslow #22)


Meg Langslow #22
Three stars
This book came out October 24, 2017
Follows Gone Gull

Terns of Endearment (Meg Langslow, #25)



Terns of Endearment by Donna Andrews
Meg Langslow #25
Three and a half stars
Follows Lark! The Herald Angels Sing
Followed by Owl Be Home for Christmas
This book comes out August 6th
Borrowed as ebook from Libby
Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren



Three stars (bumped to three and a half on re-read)
This book came out September 4, 2018
Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

How Y'all Doing? by Leslie Jordan

Leslie Jordan has been a favorite of mine since Ski Patrol and I loved discovering his true personality as he blew up on Instagram. This is a rather short book (~4 hours) but is a joy to hear Leslie read his own stories starting with the show he was on "The Cool Kids" which is where he really learned what Instagram was.
He gives his stories including the time Debbie Reynolds called his mother which almost made me cry, information on his seasons on American Horror Story, meeting Dolly Parton, and more. One of the amazing things is that he worked breaking horses for a number of years before becoming an actor.
Definitely consume this as an audiobook. Hearing it in Jordan's voice is the reason I would give this four and a half stars.

Four and a half stars
This book came out 
Borrowed as audiobook from Libby
Opinions are my own


Monday, June 28, 2021

Murder at Keyhaven Castle by Clara McKenna

I am really enjoying this series in general. Each book takes its time without rushing anything. We don't get to see a LOT of Stella and Lyndy's relationship developing and the backstory on the mystery for this one was a little underdeveloped but it is just a light, cozy mystery that is perfect for beach reading. 
Stella and Lyndy are finally heading toward marriage, the random murders and her father's meddling notwithstanding. The invitations have been sent, the wedding is announced in all the papers, and everyone is starting to come over - even some uninvited guests. 
In the invited category is a family that Stella's father invited because they are influential in Kentucky. Stella was always set up to be the daughter's best friend but the girl didn't treat her very well and that continues to this day with backhanded compliments and little digs that no one else seems to notice. 
For the uninvited guest, there is one rather sinister young man with a pistol and murder on his mind but also Stella's father's brother and his children. It is looking like it will be an interesting gathering but Stella and Lyndy are just ready for one thing, to finally be married. Except that it looks like a murder is going to change their plans...

Four stars
This book comes out  June 29th, 2021
Follows Murder at Blackwater Bend
Followed by Murder at the Majestic Hotel
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own



Sunday, June 27, 2021

A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones

Can you be elected sheriff if you don't even run? Apparently if you are Sunshine Vicram you can. It's all a part of her parents plot to have her move back home. Hell, they even built a guest house and they never have guests. It's all a little suspicious. For Sunshine, it's the latest in a series of "interesting" things that have happened to her. At least her fourteen-year-old daughter seems amused by it. 
Too bad both of them are going to have hard first days. Sunshine's consists of an escaped prisoner, a woman nearly crashing into her as she stands in the police station, a kidnapped girl who may or may not have had visions of the kidnapping, and a throwback to Sunshine's own muddled past. 
Auri has to go to school where everyone thinks she is a narc, people spray paint her locker, and the mysterious boy that everyone wants to befriend or date seems to have his eyes on her which paints an even bigger target on her back.
We have alternating third person omniscient narrators and that creates a bit of mystery around the past since they hide things, even from themselves. Jones can be very fun but sometimes veers into the territory of "Too Much" for me but this seems like a great start to a new series.

Four stars
This book came out April 7th, 2020
Borrowed as ebook from Libby
Opinions are my own


The Engagement Arrangement by Jaci Burton

I had enjoyed the first book in this series and thought that the second looked like it might be fun as well and friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes. Fake relationship is a trope that I don't mind (not catnip; not something I avoid) but it was interesting to me that so little of the book was actually spent with Brenna and Finn actually having to pretend to be in a relationship when it is literally in the title of the book. There are a few chapters where Brenna needs Finn to pretend to be her fiance so that her ex-husband and his new wife (Brenna's high school BFF turned worst enemy) can't gloat. Then there is a larger part where they are moving toward a real relationship with a couple of chapters thrown in for faking the relationship again though that seemed to be mostly for Brenna mending fences. 
Finn Nolan has loved Brenna Bellini ever since he arrived at her family's vineyard after his parents died. Now that she needs a buffer for an upcoming wedding, he's ready to make her see that he can be more than just part of the family. 

Three stars
This book comes out June 29th, 2021
ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own