Melina Green is a playwright in a world where female playwrights get little recognition. She has written ARC for review. To be published July 9, 2024.
Melina Green is a playwright in a world where female playwrights get little recognition. She has written a play about one of her ancestors, Emilia Bassano and her best friend, Andre, submits it to a festival under a false, male name.
As for Emilia herself she grew up in the late 1500s, the ward of English aristocrats, so she was educated and able to travel. She then became the mistress of Lird Chamberlain who oversaw theatre production in England…which inspired her to write poems and plays on her own, an offense for which a woman could be jailed. She then comes up with an ingenious plan to bring her works to the public…with help from a man called Shakespeare.
So, I was up and down about this book. First the bad. I really disliked Melina and pretty much everything about her story. I didn’t buy that in 2024 a theatre director could be quite so open in his dislike for women….people are certainly going to notice and comment if the festival never chooses any female finalists. And then Melina/Andre. Ugh. Let’s just say I was yelling in my head for exactly the reasons that Melina, possibly the worst, most selfish and most obtuse excuse for a best friend in the world, is eventually called out. I get that isn’t the piece he meant to write because he was in looooove and all, but, um, well, it ain’t lying if it’s true, Melina.
But, Emilia. You can forgive Emilia lots of things because of the times in which she lived. She didn’t have any choices, and did the very best she could with what agency she had. And let me tell you, after reading the book and the Afterword, I’m kind of coming around on the stable of people, lead by the Earl of Oxford, possibly Emilia, possibly Mary Sidney. The inclusion of one or even both of them sounds very promising to me. If Picoult’s primary purpose was to convince….good job with that (if her primary purpose was to make readers like Melina, negative three stars.).
My opinion doesn’t really matter that much; this is Picoult and the book will sell well. Given that Picoult doesn’t usually write historical fiction I thought that part wasn’t bad, though 1500s England sounded much nicer than it was, in fact. But, Melina. I get that Picoult needed the framework but that story needed work. ...more
ARC for review. To be published September 24, 2024.
Alfred (natch) Smettle owns and operates the Hitchcock Hotel, a large Victorian manse in town in wARC for review. To be published September 24, 2024.
Alfred (natch) Smettle owns and operates the Hitchcock Hotel, a large Victorian manse in town in which he attended college. It’s completely dedicated to the director, with round the clock film screenings, props and memorabilia and even an aviary filled with crows.
It’s the Hotel’s first anniversary and to celebrate Alfred has invited his college roommates for a reunion. He hasn’t spoken to any of them in sixteen years, after an incident during their senior year.
And what’s a Hitchcock tale without a body.
I loved the concept of this book and the description of the hotel, but the rest seemed like a missed opportunity, as the mystery was a bit dull and unsatisfying. I wish there had been more to it. But I would love to stay in the Hotel, if it existed. ...more
Linked short stories about how a serial killer is Australia impacts the lives of ordinary people pastARC for review. To be published August 13, 2024.
Linked short stories about how a serial killer is Australia impacts the lives of ordinary people past, present and future, by the author of THE NIGHT GUEST.
“A man lived in Barrow once, and in the 1990s this man used to drive the same highway - up and down for hours - to find a person, any person who looked far from home, standing with a backpack at a junction or a bus stop or just walking along the road or waiting with a thumb out for a ride, and if they accepted he would kill them and take their bodies to the forest.”
We learn how this man affects two work mates, a suspicious girlfriend, the brother of a victim in Texas, the killer’s older neighbor, his sister-in-law and more. Interesting book, especially in this day of heightened interest in true crime. Crime has such long tentacles. I was particularly struck by the story of a true crime writer visiting the killer’s former neighbor on the day the killer’s former home is being torn down. Good stuff here. If it sounds like something you would like, you probably will. ...more
This story of six friends returning from a summer vacation in Mexico and finding a scary hotel was inARC for review. Published May 2, 2023.
DNF at 17%
This story of six friends returning from a summer vacation in Mexico and finding a scary hotel was incredibly poorly written and was filled with grammatical errors. Also, if you are planning to try to shove your religion down my throat, warn me about that so I’ll know not to read your book at all. ...more
ARC for review. To be published November 19, 2024.
Tanvi and Mimi are cousins but they feel like sisters; Mimi’s mother raised both girls after the deARC for review. To be published November 19, 2024.
