en-US Thu, 03 Jul 2025 08:04:53 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 214537790 From Pulitzer finalist, MacArthur Fellowship recipient, and bestselling author of Swamplandia! and Vampires in the Lemon Grove. A gripping Dust Bowl epic about five characters whose fates become entangled after a storm ravages their small Nebraskan town

The Antidote opens on Black Sunday, as a historic dust storm ravages the fictional town of Uz, Nebraska. But Uz is already collapsing—not just under the weight of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl drought, but beneath its own violent histories. The Antidote follows a "Prairie Witch," whose body serves as a bank vault for peoples’ memories and secrets; a Polish wheat farmer who learns how quickly a hoarded blessing can become a curse; his orphan niece, a basketball star and witch’s apprentice in furious flight from her grief; a voluble scarecrow; and a New Deal photographer whose time-traveling camera threatens to reveal both the town’s secrets and its fate.

Russell's novel is above all a reckoning with a nation’s forgetting—enacting the settler amnesia and willful omissions passed down from generation to generation, and unearthing not only horrors but shimmering possibilities. The Antidote echoes with urgent warnings for our own climate emergency, challenging readers with a vision of what might have been—and what still could be.]]> 432 Karen Russell 059380225X Donna 3 3.97 2025
author: Karen Russell
name: Donna
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/06/27
date added: 2025/07/03
shelves: for-review, audiobooks, fantasy-sci-fi-paranormal, historical-fiction
review:
A couple of my favorite books is set during the dustbowl but I wasn't sure how elements of magical realism would play on my enjoyment of this book. I struggled with it (as I often do) but I finally got into the book and it was pretty good. Read my full review at .
]]> 217872594 The fifth and final installment in the Electra McDonnell series brings safecracker Ellie on a mission across World War II-era Europe to Lisbon, Portugal to rescue a key group of escaped POWs.

Ellie McDonnell is about to embark on her most perilous mission go to Lisbon, Portugal to save her beloved cousin Toby who has reportedly escaped from a German prisoner of war camp. Toby has been missing since the Battle of Dunkirk and Ellie had all but lost hope in ever seeing him again until Major Ramsey, the British military intelligence officer she had been working closely with over the past few months, shared the news he’d intercepted.

Nothing will stop Ellie from finding her cousin, not even the awkward experience of having to travel to an unknown country with Ramsey after he’d dismissed her for being untrustworthy just as she’d realized she had fallen in love with him. Under the supervision of Captain Archie Blandings, a charming intelligence officer based in Lisbon, Ellie meets with undercover operatives to track down where Toby might be hiding from the Nazis and whether they are too late to safely recover him, all the while fighting her feelings for Ramsey and the incessant burden of war looming around her at every turn.]]> 304 Ashley Weaver 1250350948 Donna 4 for-review, cozy-mystery 4.68 2025
author: Ashley Weaver
name: Donna
average rating: 4.68
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/27
date added: 2025/07/03
shelves: for-review, cozy-mystery
review:
I can't believe this is the end of the series. It seems too short. All the loose ends were wrapped up though some quicker than I would have liked. Read my full review at .
]]> 218671812 From the New York Times bestselling author of The Kind Worth Killing and Eight Perfect Murders comes an inventive, utterly propulsive murder-mystery in reverse, tracing a marriage back in time to uncover the dark secret at its heart.

Thom and Wendy Graves have been married for over twenty-five years. They live in a beautiful Victorian on the north shore of Massachusetts. Wendy is a published poet and Thom teaches English literature at a nearby university. Their son, Jason, is all grown up. All is well…except that Wendy wants to murder her husband.

What happens next has everything to do with what happened before. The story of Wendy and Thom’s marriage is told in reverse, moving backward through time to witness key moments from the couple’s lives—their fiftieth birthday party, buying their home, Jason’s birth, the mysterious death of a work colleague—all painting a portrait of a marriage defined by a single terrible act they plotted together many years ago.

Eventually we learn the details of what Thom and Wendy did in their early twenties, a secret that has kept them bound together through the length of their marriage. But its power over them is fraying, and each of them begins to wonder if they would be better off making sure their spouse carries their secrets to the grave.]]> 273 Peter Swanson 0063433621 Donna 3 3.36 2025
author: Peter Swanson
name: Donna
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/06/22
date added: 2025/07/03
shelves: for-review, audiobooks, crime-fiction
review:
I'm not sure I liked the reversed timeline method of telling the story. I did like the little twist at the very end of the novel. Read my full review at .
]]> 217223453 Highly acclaimed New York Times bestseller Laura Lippman returns with an irresistible mystery featuring Muriel Blossom, a former private investigator and middle-aged widow whose vacation on a Parisian river cruise turns into a deadly international mystery…that only she can solve. 

Mrs. Blossom is not the kind of woman to play the lottery. She is practical, a devoted grandmother, and has a knack for blending into the background, which was an asset during her days assisting private investigator Tess Monaghan. But when Mrs. Blossom finds a winning ticket in a parking lot, everything changes...including Mrs. Blossom. She is determined to see the world that sometimes feels as if it’s passing her by.

But when Mrs. Blossom booked her cruise through France on the MS Solitaire, she did not expect to meet Allan on her transatlantic flight. He is the first man who’s sparked something inside her since her beloved husband passed.

She also didn’t expect Allan to be found, dead, twenty-four hours later in Paris, a city he wasn’t supposed to be in.

Now Mrs. Blossom doesn’t know who to trust on board the ship, especially when a new, mystifying man, Danny, keeps popping up around every corner, always present when things go awry. He claims that Allan was involved in the transport of a stolen, precious piece of art, and he’s convinced that Mrs. Blossom knows more than she lets on, regarding both the artifact and Allan’s murder.

Mrs. Blossom’s questions only increase as the cruise sails down the Seine. Why does it feel like she is being followed? Who was Allan, and why was he killed? Most alarmingly, why do these mysterious men keep flirting with her?

What follows is a charming one-of-a-kind mystery from one of Time magazine’s “essential crime writers of the last 100 years.” The perfect combination of cozy and thrilling, this novel and the delightful Mrs. Blossom are sure to be unforgettable.]]> 272 Laura Lippman 0062998102 Donna 4 for-review, crime-fiction 3.54 2025
author: Laura Lippman
name: Donna
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/21
date added: 2025/07/03
shelves: for-review, crime-fiction
review:
This was a great book to read on vacation. Intriguing but not anxiety inducing. Funny at times. Read my full review at .
]]> 219448842 Learn to identify animals, plants, and fungi wherever you go with this step-by-step guide for spotting and recording key traits and characteristics.

If you've ever consulted a field guide to identify a new bird at your feeder, you know the process isn't as easy as it sounds. In fact, it seems like you have to know a lot about that mystery bird to even figure out where to start.

The Everyday Naturalist fills in the gaps by explaining what traits to pay attention to when encountering a new species; how and when to use field guides, apps, and other resources; what to do if you get stuck; and more. Rather than focusing on one region or continent, these skills and tools are designed to help you classify nature anywhere you are—whether on familiar territory, traveling, or in a new home.

In chapters about animals, plants, fungi, and organisms like lichens and slime molds, naturalist and guide Rebecca Lexa goes into detail about what sets each of these kingdoms apart from each other—from color, shape, and texture to reproductive characteristics, behavior, and habitat—and includes more than forty full-color photos and drawings to illustrate key points. She also provides detailed case studies to demonstrate how to use all of these traits to identify specimens across multiple kingdoms.

This easy-to-follow guide empowers you to learn more about the species around you, then use what you know to preserve the world you love. And at a time when biodiversity is imperiled worldwide, nature needs more advocates than ever.]]> 272 Rebecca Lexa 0593835980 Donna 5 4.50
author: Rebecca Lexa
name: Donna
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/06/17
date added: 2025/07/03
shelves: for-review, nonfiction, environmental
review:
This was a great book to read in the lead up to Naturalist Camp. It really helped me to transition from the academic science I'm immersed in daily to a more holistic appreciation of the natural world. excellent tips for both those new to identifying nature as well as experienced naturalists. Read my full review at .
]]> 199567549 The Call of the Wrens introduces the little-known story of the daring women who rode through war-torn Europe carrying secrets on their shoulders.

An orphan who spent her youth without a true home, Marion Hoxton found in the Great War something other than destruction. She discovered a chance to belong. As a member of the Women’s Royal Naval Service—the Wrens—Marion gained sisters. She found purpose in her work as a motorcycle dispatch rider assigned to train and deliver carrier pigeons to the front line. And despite the constant threat of danger, she and her childhood friend Eddie began to dream of a future together. Until the battle that changed everything.

Now twenty years later, another war has broken out across Europe, calling Marion to return to the fight. Meanwhile others, like twenty-year-old society girl Evelyn Fairchild, hear the call for the first time. For Evelyn, serving in the war is a way to prove herself after a childhood fraught with surgeries and limitations from a disability. The re-formation of the Wrens as World War II rages is the perfect opportunity to make a difference in the world at seventy miles per hour.

Told in alternating narratives that converge in a single life-changing moment, The Call of the Wrens is a vivid, emotional saga of love, secrets, and resilience—and the knowledge that the future will always belong to the brave souls who fight for it.

Historical, stand-alone novel Book approximately 94,000 words]]> Jenni L. Walsh Donna 3 3.86 2022
author: Jenni L. Walsh
name: Donna
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/06/11
date added: 2025/07/03
shelves: audiobooks, for-review, historical-fiction
review:
Since I enjoyed Ace, Marvel, Spy I went looking for other books by Jenni Walsh and found The Call of the Wrens. I like WWII fiction where I learn something new. I haven't read any books focused on the WRNs and definitely not about the dispatch corp. So that was interesting. Read my full review at .
]]> 230275702 For Lady Eleanor Swift, Paris means champagne at breakfast, romantic walks by the Eiffel Tower… and her deadliest case yet!

Newlyweds Lady Swift and Detective Hugh Seldon are honeymooning in the most romantic city on earth. Clifford, her butler, has come along for the trip to make sure everything goes to plan for the happy couple. And Gladstone, the mischievous bulldog, to make sure it doesn’t!

But the pair are shocked when, just as they are toasting their new marriage at the best table in their hotel’s opulent restaurant, a man tumbles through the glass roof and lands amid the silverware and coq au vin. Before he dies, he presses a striking pearl brooch into Eleanor’s hands. She has the strangest feeling of déjà vu. Has she met this man before? All too quickly, the local police arrive and immediately accuse the new Mr and Mrs of working with the victim – a thief who’d just robbed the museum down the block.

With her new husband by her side, Eleanor races to clear their name and discover who would kill to get their hands on the unusual brooch. Following a clue about a doomed love affair takes the gang from the famous cabarets and cobbled streets of Paris to rubbing shoulders with the aristocracy at the very top of the Eiffel Tower.

But soon Eleanor notices a mysterious man in black following their every footstep. Is he friend or foe? And can Eleanor and Hugh unravel the case before the City of Light becomes the city of death?

An utterly charming and unputdownable golden age cozy mystery set in Paris. Fans of T.E. Kinsey, Catherine Coles and Lee Strauss will adore it.]]> 336 Verity Bright 1836188153 Donna 5 cozy-mystery, for-review 4.61
author: Verity Bright
name: Donna
average rating: 4.61
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/06/09
date added: 2025/07/03
shelves: cozy-mystery, for-review
review:
This one was really fun. I like how well Eleanor, Hugh, and Clifford work together. The mystery wasn't an easy one to figure out. Read my full review at .
]]> 218359665 An eerie mystery in which a local wine dealer is shot and a strange yellow dog starts to circle the town—Inspector Maigret must navigate small-town dynamics to find the elusive culprit.

Late at night in a small seaside town, not a single light is on, and everyone is asleep. Or almost everyone: a man, drunk, departs for home after another evening at a hotel bar, where he and a few others regularly gather. Suddenly, he collapses—struck by a gunshot. The victim turns out to be the town’s most successful wine dealer, and the event soon leads to a series of other curiosities: poisoned drinks at the bar, another man found missing, and a dirty yellow dog haunting the neighborhood, accompanied by large, unfamiliar boot tracks. Detective Chief Inspector Maigret, who happens to be nearby heading up a mobile unit, arrives swiftly to resolve the growing confusion. Though a chill sets over town, with townspeople remaining tight-lipped, Maigret’s pursuit of the truth in Georges Simenon’s The Yellow Dog makes for a thrilling, breathless adventure.]]> 144 Georges Simenon 1250391024 Donna 4 for-review, crime-fiction 3.74 1931
author: Georges Simenon
name: Donna
average rating: 3.74
book published: 1931
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/04
date added: 2025/07/03
shelves: for-review, crime-fiction
review:
I was introduced to Georges Simenon and Inspector Maigret when my mystery book club read selected his books for one of our meetings. There is something very simplistic about the story but very descriptive at the same time. it is a very atmospheric. Read my full review at .
]]> 228419890 A bestselling author crafts a sweeping gothic tale in which, after the shocking death of her husband, a troubled young widow inherits a Tuscan estate from a mysterious benefactor and finds herself thrust into the crosshairs of a dangerous conspiracy.

Lately, Julia Pritzker is beginning to think she’s cursed. She’s lost her adoptive parents, then her husband is murdered. When she realizes that her horoscope essentially foretold his death, she begins to spiral. She fears her fate is written in the stars, not held in her own hands.

Then a letter arrives out of the blue, informing her that she has inherited a Tuscan villa and vineyard —but her benefactor is a total stranger named Emilia Rossi. Julia has no information about her biological family, so she wonders if Rossi could be a blood relative. Bewildered, she heads to Tuscany for answers.

There, Julia is horrified to discover that Rossi was a paranoid recluse with delusions of grandeur, who believed herself to be a descendent of Duchess Caterina Sforza, a legendary Renaissance ruler. Julia is stunned by her uncanny resemblance to Rossi, and even to Caterina. Then she unearths eerie parallels between them, including an obsession with astrology.

