Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

July 24, 2022

Sometimes, the shortest books are the most difficult to read emotionally. That’s probably one reason Claire Keegan’s novel Small Things Like These won the 2022 Orwell Prize for fiction earlier in the week. I picked up the book when I read an article in...

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

July 23, 2022

I finally got around to this book after it appeared on the New York Times Bestseller list. I’ve had it on my TBR pile for a while. But, I read it earlier this week, and sobbed so much over it that my cat, Josh, climbed into my lap to check on me. Ashley...

What Are You Reading?

July 21, 2022

First, I’ll check in and say I went to see “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” last Sunday, and loved it. It’s a quiet, good movie. Lesley Manville was perfect in the role. And, the clothes! Oh, my gosh! The movie is set in 1958, and the dresses were...

The Retreat by Sarah Pearse

July 20, 2022

In the case of Sarah Pearse’s The Retreat, I may be glad I didn’t read the previous book in the series, The Sanatorium. A fellow librarian said she loved the earlier book, and couldn’t get into this one. I didn’t have that problem because I...

Peppermint Barked by Leslie Budewitz

July 19, 2022

Leslie Budewitz’ Spice Shop mysteries are somewhere on the spectrum between cozy mystery and hardboiled ones. Peppermint Barked, with its recipes and holiday-themed book cover, tends toward the cozy end. But, Budewitz’ books have a depth of character that...

The Wedding Plot by Paula Munier

July 18, 2022

If you haven’t read the previous three books featuring veteran Mercy Carr, and her bomb-sniffing dog, Elvis, you must have ignored my reviews. A Borrowing of Bones, the first in Paula Munier’s series, was nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award, and...