Tanvi and Mimi are cousins but they feel like sisters; Mimi’s mother raised both girls after the death of Tanvi’s parents. Mimi has always been Tanvi’s protector, up until recently when she became aligned with Tanvi’s biggest tormentor, Beth.
Then Tanvi takes an incriminating photo of Mimi and Beth and a party and, that same night, Mimi vanishes. The next morning Tanvi wakes up with injuries and no memories of how she got them. The police are investigating Mimi’s disappearance and Tanvi decides to do the same, hoping to regain her memories and discover what happened to Mimi.
This was a bit of a mess in that the timelines for what happens with the girls don’t seem clear. Several times Tanvi talks about how she, Mimi and Grace were inseparable…but what about Krista, who seems to be Tanvi’s great and wonderful friend who would do anything for her. Did she just appear from nowhere? The book makes it appear as if she did. And were Mimi and Beth friends for about three weeks? That makes no sense to me.
Then there’s Tanvi’s investigation. She does incredibly stupid things, over and over again. She breaks into people’s property. She returns to a place WHERE SHE HAS ALREADY BEEN PHYSICALLY ATTACKED AND COUNTS ON THE SAME STUPID ROPE TO SAVE HER A SECOND TIME?!?! She is nearly killed multiple times. And she’s supposed to be the hero of this book? Nope. Just didn’t care for it. ...more
A behind the scenes memoir of a VIP cocktail server in Las Vegas.
I enjoy reading books about people wARC for review. To be published April 24, 2024.
A behind the scenes memoir of a VIP cocktail server in Las Vegas.
I enjoy reading books about people with interesting jobs, so I thought I might like this. I did not realize the author had only been a cocktail server while simultaneously being featured on a reality show (which I had never heard of) about them, so she really never worked in the trenches at all. A lot of the book is about the show, which would be Ok if you had an interest in that…I did not.
The author either had no ghost writer or had a bad one. The prose is about as vapid as what one might expect. Unless you are looking for inside scoop about her show, skip this. Maybe someone will write a good tell all about the industry but this isn’t it. ...more
B. An enigma. A myth. He who cannot die. But he wishes to have that ability.
And a black ops part of thARC for review. To be published July 23, 2024.
B. An enigma. A myth. He who cannot die. But he wishes to have that ability.
And a black ops part of the U.S. government says they will help him do that in exchange for his assistance with certain tasks and experiments. But then there’s a dead soldier who comes back to life. Could there be another with powers similar to B?
I’ve read and enjoyed China Mieville before, so, in this case, adding Keanu Reeves to the mix was not an improvement. Not to say that it was a bad book, it wasn’t, and I quite enjoyed some aspects of it (glimpses of what B’s life span really entailed, the characters of Diana and Keever), but it he villains were a bit too comic bookish for my taste and I’m not entirely sure I understood everything that happened in the final fifteen pages of the book.
Anyway, if it seems like it would appeal to you, give it a try. ...more
Memoir of the blue-eyed soul voiced Doobie Brothers vocalist and pianist, written with Paul Reiser of “MARC for review. To be published May 21, 2024.
Memoir of the blue-eyed soul voiced Doobie Brothers vocalist and pianist, written with Paul Reiser of “Mad About You” fame (an odd choice, I think.).
I’m a huge fan of the Doobie Brothers and McDonald so I was looking forward to this, and it’s enjoyable even if a lot of it is seen through Vaseline smeared lenses. McDonald was a serious alcohol and drug addict for years, which he admits, but my guess is he was also maybe not always the nicest guy during that period, and that he pretty much glosses over, admitting only that he gave an ultimatum at one point about “it’s him or me” as to one member of the band. Or, I don’t know, maybe he was the happiest, most jovial addict in the world, but that seems rather unlikely.
He also seems to dip his toe into the fact that his son may have had some serious behavioral problems, but then he stops short, mentions homeschool, and then he’s grown up. I can certainly understand wanting to protect one’s children and one can argue the book isn’t about Dylan McDonald’s life anyway, but why bring it up at all if you aren’t going to be honest about it?
What I liked was that when Michael (his friends call him “Mike”) talks about growing up and starting out in the business his naïveté really comes across….you feel like you are right there with a young guy who is getting on a plane for the first time. At no point does he ever seem to think of himself as a star or anything particularly special, despite all his success, and his humble personality does not seem like any sort of act. Oh, and he has a great rehab story.