Before long, Julia suspects she’s being followed, and strange things begin to happen. Not even a chance meeting with a handsome Florentine can ease her disturbed mind. When events turn deadly, she breaks with reality. Julia’s harrowing struggle becomes a search for her identity, a race to save her sanity, and ultimately, a question of her very survival.]]> Lisa Scottoline Donna 0 3.86 2025
author: Lisa Scottoline
name: Donna
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: to-read, audiobooks, for-review, crime-fiction
review:

]]> 213597331 An exclusive locked-room murder mystery party hosted by a legendary thriller writer on his private island for his fellow thriller writer friends turns lethal when a guest is found murdered in this twisty debut novel.

When the legendary and mysterious author J. R. Alastor hires Mila del Angel to host a murder mystery retreat on his private island off the coast of Maine, she jumps at the chance. The guest list? Six thriller writers, all masters of deceit, misdirection, and mayhem. 

Alastor is planning a week of games, trope-fuelled riddles, and maybe a jump-scare or two--and Mila is plotting some fun of her own. But when a guest turns up dead--for real--and Alastor goes rogue, Mila suddenly finds herself in a deadly endeavor to stay alive. With a storm cutting off the island, and the body count rising, Mila must outwit a killer who knows literally every trick in the book...]]> 363 Ande Pliego 0593871588 Donna 0 3.72 2025
author: Ande Pliego
name: Donna
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/01
shelves: for-review, crime-fiction, currently-reading, audiobooks
review:

]]> 215062082 1956, Malibu, Something is not right on Paradise Circle.

With her name on the Hollywood blacklist and her life on hold, starlet Melanie Cole has little choice in company. There is her next-door neighbor, Elwood, but the screenwriter’s agoraphobia allows for just short chats through open windows. He’s her sole confidante, though, as she and her housekeeper, Eva, an immigrant from war-torn Europe, rarely make conversation.

Then one early morning Melanie and Eva spot Elwood’s sister-in-law and caretaker, June, digging in his beloved rose garden. After that they don’t see Elwood at all anymore. Where could a man who never leaves the house possibly have gone?

As they try to find out if something has happened to him, unexpected secrets are revealed among all three women, leading to an alliance that seems the only way for any of them to hold on to what they can still call their own. But it’s a fragile pact and one little spark could send it all up in smoke…]]> 347 Susan Meissner 0593332881 Donna 4 for-review, audiobooks 3.88 2025
author: Susan Meissner
name: Donna
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/07/01
date added: 2025/07/01
shelves: for-review, audiobooks
review:
A great book to read with friends or a book club. I enjoyed the 3 female characters. Full review soon.
]]> 61386671 480 Lisa Scottoline 0525539816 Donna 3 for-review, audiobooks 3.98 2023
author: Lisa Scottoline
name: Donna
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/05/18
date added: 2025/07/01
shelves: for-review, audiobooks
review:
It isn't my favorite Scottoline novel but it was interesting. I felt so sad for the characters. The period's corruption, poverty, and lawlessness were a poignant backdrop for the story. I learned a bit about this time period of time in Sicily - something I knew little of. Scottoline provides a reading list at the end as well as other resources on her website if you want to learn about the real history she based her story on. Read my full review at .
]]> 60877589
Hundreds of miles away in Salem, Myrna Good has been looking for Lucky. Myrna works for VenCo, a front company fueled by vast resources of dark money.

Lucky is familiar with the magic of her indigenous ancestors, but she has no idea that the spoon links her to VenCo’s network of witches throughout North America. Generations of witches have been waiting for centuries for the seven spoons to come together, igniting a new era, and restoring women to their rightful power.

But as reckoning approaches, a very powerful adversary is stalking their every move. He’s Jay Christos, a roguish and deadly witch-hunter as old as witchcraft itself.

To find the last spoon, Lucky and Stella embark on a rollicking and dangerous road trip to the darkly magical city of New Orleans, where the final showdown will determine whether VenCo will usher in a new beginning…or remain underground forever.]]> 400 Cherie Dimaline 0063054892 Donna 3 3.75 2023
author: Cherie Dimaline
name: Donna
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/06/20
date added: 2025/07/01
shelves: fantasy-sci-fi-paranormal, audiobooks
review:
Not my usual read. I read it for the 카지노싸이트 Challenge bookmark. I thought it would be a kind of Harry Potter with adults. It had more sex and language than I wanted to listen to on my trip. It was more of a feminist novel than I wanted. Also, I had trouble telling which character was which as the narrator didn't have distinct enough voices for each character.
]]> 55878213
It is the early spring of 2016 and Queen Elizabeth is at Windsor Castle in advance of her 90th birthday celebrations. But the preparations are interrupted when a guest is found dead in one of the Castle bedrooms. The scene suggests the young Russian pianist strangled himself, but a badly tied knot leads MI5 to suspect foul play was involved. The Queen leaves the investigation to the professionals—until their suspicions point them in the wrong direction.

Unhappy at the mishandling of the case and concerned for her staff’s morale, the monarch decides to discreetly take matters into her own hands. With help from her Assistant Private Secretary, Rozie Oshodi, a British Nigerian and recent officer in the Royal Horse Artillery, the Queen secretly begins making inquiries. As she carries out her royal duties with her usual aplomb, no one in the Royal Household, the government, or the public knows that the resolute Elizabeth will use her keen eye, quick mind, and steady nerve to bring a murderer to justice.

SJ Bennett captures Queen Elizabeth’s voice with skill, nuance, wit, and genuine charm in this imaginative and engaging mystery that portrays Her Majesty as she’s rarely seen: kind yet worldly, decisive, shrewd, and most importantly a great judge of character.]]> S.J. Bennett 006305003X Donna 3 audiobooks, cozy-mystery 3.49 2020
author: S.J. Bennett
name: Donna
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/06/07
date added: 2025/07/01
shelves: audiobooks, cozy-mystery
review:
I didn't enjoy it as much as the other book in this series that I read. I didn't realize at first that it was set in 2016 since the other one was set in the 1950s.
]]> 211941769 Historical fiction inspired by the story of Mary Leakey, who carved her own path to become one of the world's most distinguished paleoanthropologists.

It's 1983 and seventeen-year-old Grace Clark has just lost her mother when she begrudgingly accompanies her estranged father to an archeological dig at Olduvai Gorge on the Serengeti plains of Tanzania. Here, seventy-year-old Mary Leakey enlists Grace to sort and pack her fifty years of work and memories.

Their interaction reminds Mary how she pursued her ambitions of becoming an archeologist in the 1930s by sneaking into lectures and working on excavations. When well-known paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey commissions her to illustrate a book, she's not at all expecting to fall in love with the older married man. Mary then follows Louis to East Africa, where she falls in love for a second time, this time with the Olduvai Gorge, where her work defines her as a great scientist and allows her to step out of Louis's shadow.

In time, Mary and Grace learn they are more alike than they thought, which eventually leads them to the secret that connects them. They also discover a mutual deep love for animals, and when Lisa, an injured cheetah, appears at camp, Mary and Grace work together to save her. On the morning Grace is due to leave, the girl—and the cheetah—are nowhere to be found, and it becomes a race against time to rescue Grace before the African bush claims her.

From the acclaimed author of The Invincible Miss Cust and The Woman at Wheel comes an adventurous, dual timeline tale that explores the consequences of our choices, wisdom that comes with retrospection, and relationships that make us who we are, based on the extraordinary real life of Mary Leakey.]]> 298 Penny Haw 1728295467 Donna 4 4.19 2025
author: Penny Haw
name: Donna
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/29
date added: 2025/06/29
shelves: for-review, audiobooks, historical-fiction
review:
I really enjoyed this book. I liked how the life of Mary and Grace mirrored each other, even though they were roughly fifty years apart. I'm sure the presence of the cheetah added to my enjoyment (don't worry, there are no truly sad animal moments). I also liked learning about a female archeologist that I'd never heard of. Full review soon.
]]> 220459559 From linguist Adam Aleksic, known as @etymologynerd on social media, comes a captivating exploration of how internet algorithms are transforming language and communication in unprecedented ways.

“Packed with fascinating facts, of-the-moment observations, and a sparkling voice, Algospeak is a gift to any word nerd. Deftly covering everything from emoji etymologies and trendbait to Taylor Swift fanilects... Adam Aleksic is the wise, yet accessible internet linguistics oracle we need.”—Amanda Montell, author of The Age of Magical Overthinking and Cultish

From “brainrot” memes and incel slang to the trend of adding  “-core” to different influencer aesthetics, the internet has ushered in an unprecedented linguistic upheaval. We’re entering an entirely new era of etymology, heralded by the invisible forces driving social media algorithms. Thankfully, Algospeak is here to explain. As a professional linguist, Adam Aleksic understands the gravity of language and the way we use he knows the ways it has morphed and changed, how it reflects society, and how, in its everyday usage, we carry centuries of human history on our tongues. As a social media influencer, Aleksic is also intimately familiar with the internet’s reach and how social media impacts the way we engage with one another. New slang emerges and goes viral overnight. Accents are shaped or erased on YouTube. Grammatical rules, loopholes, and patterns surface and transform language as we know it. Our interactions, social norms, and habits—both online and in person—shift into something completely different.

As Aleksic uses original surveys, data, and internet archival research to usher us through this new linguistic landscape, he also illuminates how communication is changing in both familiar and unexpected ways. From our use of emojis to sentence structure to the ways younger generations talk about sex and death (see unalive in English and desvivirse in Spanish), we are in a brand-new world, one shaped by algorithms and technology. Algospeak is an energetic, astonishing journey into language, the internet, and what this intersection means for all of us.]]> 247 Adam Aleksic 0593804082 Donna 0 4.12
author: Adam Aleksic
name: Donna
average rating: 4.12
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/27
shelves: currently-reading, for-review, nonfiction
review:

]]> 10808486 NEWBERY MEDAL WINNER • TIME MAGAZINE’S 100 BEST FANTASY BOOKS OF ALL TIME • NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM DISNEY
Read the ground-breaking science fiction and fantasy classic that has delighted children for over 60 years!
"A Wrinkle in Time is one of my favorite books of all time. I've read it so often, I know it by heart." —Meg Cabot

Late one night, three otherworldly creatures appear and sweep Meg Murry, her brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O'Keefe away on a mission to save Mr. Murry, who has gone missing while doing top-secret work for the government. They travel via tesseract--a wrinkle that transports one across space and time--to the planet Camazotz, where Mr. Murry is being held captive. There they discover a dark force that threatens not only Mr. Murry but the safety of the whole universe.

A Wrinkle in Time is the first book in Madeleine L’Engle’s Time Quintet.]]> 228 Madeleine L'Engle Donna 4 4.01 1962
author: Madeleine L'Engle
name: Donna
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1962
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/16
date added: 2025/06/16
shelves: audiobooks, fantasy-sci-fi-paranormal, mg-ya
review:
I didn't read this as a kid because I didn't like fantasy then. I'm still not a big fan of fantasy but I can see why this is still a popular book.
]]> 219301740 Learn to identify animals, plants, and fungi wherever you go with this step-by-step guide for spotting and recording key traits and characteristics.

If you've ever consulted a field guide to identify a new bird at your feeder, you know the process isn't as easy as it sounds. In fact, it seems like you have to know a lot about that mystery bird to even figure out where to start.

The Everyday Naturalist fills in the gaps by explaining what traits to pay attention to when encountering a new species; how and when to use field guides, apps, and other resources; what to do if you get stuck; and more. Rather than focusing on one region or continent, these skills and tools are designed to help you classify nature anywhere you are—whether on familiar territory, traveling, or in a new home.

In chapters about animals, plants, fungi, and organisms like lichens and slime molds, naturalist and guide Rebecca Lexa goes into detail about what sets each of these kingdoms apart from each other—from color, shape, and texture to sexual characteristics, behavior, and habitat—and includes more than forty full-color photos and drawings to illustrate key points. She also provides detailed case studies to demonstrate how to use all of these traits to identify specimens across multiple kingdoms.

This easy-to-follow guide empowers you to learn more about the species around you, then use what you know to preserve the world you love. And at a time when biodiversity is imperiled worldwide, nature needs more advocates than ever. ]]> 272 Rebecca Lexa 0593835972 Donna 0 to-read 3.90
author: Rebecca Lexa
name: Donna
average rating: 3.90
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 35614129
But things turn ugly when she discovers that the first edition book by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle proudly displayed in the library -- also his first in the Sherlock Holmes series -- is a counterfeit, and not a very good one at that. Who could have absconded with the real volume? Could it have been the former librarian when she mysteriously disappeared leaving only a cryptic note of resignation? Or has someone else duped the handsome heir to the Castleton estate, Wolfe Jaxon?

Whichever is the case, it soon becomes clear that someone will stop at nothing to keep her from learning the truth.

Just as Sherlock Holmes had his Watson to help solve mysteries, so does Faith. Only hers is a lovable stub-tailed cat bearing the same name. Faith rescued Watson as a kitten from behind a dumpster on a freezing New England night, and he -- like the fictional doctor -- has become her loyal sidekick. He is Faith’s friend, confidante, and sometimes her rescuer in times of peril. Together they set out to uncover the truth.

The members of the Candle House Book Club, a lively group of women headed by her aunt Eileen Piper, also join Faith in her quest for answers. Will they be able to find the missing librarian and the missing Sherlock Holmes volume before this chapter of Faith's life comes to a fatal close?]]> 7 Elizabeth Penney 1640251367 Donna 4 audiobooks, cozy-mystery 3.57 2017
author: Elizabeth Penney
name: Donna
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/15
date added: 2025/06/15
shelves: audiobooks, cozy-mystery
review:
It's rare that I enjoy the first book in a cozy mystery series but this was a fun read. I really liked the characters and the town it is set it. I look forward to reading more in this series.
]]> 9392808 Taking readers deep into a labyrinth of dark neurosis, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle that ensues when a cousin arrives at their estate.

]]> 5 Shirley Jackson 1441734317 Donna 4 audiobooks, mystery-book-club 3.63 1962
author: Shirley Jackson
name: Donna
average rating: 3.63
book published: 1962
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/13
date added: 2025/06/13
shelves: audiobooks, mystery-book-club
review:
Not my typical read. I read it for my mystery book club. It was well written with the right amount of creepiness.
]]> 220605902 From bestselling author Erika Robuck comes the perilous and awe-inspiring true story of award-winning photojournalist Dickey Chapelle as she risks everything to show the American people the price of war through the lens of her camera.