So, since I am a big fan I enjoyed this. There’s enough name dropping to keep a reader interested and I think other fans won’t be disappointed, unless you are looking for dirt…there’s really none to be had here. While I’m sure everything wasn’t always friendly, bygones are bygones, all the surviving Doobies are friends now and Michael has good things to say about nearly everyone.
Oh, in the 70s he once worked with a band called Merlin Moran and His Rinse Water Band. That is now in my top ten of favorite all time band names and I would give almost anything for a T-shirt. Mr. McDonald if you could make that happen I’ll gladly add the additional star. ...more
The night Andre Villiers was murdered in the woods near Southport, New York, allegedly as part of a SataARC for review. To be published July 9, 2024.
The night Andre Villiers was murdered in the woods near Southport, New York, allegedly as part of a Satanic ritual five teenagers went into those woods. Only three came out. Erin Sloane was sixteen at the time and she was friends with all five of those involved.
Sixteen years later she’s now a journalist and she’s been assigned to write a story about what happened that night. As she searches for the truth is she in danger?
This was a bit of a mixed bag for me as there were definitely things I liked about it - this was not your standard thriller and Erin is a messy heroine…and I like that. But it’s a little all over the place and at some point I think I started to lose sight of who had done what to whom…the first half is far stronger than the second. I believe this is the author’s debut novel, so not bad for a first outing. ...more
Abel Miller is off to L.A. to be one of the stars of “Sunset High” on the OmniChannel, a reboot of a popARC for review. To be published July 9, 2024.
Abel Miller is off to L.A. to be one of the stars of “Sunset High” on the OmniChannel, a reboot of a popular, but possibly cursed television show, but he has a secret. His brother, Adam, was a production assistant on the first iteration of “Sunset High” and died during the filming, but no one knows why. Abel is going to find out. When Angel meets show creator Lake Carter and his co-stars Lucky Tate, Ryan Hudson and Ella Winter he finds there are other secrets lurking. Secrets someone would kill for.
Lord, this is a mess. The writing isn’t bad, but it’s absolutely nonsensical, starting with the idea that Abel can just become the star of a TV show and then continuing on the pretty much every single plot point that occurs after that. I know this is a young adult book, but young adults do have some sort of working brain, correct? They deserve better. ...more
Lawyer Ro Krishna is an Indian American living in London who was raised in a posh lifestyle. He’s a bitARC for review. To be published June 18, 2024.
Lawyer Ro Krishna is an Indian American living in London who was raised in a posh lifestyle. He’s a bit adrift after being forced out of a prestigious job under less than ideal circumstances. To regroup he plans to spend Christmas and New Years at Samsara a five star resort in the Indian Himalayas.
Some of the other guests include a horrible politician and his delightful wife, an American movie star preparing for a new role, and his interesting wife, one of Ro’s closest friends from college, a gorgeous heiress to a jewelry fortune and a yogi at the resort to teach meditation. At least one person isn’t going to leave Samsara alive. And someone at the resort is a murderer. Can Ro get to the truth?
Oh, joy, a locked room mystery. I love and adore these! And while Ro could be a bit much at times, and was a little bossy to the women around him (check that, to everyone around him,) I loved this book. Resorts are a common setting for this type of mystery, but Samsara was described so vividly. The notecards for the guests (I love that we knew what colors each guest chose, thank you for that detail…I just kept worrying whether or not purple would be available for me, so if the author could send me a private message letting me know it would really ease my mind!), the laundry area, the specifics of the menu…SWOON!
And a wonderful cast of characters. The movie star wasn’t annoying! Mrs. B. was so charming. Connie had such bite and didn’t seem to like anyone - I loved her! The whole thing wasn’t perfect at all, but it so wasn’t a formulaic thriller, and that was so very refreshing. Definitely highly recommending this book. A strong 4.5 stars rounded up. ...more
Thirty-seven year old teacher Lenny Marks….has a routine. She bikes home from work each day, buys the exARC for review. To be published July 9, 2024.
Thirty-seven year old teacher Lenny Marks….has a routine. She bikes home from work each day, buys the exact same food for precisely the same meals on the same days of the week each week and owns thirty-six copies of THE HOBBIT. She also gets lays Scrabble with Monica Geller from “Friends” as her imaginary opponent. Routine is safe. And routine make it much easier for her to forget the day her mother and stepfather disappeared when she was a child.
Then she gets a letter from the parole board. She tries to ignore it, but to no avail, and her routine starts to fall apart. She interacts with others. Will Lenny be forced out of her shell? Or will her past catch up with her first?