Manhattan, 1954.

Since her arrest for disobeying orders and going ashore at Iwo Jima almost a decade earlier, combat correspondent Georgette "Dickey" Chapelle has been unmoored. Her military accreditation revoked, her marriage failing, and her savings dwindling, Dickey jumps at the next opportunity. In the aftermath of a an assignment gone wrong, a flame is lit deep inside Dickey—to survive in order to be the world's witness to war from the front lines.

Never content to report on battles unless her own boots are on the ground, Dickey and her camera journey with American and international soldiers from frozen wastelands to raging seas to luscious jungles, revealing one woman's extraordinary courage and tenacity in the face of discrimination and danger. And it's along the way, in Dickey's desire to save the world, she realizes she might also be saving herself.

At a time when a woman's heroic spirit often gave way to homeland reality, Dickey blazed a trail for the revolutionary hearts inside us all.]]> 441 Erika Robuck 172829987X Donna 0 4.50
author: Erika Robuck
name: Donna
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/12
shelves: to-read, for-review, historical-fiction
review:

]]> 217306936 Professional cult sci-fi fan Kit Pelham returns in this laugh-out-loud-funny follow-up to The Fan Who Knew Too Much.
When Kit and her best friend Binfire head to a stately home in Lincolnshire to view five ultra-rare Vixens from the Void action figures – the main exhibit at the opening of a new toy museum – they come across more than just nerds and toy-collectors. The figures are stolen from their glass case and, just as Kit and Binfire begin to get their heads around this mystery, they start to reappear, broken into pieces, left for their distraught owners to discover.
And that's when the real killings start.]]> 383 Nev Fountain 1803365595 Donna 0 to-read, for-review 0.0
author: Nev Fountain
name: Donna
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/12
shelves: to-read, for-review
review:

]]> 228720693 A captivating new historical novel from Madeline Martin, set in Victorian London about a forbidden book club, dangerous secrets, and the women who dare to break free.


You are cordially invited to the Secret Book Society...

London, 1885: Trapped by oppressive marriages and societal expectations, three women receive a mysterious invitation to an afternoon tea at the home of the reclusive Lady Duxbury. Beneath the genteel facade of the gathering lies a secret book club — a sanctuary where they can discover freedom, sisterhood, and the courage to rewrite their stories.

Eleanor Clarke, a devoted mother suffocating under the tyranny of her husband. Rose Wharton, a transplanted American dollar princess struggling to fit the mold of an aristocratic wife. Lavinia Cavendish, an artistic young woman haunted by a dangerous family secret. All are drawn to the enigmatic Lady Duxbury, a thrice-widowed countess whose husbands’ untimely deaths have sparked whispers of murder.

As the women form deep, heartwarming friendships, they uncover secrets about their marriages, their pasts, and the risks they face. Their courage is their only weapon in the oppressive world that has kept them silent, but when secrets are deadly, one misstep could cost them everything.]]> Madeline Martin 1038956722 Donna 0 4.33 2025
author: Madeline Martin
name: Donna
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/12
shelves: to-read, for-review, historical-fiction
review:

]]> 222224083 Jack Ryan Jr battles terrorists in the disputed mountains of Kashmir to save a comrade in the latest entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

A string of savage murders in the United States seems unrelated until the FBI makes a shocking a decade ago, all of the murder victims were involved in a raid to eliminate the Umayyad Revolutionary Council, a vicious terror group that—were it not for John Clark and the Campus—would have perpetrated the most devastating attack against critical American infrastructure in history. Now it appears they’re back, with a next-generation leader hell-bent on revenge.

Mary Pat Foley, Director of National Intelligence, greenlights an op for the Campus to cut the head off the snake. Clark taps ex-Delta commando Bartosz “Midas” Jankowski to lead a kill team deep into the mountains to snuff out the charismatic terror leader. But when the hunters become the hunted, it’s up to Jack Rayan Jr. to avert disaster amid a deadly power game of nations vying for control of the disputed region.

On a rapid covert ingress from neighboring India, he’ll traverse the Himalayan wilderness with a rifle on his back and a tough Mujahadin fighter by his side. Jack knows time is growing short—he must save his team and lead them into position to be the first to hit terminal velocity.]]> M.P. Woodward 0593718046 Donna 0 4.27 2025
author: M.P. Woodward
name: Donna
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/12
shelves: to-read, crime-fiction, for-review
review:

]]> 222361666 With an expert hand, Rachel Louise Adams’s debut No Rest for the Wicked reads like an edge of your seat, heart-pounding scary movie.

In one Halloween obsessed Midwestern town, everyone’s on red alert after a local politician goes missing. Little do they know it’s only the beginning.

It’s been close to twenty years since forensic pathologist Dolores Hawthorne left her hometown of Little Horton, Wisconsin. The town is famous for its Halloween celebrations, but also its history of violent deaths linked to the holiday. To Dolores, it’s the place she fled, family, bad memories, and all. Until the FBI calls to tell her that her father--the former mayor turned US Senator--is missing under mysterious circumstances.

Some people count to ten to wake up from a nightmare. Dolores always counts the bones of her head sphenoid, frontal, lacrimal. But no matter how many times she counts them, it doesn’t change the fact that her father is missing, that his final words of warning to her were to trust no one, and that now, the rest of her family is giving Dolores a chilling welcome. With Halloween fast approaching, Dolores must face the past she left behind before it’s too late.]]> Rachel Louise Adams 1250362121 Donna 0 to-read, for-review 4.23 2025
author: Rachel Louise Adams
name: Donna
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/12
shelves: to-read, for-review
review:

]]> 222552244 Evelyne Redfern returns in A Dark and Deadly Journey, the next book in international bestselling author Julia Kelly’s captivating historical mystery series.

After being sidelined for a pesky gunshot wound, typist-turned-field agent Evelyne Redfern is ready for her next assignment with Britain’s secretive Special Investigations Unit. When a British Intelligence informant in Portugal mysteriously disappears just after hinting that he has vital information about German plans that could tip the balance of World War Two, Evelyne and her dashingly irksome partner, David Poole, are sent headed to Lisbon to find him.

Once they land, Evelyne and David aren't even able to leave the airport, before she discovers one of their fellow aeroplane passengers murdered and uncovers a diary with a clear link between the victim and their missing informant. With their mission in jeopardy before it can truly begin, Evelyne and David fight to keep their cover intact as they descend deeper into the shadows that surround Lisbon’s glittering collection of wealthy expats and dangerous spies. This case will test Evelyne and David’s training, charm, and wit—and their growing attraction for one another.]]> Julia Kelly 1250865565 Donna 0 to-read, for-review 4.00 2025
author: Julia Kelly
name: Donna
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/12
shelves: to-read, for-review
review:

]]> 225251610 When a librarian discovers she’s descended from a long line of powerful witches, she’ll need all of her bookish knowledge to harness her family’s magic, in this enchanting cozy fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay.

Zoe Ziakas enjoys a quiet life, working as a librarian in her quaint New England town. When a mysterious black book with an unbreakable latch is delivered to the library, Zoe has a strange feeling the tome is somehow calling to her. She decides to consult the Museum of Literature, home to volumes of indecipherable secrets, some possessing magic that must be guarded. The collection is known as the of Books of Dubious Origin.

Here, Zoe discovers that she is the last descendant of a family of witches and this little black book is their grimoire. Zoe knows she must decode the family’s spell book and solve the mystery of what happened to her mother and her grandmother. However, the book's potential power draws all things magical to it, and Zoe finds herself under the constant watch of a pesky raven, while being chased by undead Vikings, ghost pirates, and assorted ghouls.

With assistance from the eccentric staff of the Books of Dubious Origin—including their annoyingly smart and handsome containment specialist, Jasper Griffin—Zoe must confront her past and the legacy of her family. But as their adventure unfolds, she’ll have to decide if she’s ready to embrace her destiny.]]> Jenn McKinlay 0593819764 Donna 0 4.00 2025
author: Jenn McKinlay
name: Donna
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/12
shelves: to-read, cozy-mystery, for-review
review:

]]> 223992913 A delayed ferryboat brings people together in the best of ways during the holiday season in this enchanting Christmas novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber.

Avery and Reed Bond have always shared a close-knit relationship, having weathered life's storms side by side. Even so, Avery often finds herself exasperated by her brother's relentless matchmaking, while Reed can't resist teasing his sister—after all, isn't that what siblings do? Following the recent passing of their beloved Gram, the woman who lovingly raised them, Reed and Avery decide to honor her memory by spending Christmas together.

However, their holiday plans take an unexpected turn when a mechanical failure strands Avery on the ferry in the middle of the Puget Sound and Reed waiting for her arrival. At first, the inconvenience seems to halt the festivities, but soon, Avery and Reed discover that this unforeseen detour might just be a blessing in disguise.

While stuck on the ferry, Avery meets a handsome sailor and witnesses a Christmas miracle that reignites her belief in the holiday spirit. Meanwhile, Reed runs into a coworker who’s also waiting for a family member to arrive, sparking an unexpected and delightful connection.

In this tale of holiday magic, the Bond siblings find themselves swept up in taking a chance on love, proving that sometimes the best moments in life come when we least expect them.]]> Debbie Macomber 0593974689 Donna 0 to-read, for-review 0.0 2025
author: Debbie Macomber
name: Donna
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/12
shelves: to-read, for-review
review:

]]> 222572436 Beloved New York Times bestseller M. C. Beaton's cranky, crafty Agatha Raisin—the star of her own hit T.V. series—is back on the case again.

When a series of deaths within the small Cotswolds birdwatching community begins to unravel her village, Agatha and her team at Raisin Investigators are certain there has been foul play involved. Now, they must dig up decades' worth of tempestuous relationships and simmering secrets among the birdwatching enthusiasts of the village in order to prevent any further deaths.

But with Agatha's own relationship with John Glass on the rocks after he is called away on his job as a cruise ship dance instructor, and Sir Charles Fraith now attempting to step into John’s shoes as her lover, Agatha has her work cut out for her.

Agatha will have to break out her binoculars and embrace her bitter side to solve the murders and wrangle the sickly-sweet temptations in her own life. Will she be able to gather all the breadcrumbs and put together the clues before she becomes a sitting duck herself?]]> M.C. Beaton 1250378575 Donna 0 4.50
author: M.C. Beaton
name: Donna
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/12
shelves: to-read, cozy-mystery, for-review
review:

]]> 220592405 WHAT IS YOUR ONE TRUE WISH?

Satomi is torn between her career in Tokyo and her relationship with her country-loving boyfriend, who plans to propose on Christmas Day. Meanwhile, Koyuki, Satomi's lowly intern, has been playing the role of the good girl, pretending to love her stepfather ever since her real father passed away last Christmas.

Satomi's sister-in-law, Junko, who lives in a small town with her husband and their toddler, Ayu, has a strained relationship with her abusive father who she hasn't seen since university. Her brother also left home after a particularly big fight. When their father becomes ill, both siblings return home - and discover something they never knew about him.

What are they truly wishing for? In Best Wishes from The Full Moon Coffee Shop the characters confront their past and present struggles while trying to find happiness and contentment in their lives.]]> Mai Mochizuki 1840918373 Donna 0 4.00 2021
author: Mai Mochizuki
name: Donna
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/09
shelves: to-read, for-review, translated-literature
review:

]]> 217582895 Donna Andrews returns with her latest charming addition to the bestselling Meg Langslow mystery series.

Meg is in the backyard of the house her brother Rob, Delaney, and their new baby have moved into, supervising some workmen who are using a bulldozer to start digging out a duck pond. She wants to get away from her own house, which has become the staging site for Caerphilly's first Mutt March, which will be held the next day. Meg thinks it will be more peaceful at Rob's house--and it is until the bulldozers uncover a skeleton whose skull has a hole and a bullet rattling around inside.

Meanwhile, Chief Burke begins searching the police records to see if he can identify any missing persons who would fit the bill. He doesn't turn down Meg's offer to help with his identification efforts, and she begins looking in the library and talking to old-timers. She's all the more eager to help because Iris Rafferty, who sold the house to Rob and Delaney and still lives in the mother-in-law suite, disappears the morning after the finding of the body... does her disappearance have anything to do with finding the body? Was it voluntary? Or was she kidnapped--possibly by the prowlers who are spotted lurking around the half-finished duck pond at night? Or do the prowlers have sinister designs on one or more of the dogs who will be marching in the parade?

Written with her classic cozy and investigative style, Donna Andrews is sure to delight in the latest in her Meg Langslow mystery series.]]> Donna Andrews 1250894395 Donna 0 4.50
author: Donna Andrews
name: Donna
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/09
shelves: to-read, cozy-mystery, for-review
review:

]]> 181109975
In 2011, Eunju Oh opens her door to greet a stranger: a young Korean American woman holding a familiar-looking knife—a knife Eunju hasn’t seen in more than thirty years, and that connects her to a place she’d desperately hoped to leave behind forever.

In South Korea in the 1980s, young Eunju and her mother are homeless on the street. After being captured by the police, they’re sent to live within the walls of a state-sanctioned reformatory center that claims to rehabilitate the nation’s citizens but hides a darker, more violent reality. While Eunju and her mother form a tight-knit community with the other women in the kitchen, two teenage brothers, Sangchul and Youngchul, are compelled to labor in the workshops and make increasingly desperate decisions—and all are forced down a path of survival, the repercussions of which will echo for decades to come.

Inspired by real events, told through alternating timelines and two intimate perspectives, The Stone Home is a deeply affecting story of a mother and daughter’s love and a pair of brothers whose bond is put to an unfathomably difficult test. Capturing a shameful period of history with breathtaking restraint and tenderness, Crystal Hana Kim weaves a lyrical exploration of the legacy of violence and the complicated psychology of power, while showcasing the extraordinary acts of devotion and friendship that can arise in the darkness.]]> 352 Crystal Hana Kim 006331097X Donna 3 3.61 2024
author: Crystal Hana Kim
name: Donna
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/06/03
date added: 2025/06/03
shelves: audiobooks, historical-fiction
review:
The story at times was difficult to follow as an audiobook. I think I missed some details in the first few chapters that were important so I felt lost for a bit. I don't know anything about Korean history so this was an interesting look at a dark period. Most of the story is set in the 1980s and though we are more aware that these situations occur, I'm not sure if we would "see" it. The inspectors in the story saw what they wanted to believe was true but I'm sure if they had looked a little closer they would have seen the cracks in the veneer.
]]> 220773121 Welcome to the Killer Lines Crime Fiction Festival, the place for star writers of the genre to meet their adoring fans. But be careful—this year the murders aren’t just on the page.

In the quaint English town of Hoslewit, the biggest names in crime writing have congregated to celebrate all things bookish and murderous. Author Jane Hepburn is determined to make her time at the Killer Lines festival worthwhile. This is her chance to change her fortunes and make her fictional Private Detective Baker a household name. And if she has to resort to sneaking into the book tent after hours to rearrange some books so hers are front and center, so be it. 

But when Jane encounters the dead body of renowned (and reviled) literary agent Carrie Marks, the festival takes on a decidedly different tone. Joined by Carrie's newest client, debut novelist Natasha Martez, and the agency's hapless intern, Daniel Thurston, Jane decides to put her fictional sleuthing skills to use in the real world—she's going to solve the murder. But the list of suspects is seemingly everyone at the festival has a motive to kill Carrie, and the more Jane and her new friends investigate, the closer they come to a dangerous truth—one that’s stranger than fiction.]]> 342 E.C. Nevin 0593803019 Donna 0 4.00 2025
author: E.C. Nevin
name: Donna
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/02
shelves: to-read, crime-fiction, for-review
review:

]]> 228979017 A long-buried Nazi weapon resurfaces. America stands on the brink of destruction. One man must stop history’s darkest nightmare from happening again.

When Washington, DC, homicide detective Marko Zorn’s partner is murdered, his search for justice leads him deep into Black Sun, a violent neo-Nazi movement built from the ruins of WWII’s most sinister forces. Their unleash a catastrophic attack that will plunge the nation into chaos.

To stop them, Marko must outwit a woman known as the Bride of the Apocalypse, navigate the treacherous ambitions of two of the world’s richest—and most ruthless—men, and confront a conspiracy stretching from Washington’s corridors of power to the shadows of the city’s underworld.

Can Marko save the country from annihilation?

A pulse-pounding thriller in the tradition of Baldacci, Clancy, and Patterson, Black Sun Rising delivers relentless suspense, razor-sharp political intrigue, and a chillingly timely story of unchecked hatred— and the one man willing to risk everything to stop it.

Black Sun Rising is the fourth book in Otho Eskin's Marko Zorn series, which includes The Reflecting Pool, Head Shot, and Firetrap. Each novel can be read as a stand-alone or as a part of the series.
PRAISE FOR BLACK SUN RISING

“Another Otho Eskin thriller that delivers double the trouble, twice the action, and quadruple the enjoyment.” —Steve Berry, New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author

“Taut, tense, and excruciatingly timely! Only the savviest of insiders—like Otho Eskin—could have concocted this gripping cautionary tale.” —Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author

“A scorching tale [and] breathless non-stop thrill ride. . . . Forget about the old cliché ‘ripped from the headlines.’ . . . Here is a brilliant, bracing and blistering book that may predict them instead.” —Jon Land, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author]]> 280 Otho Eskin 1959170252 Donna 0 4.33
author: Otho Eskin
name: Donna
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/02
shelves: to-read, crime-fiction, for-review
review:

]]> 215807374 Two sisters living on Martha’s Vineyard during World War II find hope in the power of storytelling when they start a wartime book club for women in this spectacular novel inspired by true events, from the New York Timesbestselling author of Lilac Girls.

“A dreamy beach book that also sizzles with tension . . . another winner by one of the best historical fiction writers around.”—Fiona Davis, author of The Stolen Queen

2016: Thirty-four-year-old Mari Starwood is still grieving after her mother’s death as she travels to the storied island of Martha’s Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts. She’s come all the way from California with nothing but a name on a piece of paper: Elizabeth Devereaux, the famous but reclusive Vineyard painter. When Mari makes it to Mrs. Devereaux’s stunning waterfront farm under the guise of taking a painting class with her, Mrs. Devereaux begins to tell her the story of the Smith sisters, who once lived there. As the tale unfolds, Mari is shocked to learn that her relationship to this island runs deeper than she ever thought possible.

1942: The Smith girls—nineteen-year-old aspiring writer Cadence and sixteen-year-old war-obsessed Briar—are faced with the impossible task of holding their failing family farm together during World War II as the U.S. Army arrives on Martha’s Vineyard. When Briar spots German U-boats lurking off the island’s shores, and Cadence falls into an unlikely romance with a sworn enemy, their quiet lives are officially upended. In an attempt at normalcy, Cadence and her best friend, Bess, start a book club, which grows both in members and influence as they connect with a fabulous New York publisher who could make all of Cadence’s dreams come true. But all that is put at risk by a mysterious man who washes ashore—and whispers of a spy in their midst. Who in their tight-knit island community can they trust? Could this little book club change the course of the war . . . before it’s too late?]]> 317 Martha Hall Kelly 0593354923 Donna 5 4.28 2025
author: Martha Hall Kelly
name: Donna
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/06/01
date added: 2025/06/02
shelves: for-review, historical-fiction
review:
I love Martha Hall Kelly's books and this is a great summer read. I was so into the story and it felt so real. Read my full review at .
]]> 216458750 When a daring art heist takes place at the Regency Grand, Molly’s life is threatened. The question is who’s out to get her, and why? Long-buried secrets will be revealed in this intriguing and heartwarming novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid and The Mystery Guest

A wedding. A heist. A secret.

Molly Gray’s life is about to change in ways she could never have imagined. As the esteemed Head Maid and recently promoted Special Events Manager of the Regency Grand Hotel, good things are just around the corner, including her marriage to her beloved fiancé, Juan Manuel, only two months away. 

But Molly’s entire existence is upended when a film crew descends upon the hotel to shoot the hit reality TV show Hidden Treasures, starring popular art appraisers Brown and Beagle. On a whim, Molly brings in a shoebox containing a few of her gran’s old things for appraisal, and much to everyone's surprise, one item turns out to be a rare and priceless treasure. Instantly, Molly is both a multi-millionaire and a media sensation—the world’s rags-to-riches darling—until the priceless piece vanishes from the hotel in the boldest, brashest antiquities heist in recent memory.

The key to the mystery lies in the past, in a long-forgotten diary written by Molly’s gran. For the first time ever, Molly learns about Gran’s true-to-life fairytale, a young girl to the manor born, the only child of a wealthy magnate. But when Gran falls head over heels in love with a young man her parents deem below her station, her life is thrown into turmoil. As fate would have it, the greatest love of Gran’s life is someone Molly knows quite well….

Together with her friends, Molly combs the past and the present to catch the thief before looming threats against her become real.

A spirited heist caper and an epic love story, The Maid’s Secret is a spellbinding whodunnit that will capture and warm your heart.]]> 326 Nita Prose 0735250561 Donna 4 3.94 2025
author: Nita Prose
name: Donna
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/07
date added: 2025/06/02
shelves: for-review, audiobooks, crime-fiction
review:
I really liked that it wasn't about a murder. There is still a mystery to be solved though. I found it interesting even thought it started off a little slow. Read my full review at .
]]> 228133560 Move over, Inspector! Lady Poppy Proudfoot is here to solve her very first case.

Scotland, 1924: When Lady Poppy Proudfoot travels to the Highlands for a midsummer party, the last thing she and her fellow guests expect is for a body to wash up beside the loch.

Despite protests that it could have been an accident, Poppy is convinced it’s murder and decides to dust off her law degree and hunt for clues. But when the police arrive, the grumpy Inspector MacKenzie dismisses her evidence, insisting a crime scene is no place for a Lady. The nerve!

With the help of her trusted Labrador, Major, Poppy begins to unpick the case. But she soon has two mysteries to solve, as her host Lady Constance Balfour claims a diamond and emerald bracelet has been stolen. Could the two cases be linked? Was it Freddy the footman, a favourite of her ladyship? Or American actress Miss Cornett, with a keen eye for jewels? Or with such a dazzling guestlist, was someone from the local village tempted into the grounds by the party?

When a woman bearing an uncanny resemblance to Poppy is attacked, she realizes that someone wants her off the case. Someone connected to Balfour House is a murderer and a thief, but who? And can Poppy solve the mystery before she, too, washes up beside the loch?

A warm, unputdownable page-turning historical whodunnit, perfect for fans of Helena Dixon, Verity Bright, T.E. Kinsey and Catherine Coles.
]]> 318 Lydia Travers 1835258794 Donna 4 4.01
author: Lydia Travers
name: Donna
average rating: 4.01
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/14
date added: 2025/06/02
shelves: audiobooks, for-review, cozy-mystery
review:
I'm not usually a fan of the first book in a new cozy mystery series but I really enjoyed this one. It was great as an audiobook because of the characters have a Scottish accent and i can never get that right in my head when I'm reading. Read my full review at .
]]> 220844657 Living a double life always comes with a cost.

A down-on-her-luck waitress at a posh New Jersey country club, Kim Valva couldn’t be living a more different life from the carefree socialites she serves. Her live-in boyfriend recently cheated on her, her social life is in shambles, and her dog needs a life-saving surgery that she can’t afford. Then her luck seems to change when a mysterious figure identifying themself only as The Stranger contacts her with an offer she can’t refuse: Put a pill in the new member’s drink and, when he dies, she’ll have enough money to fix her dog and her life.

Her target turns out to be Tony Fiore—Kim’s bad boy ex-boyfriend from high school. Fifteen years have passed, and he now goes by Anthony Fuller. He’s cleaned up, made tens of millions, and his gorgeous fiancée, twenty-two-year-old PJ Walsh, is on his arm.

PJ had her own agenda from the second she met Anthony. Find him, trick him, marry him, kill him. It was supposed to be easy, but she finds that while living her double life, the lines blur between who she is and who she’s pretending to be.

Stunned to see Tony again, Kim can’t bring herself to go through with spiking his drink. Instead, it is PJ who dies horrifically at the table just as dinner ends. Was someone else at the club—member or worker—tasked with poisoning PJ just as she had been instructed to do to Tony? Who would want both of them dead? With no one to trust and The Stranger to answer to, Kim must peel back the layers of deceit to reveal a deeply buried truth, more shocking than she could ever imagine…]]> 305 Jaime Lynn Hendricks 1613166052 Donna 4 for-review, crime-fiction 4.11 2025
author: Jaime Lynn Hendricks
name: Donna
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/18
date added: 2025/06/02
shelves: for-review, crime-fiction
review:
This is a good suspense novel. Some of it I figured out before it was revealed. It would make for a good vacation read. Read my full review at .
]]> 13382097
You can learn this too as you join Stanley as he relives this very exciting journey from despair to triumph. Contained within this book is his journey and each lesson he learned that brought him one step closer to a life he given up in believing was possible. Will you join him? You can, if you Just Believe.]]> 305 Tracy J. Trost Donna 0 to-read 3.94 2010
author: Tracy J. Trost
name: Donna
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 25015116 6 M.C. Beaton 1482983788 Donna 4 audiobooks, cozy-mystery 3.50 1999
author: M.C. Beaton
name: Donna
average rating: 3.50
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/30
date added: 2025/05/30
shelves: audiobooks, cozy-mystery
review:
It's been a while since I've read an Agatha Raisin novel. It is a good filler novel to listen to while waiting for my other audiobook holds to come in.
]]> 41880603
As Claudia's White House connections get the US Embassy and the FBI involved, Bruno traces the people and events that led to her death - or was it murder?

Bruno learns that Claudia had been trying to buy the chateau and art collection of her tutor, even while her researches led her to suspect that some of his attributions may have been forged. This takes Bruno down a trail that leads him from the ruins of Berlin in 1945, to France's colonial war in Algeria.

The long arm of French history has reached out to find a new victim, but can Bruno identify the killer - and prove his case?]]> 352 Martin Walker 052551998X Donna 4 mystery-book-club 3.93 2019
author: Martin Walker
name: Donna
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/29
date added: 2025/05/30
shelves: mystery-book-club
review:
I enjoyed this book. I loved the small French town setting and Bruno is a great character. I would definitely read more in this series.
]]> 59650332 From USA Today bestselling author Sonali Dev comes a heartfelt short story about one woman’s journey of self-discovery and what it means to be happy.

Ayesha Shetty lost her brother seven years ago, the same time she lost everything else important to her dreams, her fierce independence, and the man she loved. Not wanting to see her mother hurt anymore, she put her wild self away and became the dutiful daughter her mother needed and took on her brother’s role in the family business.

Now her best friend’s big, fat Indian wedding is a chance to get away from her endless duties at the restaurant and maybe even have some fun (if she remembers how). But a setup arranged by her mother, with a doctor no less, is the last thing she needs. The fact that he checks all her mother’s boxes just makes everything better…and worse.

Then Emmitt Hughes shows up. Her brother’s best friend. The love she once chose over family duties and her responsibilities. The one she asked to leave, and who did. The one who knows the real Ayesha. Torn between a love from the past that could cost her the only person she has left and her sense of obligation to her mother, will Ayesha find the strength to stop thinking about what everyone else wants and finally put herself first? Or is the old Ayesha truly gone for good?]]> 67 Sonali Dev 1542036143 Donna 3 romance 3.79 2022
author: Sonali Dev
name: Donna
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/29
date added: 2025/05/29
shelves: romance
review:
This is a second-chance romance short story. I'm not much for romance stories so it was just okay. I didn't really feel the romance between Emmit and Aeysha. I understood Aeysha's sense of duty to her mother and forgoing her own happiness. I would have preferred for the story to have been more about Aeysha and her mother's relationship as I found that part of the story more interesting. I read this book because I wanted to get the Kindle challenge bookmark and this was the only Prime short story on the list that I hadn't already read.
]]> 210322002
From the bestselling author of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil and the Dark Water comes an inventive, high-concept murder mystery: an ingenious puzzle, an extraordinary backdrop, and an audacious solution.

Solve the murder to save what's left of the world.

Outside the island there is nothing: the world was destroyed by a fog that swept the planet, killing anyone it touched.

On the island: it is idyllic. One hundred and twenty-two villagers and three scientists, living in peaceful harmony. The villagers are content to fish, farm and feast, to obey their nightly curfew, to do what they're told by the scientists.