This was a nice little book, reminded me a bit of the superior ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS JUST FINE, but it had its win charms and a sweet dog. A lot happens, some of it you’ll see coming, some not, and it all makes for an enjoyable, dare I say light, read, although some of the subject matter really isn’t light at all. The author made it seem light. I’m not sure how that worked, but it happened. ...more
ARC for review. To be published September 24, 2024.
Twenty-two short horror stories about winter and the Christmas holidays by authors including Josh ARC for review. To be published September 24, 2024.
Twenty-two short horror stories about winter and the Christmas holidays by authors including Josh Malerman (BIRDBOX) and Rachel Harrison (BLACK SHEEP).
Short story collections are always a mi Ed bag but this one was actually pretty strong overall. Some really good talent here. I was surprised, though, to see a story from the editor as one of the selections…is that a thing? Anyway, my favorites were “I Hope This Finds You Well” by Eric LaRocca (definitely my favorite thing I’ve read of his,) “Mr. Butler” by Clay McLeod Chapman, “Eggnog” by Kristi DeMeester and “Threads of Epiphany” by Sara Tantlinger. If you enjoy horror anthologies don’t miss out on this one. ...more
Rachel Logan Maxey, a single mother of two who is still recovering from the death of her husband livesARC for review. To be published April 30, 2024.
Rachel Logan Maxey, a single mother of two who is still recovering from the death of her husband lives just outside Manitou Springs, Colorado, a small town in the Rocky Mountains. A local boy, then a girl are kidnapped a the suspect is called the Collector, a thief, who seems to have escalated. A statue and a photo are stolen from Rachel’s home, tarot cards left in their places and she is afraid her children will be the Collector’s next targets.
Her husband’s best friend Hank offers to move in with the family to provide protection. Is the Collector after Rachel’s children or is he looking for something else?
This is billed as the first book in the Logan Sisters series, but we don’t see much of the other two sisters as one lives in Florida (she turns up toward the end) and one in Italy (she’s barely in the book at all,) but the very end offers a hint as to how the author plans to handle the distance, I think.
This was just OK, probably a 2.5 star book. The Collector was pretty obvious to me the first time he was mentioned, the writing style is a bit over dramatic and, Lord help us, the magnolia scent every other page! Not to mention….that tip off never seemed to help her at all! Perhaps this is the author’s debut, I don’t recall, and maybe she’ll settle down a bit? Probably not for me, I’m rounding up because I assume it’s her first book. ...more
ARC for review. To be published November 19, 2024.
Jessa Morgan has always been the perfect girl: nice, polite, a rule-follower. Her friends and her bARC for review. To be published November 19, 2024.
Jessa Morgan has always been the perfect girl: nice, polite, a rule-follower. Her friends and her brother make fun of her but she finds life easiest when she’s the girl her parents and society expect her to be.
One night her friends are at Jessa’s for a sleepover when a storm comes up and the power goes out. Her friends start to fight, guests show up and scary things start to happen. Someone has targeted Jess and she needs to save herself and everyone else. Can the perfect girl do it?
I don’t know, this is definitely YA for YA, not much for an adult here, even an adult who likes YA. It was OK, just….not much to it. ...more
Well, it’s exactly what it sounds like, an exploration of why people are attracted to specific erotic taARC for review. To be published June 4, 2024.
Well, it’s exactly what it sounds like, an exploration of why people are attracted to specific erotic tastes, from spanking to orgies. No judgment here. Really, none. The author is a sex worker and has seen/done nearly everything.
The book started as a podcast that is, sadly, on hiatus after advertisers pulled out in the wake of COVID and while the book is interesting, it can only cover a few topics, while a podcast, well, sky’s the limit, and one could have experts for each. I’m guessing it was really interesting. And sometimes the book got a little dry. Do you see what I did there?
Overall, a general theme is that people like what they are told or think is taboo, or they like things when there is some obstacle in the way of having them. And that’s very general, but there’s seems to be a bit of those things in each of the topics covered here. I was just disappointed there was nothing on Furries. What’s the deal with Furries? If you think you might like this book you probably will find you liked it OK. ...more
In the county of Oxfordshire in the fancy villages known collectively as “the Bottoms” there’s a grand cARC for review. To be published May 14, 2024.