Until, to the horror of the islanders, one of their beloved scientists is found brutally stabbed to death. And then they learn that the murder has triggered a lowering of the security system around the island, the only thing that was keeping the fog at bay. If the murder isn't solved within 107 hours, the fog will smother the island—and everyone on it.

But the security system has also wiped everyone's memories of exactly what happened the night before, which means that someone on the island is a murderer—and they don't even know it.

And the clock is ticking.]]> 11 Stuart Turton Donna 4
Update 5.28.2025 - I re-listened to this for my book club and I enjoyed it again. It has been exactly 1 year since I listened to it a year ago and there were a few things I had forgotten.]]> 3.33 2024
author: Stuart Turton
name: Donna
average rating: 3.33
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/28
date added: 2025/05/28
shelves: audiobooks, for-review, crime-fiction, post-apocalyptic-book-club
review:
My mystery book club read The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle so I was interested in this book to see if they might read it. However, I think it would be better suited for my post-apocalyptic book club. If you enjoyed the structure of the Evelyn Hardcastle book then you will like this book as I saw several similarities in the storytelling. Read my full review at .

Update 5.28.2025 - I re-listened to this for my book club and I enjoyed it again. It has been exactly 1 year since I listened to it a year ago and there were a few things I had forgotten.
]]> 211852827
THE BUSINESS TRIP is the gripping, page-turning debut from author Jessie Garcia.

Stephanie and Jasmine have nothing and everything in common. The two women don’t know each other but are on the same plane. Stephanie is on a business trip and Jasmine is fleeing an abusive relationship. After a few days, they text their friends the same exact messages about the same man—the messages becoming stranger and more erratic.

And then the two women vanish. The texts go silent, the red flags go up, and the panic sets in. When Stephanie and Jasmine are each declared missing and in danger, it begs the Who is Trent McCarthy? What did he do to these women— or what did they do to him?

Twist upon twist, layer upon layer, where nothing is as it seems, The Business Trip takes you on a descent into the depths of a mastermind manipulator. But who is playing who?]]> 341 Jessie Garcia 1250364426 Donna 4 3.75 2025
author: Jessie Garcia
name: Donna
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/17
date added: 2025/05/27
shelves: for-review, audiobooks, crime-fiction
review:
You think you know things, and then you realize you don't know all the things. The ending was a little too abrupt, but the rest of the book was really good. Read my full review at .
]]> 227969396 A totally gripping cozy historical English murder mystery

A glamorous engagement celebration in an English country manor house… and a local maid missing. Somebody call Kitty Underhay!

At home in Devon, Kitty is attending a ball at the very grand Markham Hall. With celebrations in full swing and everyone kitted out in their glad rags, Kitty and Matt enjoy the champagne. But the next morning, the party feels well and truly over when Kitty stumbles across a body while out walking her dog, Bertie. The maid, Agnes, is dead, and everyone at Markham Hall is a suspect…

Kitty and Matt set about piecing together the puzzle as the streamers are swept away and empty glasses gathered up. But who could the murderer be? The other maids seem shifty; Lord and Lady Faversham, the hosts, are not without motive, and even Kitty’s grandmother is keeping her cards close to her chest this time…

But then a safe filled with precious jewels has its lock broken, and another body is found tangled up in the weeds of the lake in the grounds. Kitty wonders if the poor guest knew their dancing days were almost over when they were merrily sipping punch the night before? And what secrets are the other guests hiding…

Can Kitty save the next victim at the eleventh hour? Or will this really be a weekend to die for?

Fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey or Verity Bright will adore this totally charming murder mystery. The perfect treat for cozy crime fans! ]]> 313 Helena Dixon 1835257763 Donna 4 cozy-mystery, for-review 4.39
author: Helena Dixon
name: Donna
average rating: 4.39
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/25
date added: 2025/05/25
shelves: cozy-mystery, for-review
review:
This is another good book in the series. If you haven't read previous books in the series this one would be a good one to start with. Kitty and Matt are investigating a missing person case out-of-town so there aren't a lot of regular characters in this story. Read my full review at .
]]> 230598472 When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.]]> 12 Suzanne Collins 1546171495 Donna 4 4.46 2025
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Donna
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/22
date added: 2025/05/22
shelves: audiobooks, mg-ya, fantasy-sci-fi-paranormal
review:
I wasn't sure if I was going to read this book because I didn't really care for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. I'm glad I did as I enjoyed this book much more. Several of the characters that play a role in the original trilogy make appearances here so it was nice to see them in the "before". The audiobook is well done - I've listened to this entire series and have not read the books myself, even though I own the original trilogy.
]]> 26152626
Annajane Hudgens truly believes she is over her ex-husband, Mason Bayless. They’ve been divorced for four years, she’s engaged to a new, terrific guy, and she’s ready to leave the small town where she and Mason had so much history. She is so over Mason that she has absolutely no problem attending his wedding to the beautiful, intelligent, delightful Celia.

But when fate intervenes and the wedding is called to a halt as the bride is literally walking down the aisle, Annajane begins to realize that maybe she’s been given a second chance. Maybe everything happens for a reason. And maybe, just maybe, she wants Mason back.

But there are secrets afoot in this small southern town. On the peaceful surface of Hideaway Lake, Annajane discovers that the past is never really gone. Even if there are people determined to keep Annajane from getting what she wants, happiness might be hers for the taking, and the life she once had with Mason in this sleepy lake town might be in her future.]]> 16 Mary Kay Andrews Donna 4 audiobooks 3.76 2012
author: Mary Kay Andrews
name: Donna
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/19
date added: 2025/05/19
shelves: audiobooks
review:
A little more romance than some of the later books I've read by MKA. It was published in 2012 so it didn't feel outdated. Only two things that I could see might age the book. I'm not sure if using Dixie in a slogan would happen today (the Dixie Chicks dropped Dixie in 2020). It is mentioned that Mason has a smallpox scar. That would make him in his 50s if the book was published today (The U.S. stopped administering the smallpox vaccine in 1972). The book made me want a Cheerwine soda.
]]> 228143910 A murder in the science lab shatters a woman’s quiet and ordered life when she decides she must solve the crime herself in this entertaining and uplifting mystery.

Plenty of people consider Margaret Finch odd. Six-feet-tall and big-boned, she lives alone in a small cabin in the woods, drives a 20-year-old truck, and schedules her life so precisely you can tell the time and day of the week by the chore she is doing and what she is wearing.  But the same attributes that cause her to be labeled eccentric—an obsessive attention to detail and the ability to organize almost anything—make her invaluable in her job as Research Assistant II to a talented and charismatic botanist.

It's those very same qualities, however, that also turn Margaret into a target after a surprising death shakes the small university where she works. Even as authorities claim the death appears to be from natural causes, Margaret fears it might be something a murder born of jealousy and dark secrets. With the aid of a newly hired and enigmatic night custodian, Margaret finds herself thrust into the role of detective, forcing her to consider that she may not be able to find the killer before the killer finds her.

With a cast of quirky and likeable characters that one won’t soon forget, The Botanist’s Assistant is a delightful story of perseverance and the power in all of us to survive.]]> Peggy Townsend 0593638123 Donna 0 to-read, for-review 0.0
author: Peggy Townsend
name: Donna
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/19
shelves: to-read, for-review
review:

]]> 228359513
After decades of silence, the last surviving World War II British spy reveals the real, untold story of her time as a secret agent in the deadly world of Nazi France.

From a unique and singular voice comes the incredible true story of the last surviving undercover British female operative in WW2. Pippa Latour parachuted into occupied France in 1944 to conduct sabotage and subversion behind enemy lines. Selling soap to German soldiers and hiding codes on a piece of ribbon, she sent back crucial information about troop positions in the lead up to D-Day, and continued her work until Paris was liberated. From her childhood as an orphan in South Africa to her years as an undercover agent, Pippa's story is that of a woman determined to honor her principles and risk her life to fight against the greatest evil of the 20th century.

The Last Secret Agent is a posthumously published memoir, co-written with journalist Jude Dobson. Pippa was decorated highly for her actions, including being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire and receiving the Légion d’Honneur in France. For years, Pippa kept her involvement in the war effort secret from everyone, including her family, but for the first time, her story can now be told in full.]]> Pippa Latour Donna 5 4.64 2024
author: Pippa Latour
name: Donna
average rating: 4.64
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/10
date added: 2025/05/19
shelves: audiobooks, for-review, memoir, nonfiction
review:
It felt fitting to listen to this audiobook while the world celebrated the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. While I've read a few biographical fiction books about women in the SOE and OSS, this is the first memoir. Be sure to read/listen all the way to the end as there are bittersweet moments shared to conclude the book. Read my full review at .
]]> 215613507 Near the Forest, By the Lake is a personal exploration of the wonders of the natural world close to home. In this collection of essays, Angela E. Douglas reflects on the lives and habits of the plants, birds, insects, and other creatures inhabiting the landscapes that neighbor her in upstate New York.

Some essays focus on individual species, from the salamanders migrating in early spring and the butterflies of summer, to the yellow goldenrods of the fall and the rafts of ducks on the lake in winter. Others provide insight into some of nature's mysteries, including why certain birds sing in fall and how turtles survive the winter in ice-sealed ponds. The inevitable fingerprint of human activities is interwoven into these explorations of the diversity of the living world.

In Near the Forest, By the Lake, Douglas shows us that the natural world is closer than we might think and that our local environment, be it city sidewalk or country meadow, can always offer a glimpse of nature's splendor.]]> 206 Angela E. Douglas 1501780573 Donna 4 4.00
author: Angela E. Douglas
name: Donna
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/10
date added: 2025/05/14
shelves: for-review, nonfiction, environmental
review:
This is a lovely collection of naturalist essays. In the end notes, the author stated that she hoped her book inspired people to be curious about the natural world near to them and for me her goal was reached. As someone living in the south my natural world is different than that of the northeast but at the same time there are similarities. I constantly was comparing what was the same and different while reading this book. Read my full review at .
]]> 228009834 Feathers, diamonds, showgirls, oh la la… Paris is everything Opal Laplume could dream of. But she wasn’t expecting to be cast as the lead detective in a murder case…

Paris, 1930. The Honourable Opal Laplume has just started working as a seamstress in the most glamorous cabaret in Paris. The stage is set for a spectacular opening night, but tragedy strikes when the star of the show, Valentine Beaumanoir falls from her hotel balcony.

The police believe it’s an accident, but Opal isn’t convinced. Witnesses heard Valentine shout for help before she fell. But if she was pushed, how could the culprit have escaped when her room was locked from the inside? And who left a perfect white rose on her bedside table?

When a deadly note to another dancer is found, Opal ditches her threads and thimbles to take charge of the case. Stepping backstage, she finds everyone had a reason to want Valentine dead. The chorus girls were jealous of Valentine’s spot in the limelight. But did one of them want the lead role that badly? Before she fell, Valentine called out the name of her beau, costumier Christophe. Could the show-stopping murder have been a crime of passion?

But just as Opal thinks she’s on track to solve the mystery, the theatre is rocked by a murder on stage, where once again the killer vanishes into thin air. Opal soon realises a bigger plot is unfolding. Can she keep her composure and catch the cabaret killer? Or will it be her final curtain call?

Step into the glittery world of Paris in this totally addictive Golden Age whodunnit full of glamorous intrigue, mystery and murder. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Verity Bright.]]> 282 Millicent Binks 1836183135 Donna 3 3.84
author: Millicent Binks
name: Donna
average rating: 3.84
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/03
date added: 2025/05/10
shelves: audiobooks, cozy-mystery, for-review
review:
If you are looking for a new historical cozy mystery series, then you should check this one out. It definitely had Agatha Christie vibes. It also reminded me of Colleen Cambridge's An American in Paris series. Instead of an American though, the main character is British and it is set before WWII. Read my full review at .
]]> 53331577 Inspired by the true World War II history of the few bookshops to survive the Blitz, The Last Bookshop in London is a timeless story of wartime loss, love and the enduring power of literature.

August 1939: London prepares for war as Hitler’s forces sweep across Europe. Grace Bennett has always dreamed of moving to the city, but the bunkers and blackout curtains that she finds on her arrival were not what she expected. And she certainly never imagined she’d wind up working at Primrose Hill, a dusty old bookshop nestled in the heart of London.

Through blackouts and air raids as the Blitz intensifies, Grace discovers the power of storytelling to unite her community in ways she never dreamed—a force that triumphs over even the darkest nights of the war.]]> 325 Madeline Martin 133528480X Donna 4 4.07 2021
author: Madeline Martin
name: Donna
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/02
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: audiobooks, historical-fiction
review:
Martin again created characters that you don't want to say goodbye to. If you enjoyed The Underground Library or The Little Wartime Library, then you will want to read this book.
]]> 195447698
When the threat of war becomes a reality, Olivia must be evacuated to the countryside. In her daughter’s absence, Emma seeks solace in the unlikely friendships she forms with her neighbors and coworkers, as well as the recommendations she provides to the library’s quirky regulars. But the job doesn’t come without its difficulties. Books are mysteriously misshelved and disappearing, and her work forces her to confront the memories of her late father and the bookstore they once owned together before a terrible accident.

As the Blitz intensifies in Nottingham and Emma fights to reunite with her daughter, she must learn to depend on her community and the power of literature more than ever to find hope in the darkest of times.
]]> 396 Madeline Martin Donna 4 for-review, audiobooks 4.18 2024
author: Madeline Martin
name: Donna
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/24
date added: 2025/05/03
shelves: for-review, audiobooks
review:
With Booklover's in the title I wasn't sure if I would get a very bookish book or a romance. With historical WWII fiction I'm always a little leary that it will be more romance than I like. This one is a solid historical fiction story. Booklover's Library was a chain on lending libraries attached to Boots drug stores. This book is a nice slice of life on the home front with great characters. It's not set in London or in the country. Instead it is a factory town and while we don't get see factory life there is a different feel amongst the people than in other homefront books I've read. Read my full review at
]]> 13000301 An uproarious, uplifting, and brazenly honest celebration of the single girl's life. Unsolicited relationship advice from relatives, disastrous dates, men who wear thumb rings, and the moments of deep satisfaction when a single girl realizes that she can do whatever she wants with her time- it's all here in Haiku for the Single Girl. Reading this brilliantly incisive and wittily illustrated collection, every woman- whether single or not-will laugh until she cries, and then start laughing all over again.]]> 160 Beth Griffenhagen 1101563079 Donna 5 for-review, poetry 3.67 2011
author: Beth Griffenhagen
name: Donna
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2011/11/17
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: for-review, poetry
review:
Finally some body gets what it's like to be single. See my full review:
]]> 52495634 256 Ted Williams 1635862833 Donna 4 4.26 2004
author: Ted Williams
name: Donna
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2020/05/08
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: for-review, nonfiction, environmental
review:
This was really a perfect book for me to read during the pandemic as I've been trying to pay attention more to the nature around me during my daily walks. I've written some nature poetry but now I'm thinking of writing an essay about the vultures that I watched yesterday. The short essays made it easy to pick up between tasks. Read my full review at
]]> 53182455 The Secret of Plants in the ENVIRONMENT addresses environmental concerns such as the different types of stress situations and plant adaptation to changing environments, including the positive and negative effects of stress on the growth of crops, the beginning stages of plant life cycles, and plant output. This book seeks to discuss the impact of environmental changes or stress on plant life, environmental stress physiology, and adaptation mechanisms. It highlights the impact of environmental stresses on plants and crops under changing environments and gives a comprehensive overview of how plants respond to such environments.
In addition, it serves as a helpful guide to the students of BSc, MSc and to all professionals engaged in teaching and research on environmental-related subjects. It dwells on some important aspects of environmental change or stress as the main issue affecting the survival of plants at the early stages of their life cycle. Hence, the author hopes that both early-career scientists and research scholars interested in pursuing environmental science to an advanced stage would also benefit from the important information discussed in this book.]]> 204 Rishikesh Upadhyay 1648509215 Donna 3 4.00 2020
author: Rishikesh Upadhyay
name: Donna
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2020/12/22
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: for-review, nonfiction, environmental
review:
The many grammatical and typographical mistakes were distracting. I'm not sure if the author was clear on who his target audience is - it's a bit too scientific for a general audience but I'm not sure there is enough evidence of scientific rigor to satisfy researchers. Maybe it could be used as an undergraduate textbook, but the literary quotes that start each chapter seem odd for a textbook. It is a short book only about two-thirds of it is actual text (~136 pages) the other third is a commonly used abbreviations list (not really useful in an ebook given it isn't easy to flip back and forth), suggested reading, and indices. I didn't see a literature cited section unless that is what suggested reading is considered. Full review soon
]]> 58520615 An exploration of how plant behavior and adaptation offer valuable insights for human thriving.



We know that plants are important. They maintain the atmosphere by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. They nourish other living organisms and supply psychological benefits to humans as well, improving our moods and beautifying the landscape around us. But plants don't just passively provide. They also take action.

Beronda L. Montgomery explores the vigorous, creative lives of organisms often treated as static and predictable. In fact, plants are masters of adaptation. They "know" what and who they are, and they use this knowledge to make a way in the world. Plants experience a kind of sensation that does not require eyes or ears. They distinguish kin, friend, and foe, and they are able to respond to ecological competition despite lacking the capacity of fight-or-flight. Plants are even capable of transformative behaviors that allow them to maximize their chances of survival in a dynamic and sometimes unfriendly environment.

Lessons from Plants enters into the depth of botanic experience and shows how we might improve human society by better appreciating not just what plants give us but also how they achieve their own purposes. What would it mean to learn from these organisms, to become more aware of our environments and to adapt to our own worlds by calling on perception and awareness? Montgomery's meditative study puts before us a question with the power to reframe the way we live: What would a plant do?]]> 0 Beronda L Montgomery 1666518859 Donna 3 3.59 2021
author: Beronda L Montgomery
name: Donna
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2021/09/07
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: audiobooks, for-review, nonfiction, environmental
review:
The first chapter or so felt like someone was reading a textbook to me. The science isn't too technical - probably about what is taught in a high school biology class. If you were looking for examples from nature that could be applied to human societal issues then this book would be great. Read my full review at .
]]> 60892347
In every person's story, there is something to hide...

The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet, until the tranquility is shattered by a woman's terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who'd happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning—it just happens that one is a murderer.

Award-winning author Sulari Gentill delivers a sharply thrilling read with The Woman in the Library, an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship and shows us that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all.]]> 9 Sulari Gentill Donna 4 3.33 2022
author: Sulari Gentill
name: Donna
average rating: 3.33
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/10
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: audiobooks, mystery-book-club, crime-fiction
review:
I listened to the audiobook for my mystery book club. I don't usually re-read mysteries but I found this one as enjoyable to read a second time as the first (I had forgotten some of the story Hannah was writing). I probably wouldn't recommend listening to this book the first time though because I think it would be confusing unless you are a very focused listener. I did love the narrator - I'm impressed with the different accents she could do.
]]> 200174218 336 John Janovy Jr. 1728292522 Donna 3 3.15
author: John Janovy Jr.
name: Donna
average rating: 3.15
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/18
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: audiobooks, nonfiction, for-review, memoir
review:
Not my favorite parasite/science nonfiction but it was still interesting. It is a bit of a memoir as Janovy shares about his own research and part science history. I didn't enjoy all the attempts to extrapolate what he learned as a parasitology to contemporary, social issues - some felt too much of a reach. Read my full review at .
]]> 194803881
Tracking the natural beauty that surrounds us, The Backyard Bird Chronicles maps the passage of time through daily entries, thoughtful questions, and beautiful original sketches. With boundless charm and wit, author Amy Tan charts her foray into birding and the natural wonders of the world.

In 2016, Amy Tan grew overwhelmed by the state of the Hatred and misinformation became a daily presence on social media, and the country felt more divisive than ever. In search of peace, Tan turned toward the natural world just beyond her window and, specifically, the birds visiting her yard. But what began as an attempt to find solace turned into something far greater—an opportunity to savor quiet moments during a volatile time, connect to nature in a meaningful way, and imagine the intricate lives of the birds she admired.]]> 291 Amy Tan 0593536134 Donna 4 4.02 2024
author: Amy Tan
name: Donna
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/15
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: for-review, audiobooks, environmental, nonfiction, memoir
review:
I enjoyed reading Amy Tan's observations of the birds in her backyard. I want to start a nature journal filled with beautiful drawings. But I can't draw (seriously I struggle with stick figures) and after seeing Tan's journal pages I feel a little discouraged but reading her observations have inspired me. Read my full review at .
]]> 217355297 Eye-opening essays about searching for peace in the cacophony of birds and discovering a world of meaning in small moments—from award-winning actor Lili Taylor.

“By turns introspective, inquisitive, and funny, the book is a love letter to nature and the solace it can provide.”—The New Yorker

Most people don’t really know birds—or rather, they aren’t aware of them. Lili Taylor used to be one of those people. She knew birds existed. She thought about them, maybe even more than the average person. But she didn’t know them. And then something happened.

During a much-needed break from her work as an actor, Lili sought silence and instead found the bustling, symphonic world of birds that had always existed around her. Since then, she has kept a keen eye pressed to her binoculars in search of vivid stories that elevate the everyday, if only one pays attention.

Through a series of beautifully crafted essays, Taylor shares her intimate encounters with the birds that have captured her heart and imagination—from tracking flitting woodpeckers through oak trees to spotting majestic blue jays perched on a Manhattan fire escape; from the exhilaration of witnessing a migratory flock from the top of the Empire State Building to the quiet joy of observing a nest of hatchlings in her own backyard. Through simply paying attention to birds, Lili has been shown a parallel world that is wider and deeper, one of constant change and movement, full of life and the will to survive.

Throughout Turning to Birds, Taylor encourages mindfulness, inviting readers to be present and fully engaged with the world around them. Taylor's lyrical prose and thoughtful meditations on both the art we make and the art we discover around us create a sense of intimacy and wonder, inviting readers to see the world through new eyes and to find joy in the most unexpected places.]]> 194 Lili Taylor 0593728580 Donna 4 4.15
author: Lili Taylor
name: Donna
average rating: 4.15
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: for-review, nonfiction, environmental, memoir
review:
It is a little like Amy Tan's The Backyard Bird Chronicles, but different enough to learn something new. While in Tan's book, I learned how to journal about birds, in Taylor's book I learned more about just being with birds. Read my full review at .
]]> 211842700 Between Two Sounds follows the life of world-famous composer Arvo Pärt from his birth in Estonia in 1935 through 1980, when the Soviets forced him to emigrate because of the nonconformist and religious nature of his music.

Based on years of research and close collaboration with Arvo Pärt himself, Joonas Sildre paints an atmospheric portrait of a restless artist who does not shy away from confronting state control or his own internal contradictions. 

Arvo Pärt stormed Soviet-occupied Estonia's music scene in the 1960s as a brash young man pushing the limits of avant-garde modernism. Then he fell silent, no longer able to express what he felt through the musical language he had inherited. When he reemerged a decade later, he had found, in that silence between sounds, a new musical language inspired by ancient sacred music, the basis of his distinctive tintinnabuli technique. This graphic novel will appeal not just to fans of Arvo Pärt’s music but to anyone who has known the struggle to remain true to oneself whatever the cost.]]> 0 Joonas Sildre 1636081339 Donna 3 for-review, nonfiction 3.83 2018
author: Joonas Sildre
name: Donna
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/30
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: for-review, nonfiction
review:
I don't read many graphic novels but I decided to give this book a chance since it was written by an Estonian author. I haven't read anything set in Estonia or read any Estonian authors before. I wasn't familiar with Arvo Part before picking up this book. I wished there had been more of a narrative story. It felt too disjointed - it was almost like reading a timeline. The artwork was good but it didn't really help me understand the story (sometimes I forgot to even really look at them) and I couldn't really tell the characters apart. This would be great for musical people but I didn't really understand all the musical jargon. Read my full review at .
]]> 201597801 Power to the Parasites! lets you in on a Parasites are all around you, all the time, quietly running the world. You might think of them as slimy, disgusting freeloaders – tapeworms and roundworms and ticks and lice, too small to be important and too selfish to be valued. But by the end of this book, you’ll realize that sometimes parasites are the good guys.

Learn where you’re most likely to find parasites in your own food (heads up, you might not want to eat any uncooked fish right before reading this book), and how parasitic infection changes the behavior of many organisms—including human beings.

Parasites might be weird and mysterious, but the better we understand them, the less we have to fear about them. In fact, many parasites are in big trouble. With climate change threatening parasites around the world, there’s no better time than right now to learn about these often-unseen creatures living among us.]]> 157 Chelsea L. Wood 1250833973 Donna 4 for-review, mg-ya, nonfiction 4.50
author: Chelsea L. Wood
name: Donna
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/03
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: for-review, mg-ya, nonfiction
review:
This is a great nonfiction book for curious middle grade kids. Read my full review at .
]]> 229749481
These new, recent, and reformulated stories by Joyce Carol Oates showcase a wide range of crime fiction and psychological suspense. A young, insecure woman finds her relationship changing as she grows more and more dependent on a man who likes to take her on long walks beside a dangerously roaring creek. Another woman, nervous around men, not quite knowing how to act when paid a compliment, becomes flustered when a doctor suggests they go out for coffee, or possibly a drink. She finally decides that she will join him when he suggests they meet at his home. A man is so forgetful that his wife panics and yells into his phone, asking where their daughter has gone. A young man is curious to see why sirens have filled the night and the police arrest him, beginning an unimaginable nightmare. A woman resents that a colleague has achieved greater success and thinks she ought to do something about it.

It is impossible to know where a story by the creative genius of Joyce Carol Oates will end and what frightening paths will lead to that end.]]> Joyce Carol Oates Donna 3 3.00 2024
author: Joyce Carol Oates
name: Donna
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/12
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: audiobooks, crime-fiction, for-review
review:
These aren't your typical murder mystery short stories. If you like different types of mysteries then you will enjoy this collection. Read my full review at .
]]> 56641444 106 Charles Siegel Donna 4 3.12
author: Charles Siegel
name: Donna
average rating: 3.12
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/15
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: for-review, nonfiction, environmental
review:
This book provides a good overview of climate change in an easy to understand way. Read my full review at .
]]> 229781499 From the author of Hollow Kingdom, a fantastically funny story featuring a cast of colorful characters in a dying Italian village and a giant truffle that changes their fate forever in this “deliciously absurd tale....I savored every page of this book.” (Shelby Van Pelt, author of Remarkably Bright Creatures )

After nearly losing the election to a geriatric donkey, newly installed Mayor Delizia Miccuci can’t help but feel like the sun has finally set on the rural Italian village of Lazzarini Boscarino. Tourists only stop by to ask for directions, Nonna Amara’s cherished ristorante is long shuttered, and the town hall is disgustingly overrun with glis glis poo—even Postman Duccio has been disgraced. All that’s left is Bar Celebrità, a rustic establishment where weary locals gather to quibble over decades-long disputes, submit their poor stomachs to bartender Giuseppina’s volcanic espresso, and wonder what will become of the place where together they’ve spent their entire lives.

Little do the villagers know that local truffle hunter Giovanni Scarpazza has just happened upon something that could change everything. A truffle—un tartufo, that is—sits beneath the soil with the power to either be the greatest gift or the foulest curse the village has ever seen.

Written in the same enchanting style and raucous humor that defines Hollow Kingdom and Feral Creatures, Tartufo is a reflection on the interconnectedness of life in all its manifestations—and how holding on to harmony in the face of hardship can grow something beautiful and rare beneath the surface.]]> 12 Kira Jane Buxton Donna 4 audiobooks, for-review 3.65 2025
author: Kira Jane Buxton
name: Donna
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/10
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: audiobooks, for-review
review:
This was different from her Hollow Kingdom series but it was still enjoyable. It was an easy book to listen to. Read my full review at .
]]> 225493314 “You'll root for these creatures and their survival. A marvelous narration.”— Booklist

“Paleontologist Riley Black’s vivid writing and Wren Mack’s wonderstruck narration make these vignettes of prehistoric life on Earth fascinating listening.” —AudioFile

Winner, A Friend of Darwin Award, 2024

A gorgeously composed look at the longstanding relationship between prehistoric plants and life on Earth

Fossils plants allow us to touch the lost worlds from billions of years of evolutionary backstory. Each petrified leaf and root show us that dinosaurs, saber-toothed cats, and even humans would not exist without the evolutionary efforts of their leafy counterparts. It has been the constant growth of plants that have allowed so many of our favorite, fascinating prehistoric creatures to evolve, oxygenating the atmosphere, coaxing animals onto land, and forming the forests that shaped our ancestors’ anatomy. It is impossible to understand our history without them. Or, our future.