In the county of Oxfordshire in the fancy villages known collectively as “the Bottoms” there’s a grand country house inhabited by socialite Tata Hawkins, husband Bryan, daughter Minty and best butler on Earth, Ian Palmer (seriously. I would trade my husband for an Ian. Not my dogs, but my husband? Definitely.) Tata gets into a big fight with Bryan so she decamps for their coach house, but instead of begging for forgiveness Bryan takes off with a young bikini designer….a bikini designer!
Beautiful divorcee Shelby Fairfax, from America, has moved into the largest house around and Tata is frantic to be the first to make her acquaintance. Tata’s two best friends, Sophie Thompson and Fernanda Ovington-Williams have their own problems. Oh, the trials of the moneyed class.
This book was like a breath of fresh air for me - I read lots about dead people and it was nice to have something totally frivolous and fun for a change, and this was both. I did not love this author’s BERGDORF BLONDES as I recall, but quite enjoyed the heck out of this. Fun for the beach, the pool or when you don’t want to think too hard. Recommended if you like this sort of thing. You’ll know if it’s for you, and if it is, you’ll like this one. Oh, and Ian? Everyone’s dream! ...more
Ten years ago, five students from Oxford University in Ohio were murdered in a creepy Victorian houseARC for review. To be published August 27, 2024.
Ten years ago, five students from Oxford University in Ohio were murdered in a creepy Victorian house the girls lived in in what is now known as the Midnight House Massacre. Margot Davis was a survivor, now she’s a writer and while she’s tried to forget what happened she’s decided to write about the Massacre.
This brings her right back to Oxford and Midnight House and back to the other two survivors. She has to fend off conspiracy theories about what occurred and she meets up with a newspaper writer who wants to write a story about the event. And Margot is getting threats about telling the whole truth about what happened. And she hasn’t been.
OK, the Margot of today is just about the stupidest person to walk on Earth. Um….CALL THE POLICE, Margot! Call the police about twelve times. You are a writer. You are not a trained investigator. You are also an idiot and I, frankly, can’t believe that you and the boy wonder haven’t been killed ten times. I might do it myself because you are too dumb to walk around.
Have I mentioned that Margot is not wise? This is not terrible, but read only if you want to punch Margot. Some people like that sort of thing. I liked that the girls were dancers. There. I said something nice. ...more
A short memoir of some of rock’s most famous widows, including Judy Van Zant (Ronnie), Sandy Chapin (HarARC for review. To be published May 21, 2024.
A short memoir of some of rock’s most famous widows, including Judy Van Zant (Ronnie), Sandy Chapin (Harry), Sandy Helm (Levon), Jamie Weiland (Scott) and Janna Leblanc (longtime girlfriend of Stevie Ray Vaughn), and others who share details of what it was like to live with and lose their husbands.
Some very interesting stories here, especially as many of these musicians lived during the days when people didn’t know how important it was to hang on to your own publishing and merchandising rights, and often others got rich at their expense. A lot of “stand by your man” attitudes here (with apologies to the woman married to George Jones,) with women who stayed in terrible relationships, choices I have a really difficult time understanding in some cases.
The author lost her husband to cancer after having been married for over twenty years, which was sad, but since he wasn’t I wasn’t sure that her discussions about it had any place in the actual finished book, though certainly they would have been appropriate for the Afterword. It seemed a little odd to have her place herself in almost every chapter, though I’m certain her experience helped her speak with the women. From some of the notes it appears that perhaps Marvin Gaye was originally going to be covered in the book, but was left out for some reason? Would really loved to have read that portion. Levon Helm seems like he was a wonderful man and he and his wife seem to have had a unique bond. Lovely. Definitely some good stuff here. ...more
Wuv (maybe the worst name ever), an AI algorithm for emotions has been sold for big bucks and the teaARC for review. To be published August 13, 2024.
Wuv (maybe the worst name ever), an AI algorithm for emotions has been sold for big bucks and the team, including billionaire CEO Sumter, is on a trip to celebrate. Unfortunately there is a plane crash into an island. The good news is this island has a fully stocked, deserted mansion, filled with tech updates. The house also has some secrets.
Kristen, the “chief emotional officer” (previously known as HR, and really Sumter’s right hand) is trying to keep everyone going, and that includes keeping everyone alive. And that’s going to take everything she’s got.
Well, first you have to get over the ridiculous premise, and then supposedly smart people keep doing stupid things. But it wasn’t a terrible book and I kept turning the pages. ...more