Using the same scientifically informed narrative technique that listeners loved in the award-winning The Last Days of the Dinosaurs, Riley Black brings us back in time to prehistoric seas, swamps, forests, and savannas where critical moments in plant evolution unfolded. Each chapter stars plants and animals alike, underscoring how the interactions between species have helped shape the world we call home. As the chapters move upwards in time, Black guides listeners along the burgeoning trunk of the Tree of Life, stopping to appreciate branches of an evolutionary story that links the world we know with one we can only just perceive now through the silent stone, from ancient roots to the present.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.]]> Riley Black Donna 4 Girl Who Reads.]]> 4.22 2025
author: Riley Black
name: Donna
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/23
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: audiobooks, for-review, nonfiction, environmental
review:
I always worry when listening to nonfiction that it will feel like I'm listening to a lecture. I can assure you that this didn't feel like a lecture. I've not read any paleontology books so this one had a lot of interesting information. Read my full review at Girl Who Reads.
]]> 211332282 The tenth installment in the cozy mystery series featuring amateur sleuth Delaney Nichols, set in a specialty bookshop in Edinburgh called The Cracked Spine
When Delaney wins a special Hidden Door Festival invitation to artist Ryory Bennigan's studio, she isn’t sure quite what to expect. What she finds is an elusive fellow obsessed with the Picts—complete with his own versions of their blue tattoos and vibrant red hair—recreating the stones they left behind. She also meets a visiting paleontologist, Dr. Adam Pace, from the University of Kansas attempting to sell an artifact that might just explain what the Picts' language really sounded like.
Or at least that’s what he claimed the artifact was for. Before the deal can close and Ryory can get a closer look at it, Dr. Pace is found dead.
With the police dragging their feet in the investigation, Delaney takes it upon herself to dig into Dr. Pace's past. Her research goes murky as she quickly discovers Pace’s shady background—selling fake dinosaur bones and running into some 3D-printing trouble back in Kansas. Could his past have come back to bite him in Edinburgh? And what does his questionable background mean for the mysterious Pictish artifact he was trying to sell to Ryory? Delaney will have to dust off her magnifying glass to uncover the truth behind this case… or risk becoming a pile of bones herself.]]> 296 Paige Shelton 1250336627 Donna 4 4.42 2025
author: Paige Shelton
name: Donna
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/14
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: cozy-mystery, for-review, audiobooks
review:
This is a fun series. I like the characters and the mystery was intriguing. Read my full review at .
]]> 223735523 Four dissatisfied sixties-era housewives form a book club turned sisterhood that will hold fast amid the turmoil of a rapidly changing world and alter the course of each of their lives.

By early 1960s standards, Margaret Ryan, Viv Buschetti, and Bitsy Cobb, suburban housewives in a brand-new "planned community" in Northern Virginia, appear to have it all. The fact that "all" doesn't feel like enough leaves them feeling confused and guilty, certain the fault must lie with them. Things begin to change when they form a book club with Charlotte Gustafson--the eccentric and artsy "new neighbor" from Manhattan--and read Betty Friedan's just-released book, The Feminine Mystique.

Controversial and groundbreaking, the book struck a chord with an entire generation of women, helping them realize that they weren't alone in their dissatisfactions, or their longings, lifting their eyes to new horizons of possibility and achievement. Margaret, Charlotte, Bitsy, and Viv are among them. But is it really the book that alters the lives of these four very different women? Or is it the bond of sisterhood that helps them find courage to confront the past, navigate turmoil in a rapidly changing world, and see themselves in a new and limitless light?]]> 12 Marie Bostwick Donna 4 4.14 2025
author: Marie Bostwick
name: Donna
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/20
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: audiobooks, for-review, historical-fiction
review:
I don't often read books set in the 1960s, but this one sounded good. It is pretty typical of a women's fiction story set in the 1960s. If you love books focused on characters, then this is the book for you. It would make a good beach read. Read my full review at .
]]> 226954149 A pretty seaside town, a body on the beach, and a boatload of clues. Can super-sleuth Miss Jane Treen solve the mystery?

England, 1941. When Jane Treen is summoned to her boss’s office at the end of a long day, she smooths down her tweed skirt and makes them both another strong pot of coffee. Brigadier Remmington-Blythe slides a folded copy of the evening newspaper towards her, with one small article circled in red ink. A body has been found on an English beach in the little seaside town where she grew up, and he wants her to investigate.

Jane is used to managing secret agents and spies, but she is now part of The Secret Detective Agency, England’s answer to solving the most mysterious murders. Making her way to the coast and brimming with curiosity, she’s heartened that shy and handsome codebreaking genius Arthur Cilento will be joining her to help her wade through the fishy goings-on. Although Jane doubts he will appreciate her bringing her beloved one-eyed cat, Marmaduke…

Together, Jane and Arthur drop anchor in her crumbling childhood home overlooking the sandy beach where the body was found. Surrounded by potential suspects, their eyes are on a devious doctor, an eccentric artist and a secret sweetheart. But as Jane and Arthur are searching for the truth, those giving evidence start to clam up. One thing seems they need to reel in the killer before they’re out of their depth…

Can The Secret Detective Agency triumph again, or will they meet their watery end at high tide?

If you love twisty crime novels, top-secret intrigue and the very best of Golden Age mysteries, then you will adore Helena Dixon’s totally gripping cozy novel, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Verity Bright! ]]> 312 Helena Dixon 1836181353 Donna 4 cozy-mystery, for-review 4.31
author: Helena Dixon
name: Donna
average rating: 4.31
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/21
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: cozy-mystery, for-review
review:
I enjoyed this one more than the first book. I'm glad the "I'm so annoyed with him/her" phase was short-lived. I'm not sure if I care for them to move into a romantic phase, though. Can't a man and woman work together without becoming romantically involved? Read my full review at .
]]> 51842737 The Glass Hotel is a captivating portrait of greed and guilt, love and delusion, ghosts and unintended consequences, and the infinite ways we search for meaning in our lives.]]> Emily St. John Mandel 0525596704 Donna 3 3.42 2020
author: Emily St. John Mandel
name: Donna
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/28
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: audiobooks, post-apocalyptic-book-club
review:
I was definitely not in the right mood for a book like this. It was little difficult to follow the story listening to the audiobook as it focuses on different characters at certain points and the timeline jumps around a bit.
]]> 216751487 A touching novel about parenthood, first love, family bonds, and rekindled relationships from the New York Times bestselling author and beloved Nantucket storyteller Nancy Thayer.

Blythe Benedict is content. Her life didn’t end when her marriage did. In fact, she’s more than happy living in her comfortable house in Boston, working as a middle school teacher, and raising four wonderful children. With three of her kids in the throes of teenagerhood and one not too far behind them, Blythe has plenty of drama to keep her busy every single day.

But no amount of that drama could change the family’s beloved annual summer trip to Nantucket. Blythe has always treasured the months spent at her island home-away-from-home, and has fond memories of her children growing up there. But this summer’s getaway proves to be much more than she bargained for.

Yes, there are sunny days enjoyed at the beach. But Blythe must contend with teenage angst, her ex-mother-in-law’s declining health, and a troubling secret involving her ex-husband. Meanwhile, Blythe reconnects with her first love, her former high school sweetheart Aaden. But their second-time-around romance becomes complicated when another intriguing man enters the picture.

It’s all a bit out of Blythe’s comfort zone. This particular island summer may not be as relaxing as Blythe had hoped, but she’s never felt that life has given her more than she can handle—especially when she has the love and support of her family around her.]]> 279 Nancy Thayer 0593724070 Donna 4 for-review 4.27
author: Nancy Thayer
name: Donna
average rating: 4.27
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/28
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: for-review
review:
A good beach read, though it isn't my favorite Thayer book. It was a little more romance than I prefer. Full review soon.
]]> 216655567 298 Rachel Ekstrom Courage 1368102972 Donna 3 for-review, cozy-mystery 3.62 2025
author: Rachel Ekstrom Courage
name: Donna
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/13
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: for-review, cozy-mystery
review:
I don't usually read books based on TV shows (I can only think of one I've read), but I thought it could be fun if the Golden Girls were amateur sleuths. I had trouble getting into the book. I think there was too much time spent trying to re-create the atmosphere of the TV show but what made the show funny relied heavily on comedic timing and physical interaction both of which are difficult to put into words. I enjoyed the book once we really got into the mystery which was really interesting. Read my full review at .
]]> 228439779 In late Victorian England, private enquiry agents Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn find themselves in the middle of the deadly chaos when powerful forces align to take over London's criminal underworld.

"Antony Ferguson transports listeners to London.... The sharp writing and Ferguson's narration capture all the bizarre twists and turns."— AudioFile on Heart of the Nile

Private enquiry agent Cyrus Barker, along with his partner Thomas Llewelyn, has a long, accomplished history—he's worked with all aspects of society, from the highest (including the Crown and the government) to the lowest (various forces in London's underworld). He's been the target of murder attempts, character assassination, bombings and attacks upon his closest associates but never has he and his agency partner Thomas Llewelyn faced such destruction and potential disaster.

The sudden collapse of a railway tunnel in the East End of London kills dozens and shuts down services all over the city. Meanwhile, a mysterious beggar calling herself “Dutch” guides Barker and Llewelyn to an attempt by a powerful aristocrat to take over London's criminal underworld. With a missing heiress and a riot at a women’s shelter acting as distractions designed to stop the duo from getting to the truth, Barker must relentlessly fight to reach the trust while Llewelyn wonders how a simple beggar woman can be the catalyst for such destruction.

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books.]]> Will Thomas Donna 4 4.00
author: Will Thomas
name: Donna
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/08
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: audiobooks, crime-fiction, cozy-mystery, for-review
review:
This is one of my favorite series to listen to. They are working two cases but you know that they will some how become intertwined and how that would happen intrigued me more than the separate cases. Read my full review at .
]]> 203578861 The amazing true story of the man behind modern weather prediction

Consider a world without weather prediction. How would we know when to evacuate communities ahead of fires or floods, or figure out what to wear tomorrow? Until 40 years ago, we couldn’t forecast weather conditions beyond ten days. Renowned climate scientist Dr. Jagadish Shukla is largely to thank for modern weather forecasting. Born in rural India with no electricity, plumbing, or formal schools, he attended classes that were held in a cow shed. Shukla grew up amid overwhelming monsoons, devastating droughts, and unpredictable crop yields. His drive brought him to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, despite little experience. He then followed an unlikely path to MIT and Princeton, and the highest echelons of climate science. His work, which has enabled us to predict weather farther into the future than previously thought possible, allows us to feed more people, save lives, and hold on to hope in a warming world.

Paired with his philanthropic endeavors and extreme dedication to the field, Dr. Shukla has been lauded internationally for his achievements, including a shared Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore for his governmental research on climate change. A Billion Butterflies is a wondrous insider’s account of climate science and an unbelievable memoir of his life. Understanding dynamical seasonal prediction will change the way you experience a thunderstorm or interpret a forecast; understanding its origins and the remarkable story of the man who discovered it will change the way you see our world.]]> 288 Jagadish Shukla 1250289203 Donna 5 4.29
author: Jagadish Shukla
name: Donna
average rating: 4.29
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: audiobooks, for-review, memoir, nonfiction, environmental
review:
This isn't just a book about meteorology and climate. I also learned about Indian culture and a little about politics. I didn't know about most of the climate science breakthroughs that he mentioned, but they are something we use every day as many of them revolved around more accurately predicting weather. An excellent book that really held my attention. Read my full review at .
]]> 216246650 The explosive, satisfying conclusion to the Chaotic Orbits novella trilogy sees Ada and Rian breaking into a high-security facility to give Earth a fighting chance at survival

Sexy, fast, fun and funny, this happily-ever-after ending is perfect for fans of the Murderbot novels and the Wayfairers series

After a few weeks trapped on board a spaceship with Ada (and, oh look, there’s only one bed), Rian has to admit that maybe Ada’s rebels have a point. The nanobots poised to be unleashed on Earth are infected with malware that will ultimately leave the residents of Earth in a worse position than they’re in now. But is it too late?

Ada and Rian arrive on Earth with little time to spare. Together, they have to break into a high-security facility and infect the nanobots with a counter-virus before they’re released in order to give Earth a fighting chance. And if Ada happens to notice some great tech laying around in this high-security facility she shouldn’t have access to and then happens to steal a bunch of it when Rian’s not looking? Well, he knew who she was before he teamed up with her. And if he wants it back, he’s going to have to catch her first. 

With countless twists and turns, this enemies-to-lovers slow-burn and high-tension romance plays on a Sherlock and Moriarity character dynamic rooted in science fiction with a heavy romance and mystery angle.]]> 133 Beth Revis 0756419719 Donna 5 3.94 2025
author: Beth Revis
name: Donna
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: for-review, fantasy-sci-fi-paranormal
review:
I know that this is supposed to be a trilogy which means this is the last book in the series (which makes me very sad) however the way it ended there is definitely room for more books to be written which makes be very happy). I've really enjoyed this series and this book in particular was a lot of fun. Read my full review at .
]]> 227723327 “Audiobook narrator Johnny Heller has a brisk, ardent manner, moving through events at a spirited trot, conveying the urgency and high stakes of Revere’s mission.”— The Washington Post

Timed for the 250th anniversary of one of America’s most famous founding Paul Revere’s legendary ride, newly told with fresh research into little-known aspects of the story Americans have heard since childhood but hardly understood

On April 18, 1775, a Boston-based silversmith, engraver, and anti-British political operative named Paul Revere set out on a borrowed horse to fulfill a dangerous but crucial to alert American colonists of advancing British troops, which would seek to crush their nascent revolt.

Revere was not the only rider that night, and indeed, he had completed at least 18 previous rides across New England and other colonies, disseminating intelligence about British movements. But this ride was like no other, and its consequences in the months and years to come—as the American Revolution morphed from isolated skirmishes to a full-fledged war—became one of our founding legends.

In The Ride, Kostya Kennedy presents a dramatic new narrative of the events of April 18 and 19, 1775, informed by fresh primary and secondary source research into archives, family letters and diaries, contemporary accounts, and more. Kennedy reveals Revere’s ride to be more complex than it is usually portrayed—a loosely coordinated series of rides by numerous men, near-disaster, capture by British forces, and finally success. While Revere was central to the ride and its plotting, Kennedy reveals the other men (and, perhaps, a woman with information about the movement of British forces) who helped to set in motion the events that would lead to America’s independence.

Thrillingly written in a dramatic, unstoppable narrative, The Ride retells an essential American story for a new generation of listeners.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.]]> Kostya Kennedy Donna 3 3.83 2025
author: Kostya Kennedy
name: Donna
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: for-review, nonfiction, audiobooks
review:
As with any history nonfiction I read, I'm never sure what to expect. Sometimes it is dry and full of dates and names, other times it is more like a narrative story. This book is the latter. I enjoyed a book I read about Benedict Arnold and I was looking forward to learning more about another Revolution hero that I knew little about. There was a bit more speculation than I was expecting but the few tidbits about Paul Revere were interesting. Read full review at .
]]> 221970988 Cream cakes, cucumber sandwiches, apple tarts and… poison? Lady Swift is trying to plan the menu for her wedding, until murder strikes in kitchens across the village!

Lady Eleanor Swift’s marriage to dashing Chief Inspector Hugh Seldon is just days away. There’s a lot to organise from the dress to the catering, including, of course, the all-important wedding cake.

But Eleanor is heartbroken when their chef, apple-cheeked Annie Tibetts, dies of poisoning. And as the doctor confirms her death wasn’t an accident, accusations fly around the whole community.

With more of the village struck down by the poison, Eleanor must unmask a killer who seems intent on spreading chaos amongst her nearest and dearest. Everyone is accusing their neighbour… and Eleanor is in a pickle as the seating plans for the wedding fall apart. But she soon has bigger fish to fry when the source of the poison is traced to a trusted establishment in town. Eleanor is certain they are being framed and that sabotage is afoot…

And when a sample of poisoned wedding cake is delivered anonymously to Hugh working at his station miles away in Oxford, Eleanor realises that while she has been planning for the future, her past has been catching up with her. Eleanor must race across the countryside to save her love from certain death. Can Eleanor find the proof in the pudding and save Hugh in time? And will the poisoner finally get their just desserts?

A gripping and totally twisty historical cozy mystery set in an English village. Fans of T.E. Kinsey, Catherine Coles and L.B. Hathaway won’t be able to put this down.]]> 344 Verity Bright 1803145307 Donna 5 cozy-mystery, for-review 4.56
author: Verity Bright
name: Donna
average rating: 4.56
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/29
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: cozy-mystery, for-review
review:
This was a delightful novel. I've been reading this series for a while now and it is still fun. But more so, it felt like a comfy sweater that I could snuggle into. We get plenty of Seldon and Eleanor in this novel as well as her staff. Read my full review at .
]]> 222675067 Meet Miss Jane Treen – the coffee-drinking cat lover dressed head to toe in tweed, who just happens to be a secret super sleuth!

London, 1941: Miss Jane Treen is at her desk, strong black coffee in hand and fluffy ginger cat by her side, when her top-secret government work is interrupted by an urgent call to Devon. A woman has been found dead in a lake in a place where she shouldn’t have been. Jane needs to gather the clues and find the killer before someone else from the agency gets hurt…

Shy and handsome code-breaker Arthur Cilento is bewildered by the arrival of the efficient Miss Treen and her cat Marmaduke. She bursts into his life unexpectedly, forcing him out of his comfort zone. The reluctant colleagues huddle near the warmth of a crackling fire in Arthur's country home, working to piece together the murderous puzzle at hand.

In the sleepy Devon village, someone is hiding something: but is it the busybody vicar and his sister, the dutiful housekeeper and her secretive son, the stern librarian, or someone else altogether? And who were the people with the woman in the lake on the day she died?

No sooner have Arthur and Jane have drawn up a list of suspects, than a parcel reveals a clue that sends them in hot pursuit of a coded diary stashed in a village church. But as the heavy wooden door slams behind them and a key turns in the lock, one thing is they need to unravel the truth and crack this code before the killer decides their number is up…

But if they can catch the culprit in time, might this unusual pair become the finest crime-solving partnership since Holmes and Watson hung up their hats…?

If you love twisty crime novels, top-secret intrigue and the very best of Golden Age mysteries, then you will adore Helena Dixon’s totally gripping cozy novel, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T E Kinsey and Verity Bright!]]> 266 Helena Dixon 1836181043 Donna 3 for-review, cozy-mystery 4.04 2025
author: Helena Dixon
name: Donna
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/22
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: for-review, cozy-mystery
review:
It was a little slow to start with and I wasn't sure if I liked the characters very much. I tried it because one of my other WWII cozy mysteries is ending and I wanted something to replace with it. The characters kind of grew on me and I will try at least another book in the series. Read my full review at .
]]> 200020356
The many threads of the case keep leading Sullivan back to the three remaining Bainbridge heiresses, now Iris’s sister, Isabella, and her cousins Cassie and Nicole. Determined not to let anything distract him from the truth―not the powerful influence of Bainbridges’ grandmother, or the political aspirations of Berkeley’s district attorney, or the interest of China's First Lady Madame Chiang Kai-Shek in his findings―Sullivan follows his investigation to its devastating conclusion.]]> Amy Chua Donna 4 audiobooks, mystery-book-club 3.63 2023
author: Amy Chua
name: Donna
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/12
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: audiobooks, mystery-book-club
review:
My book club is reading this this month. It's been a while since I read it, I didn't really remember much of the story. I thought the narrator did a good job. However, I didn't enjoy it as much this time. Ir was still good though.
]]> 217343384 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the bestselling author of Squeeze Me comes a wildly entertaining Florida caper—a razor-sharp send-up of modern American life, packed with misfits and mayhem.

“No satirist arrived at our dystopian moment better prepared than Carl Hiaasen.” —Slate

“[Carl Hiaasen’s] reality with a side of escapism is a blessing for our fragile minds at this time.” —Samantha Irby in The Atlantic

Welcome to Fever Beach, where the sun blazes, the politics are unhinged, and the characters are as volatile as a summer storm.

Dale Figgo is a half-baked crusader with the rare distinction of being kicked out of the Proud Boys—for being too dumb. His latest bad decision? Picking up a hitchhiker on a rainy afternoon while running an errand.

That errand sets off a chain reaction involving Viva Morales, a clever, resilient newcomer trying to rebuild her life post-divorce. She’s renting a room in Figgo’s apartment and working at the Mink Foundation—a philanthropic front with something far darker beneath the surface.

Circling them is Twilly Spree, a hotheaded environmentalist with too much cash and a gift for over-the-top revenge.

When dark money and twisted motives bring their worlds crashing together, Viva and Twilly become unlikely allies. Together, they uncover a tangle of corruption and conspiracy led by a plastic-surgery-loving billionaire couple and a clueless congressman with delusions of grandeur.

In his most outrageous and deliciously funny novel yet, Hiaasen delivers a gleefully chaotic portrait of contemporary madness.]]> 561 Carl Hiaasen 0593320956 Donna 0 4.37 2025
author: Carl Hiaasen
name: Donna
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read, crime-fiction, for-review
review:

]]> 218154423 A dysfunctional book club must pull together when one of their members goes missing in this bighearted new mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of Nosy Neighbors.

The five members of the St. Tredock Book Club disagree on everything, from the books they read to the biscuits they eat. But when one of the group suddenly disappears and a dead body is discovered at his house, these bibliophiles must put their differences aside to solve the mystery.

Having recently moved to Cornwall, Nova Davies started the book club to impress her new colleagues at the community center, but so far it’s a disaster. To make matters worse, six thousand pounds is stolen from the community center during one of her meetings, putting both her job and the whole center at risk.

Suspicion for the theft falls on book club member Michael, especially when a dead body is discovered at his house and Michael disappears. The police think he’s simply run away, but the other members have their own theories. Agatha Christie superfan Phyllis is determined to prove he’s a murderer as well as a thief, while secret romance reader Arthur believes Michael’s eloped with his mistress, and teenage sci-fi fan Ash thinks dark forces are at play.

While trying to find Michael and recover the money, each book club member has their own secrets to protect. With inspiration from their favorite fictional sleuths, they won’t rest until they’ve cracked the case and everyone is safe at home where they belong.]]> 384 Freya Sampson 0593550560 Donna 0 to-read, for-review 3.73 2025
author: Freya Sampson
name: Donna
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read, for-review
review:

]]> 219301777 Long before Dorothy visits Oz, her aunt, Emily Gale, sets off on her own grand adventure, leaving gritty Chicago behind for Kansas and a life that will utterly change her, in this transporting novel from New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor.

As featured in People ∙ Us Weekly ∙ Woman's World ∙ and more!

Chicago, 1924: Emily and her new husband, Henry, yearn to leave the bustle of Chicago for the promise of their own American dream among the harsh beauty of the prairie. But leaving the city means leaving Emily’s beloved sister, Annie, who was once closer to her than anyone in the world.

Kansas, 1932: Emily and Henry have established their new home among the warmth of the farming community in Kansas. Aligned to the fickle fortunes of nature, their lives hold a precarious and hopeful purpose, until tragedy strikes and their orphaned niece, Dorothy, lands on their doorstep.

The wide-eyed child isn’t the only thing to disrupt Emily’s world. Drought and devastating dust storms threaten to destroy everything, and her much-loved home becomes a place of uncertainty and danger. When the past catches up with the present and old secrets are exposed, Emily fears she will lose the most cherished thing of Dorothy.

Bursting with courage and heart, Before Dorothy tells the story of the woman who raised a beloved heroine, and ponders the what is the true meaning of home?]]> 367 Hazel Gaynor 059344034X Donna 0 to-read, for-review 4.47 2025
author: Hazel Gaynor
name: Donna
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read, for-review
review:

]]> 228427736 A witty and heartwarming escape about mothers and daughters, small-town dating, and the surprising ways we find our way home.

When Gigi Jenkins finds herself broke, unemployed, and out of options, she has no choice but to return to Mackinac Island, the horse-and-buggy hometown she swore she'd left behind forever.

Living under the same roof with her meddling, divorced mother, Eloise, feels like a recipe for disaster—especially when Eloise hatches a scheme to set Gigi up with the island's charming new doctor.

Determined to call her mother's bluff, Gigi agrees to the date on one she gets to play matchmaker for Eloise in return.

What begins as a battle of wills spirals into a summer of small-town antics, unexpected sparks, and plot twists neither woman saw coming.

But the greatest love story of the summer isn't about romance—it's about the bond between mother and daughter. Through late-night date debriefs, outfit consultations, and learning to laugh (and forgive), Gigi and Eloise begin to bridge years of misunderstanding, moving from adversaries to confidantes.

With Lindsay MacMillan's signature wit and warmth, Summer on Lilac Island is a joyful, tender tale of second chances, new beginnings, and the countless forms love can take.]]> Lindsay MacMillan Donna 0 3.38
author: Lindsay MacMillan
name: Donna
average rating: 3.38
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read, for-review, audiobooks
review:

]]> 220238901 It’s summertime in Virginia, but things are about to get out of hand when murder darkens the annual arts festival in this ninth installment of the critically acclaimed Blue Ridge Library mystery series, perfect for fans of Ellery Adams and Miranda James.

Library director Amy Muir has always been suspicious of wealthy art dealer Kurt Kendrick. As a close family friend, the ties that bind them are strong, but his murky past is concerning, especially since he is the godfather to Amy and her husband Richard’s six-year-old twins. When a visitor to their small, historic Virginia town is found dead after publicly accusing Kurt of committing a decades-old murder, Amy is determined to prove that Kurt didn’t kill anyone, in the past or the present. But the evidence Kurt’s accuser sent to Sheriff Brad Tucker before her untimely demise indicates otherwise. 

With Amy’s own aunt and other older town residents corroborating some of the details related to the first murder, and a witness placing Kurt near the scene of the second crime, it seems Kurt is doomed to swift, and severe, justice. Amidst the fun and excitement of an arts festival that features the premiere of Richard’s new dance company, Amy faces her own challenging performance—balancing her work and family life while dancing on the edge of danger. 

With family and friends harboring suspicions about Kurt, and Amy bedeviled by her own wavering trust in his innocence, she must fight to uncover the truth before a hidden killer strikes again.
]]> 320 Victoria Gilbert Donna 0 3.74 2025
author: Victoria Gilbert
name: Donna
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read, cozy-mystery, for-review
review:

]]> 220291416 Memories fade, but on this campus, legacies are never forgotten…or forgiven. A new thriller from New York Times bestselling author Megan Miranda.

Beckett Bowery never thought she’d return to Wyatt Valley, a picturesque college town in the Virginia mountains steeped in tradition. Her roots there were Beckett’s parents taught at the college, and she never even imagined studying anywhere else—until a tragedy her senior year ended with two local men dead, and her roommate on the run, never to be seen again…

For the last two decades, Beckett has done her best to keep her distance. Then her daughter, Delilah, secretly applies to Wyatt College and earns a full scholarship, and Beckett can only hope that her lingering fears are unfounded. But deep down she knows that Wyatt Valley has a long memory, and that the past isn’t the only dangerous thing in town…]]> 352 Megan Miranda Donna 0 3.33 2025
author: Megan Miranda
name: Donna
average rating: 3.33
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read, crime-fiction, for-review
review:

]]> 221579337
As a former cop, Burke Broussard is well aware of the corruption in the New Orleans police department. He had always believed Naomi Cranston to be guilty and isn’t inclined to take her case. Until he sits down to listen to her side of things. Until he sees her tortured innocence written all over her beautiful face…

A relationship born amid an investigation is a fragile thing. Will it survive the danger and the threats? Will it survive the truth?]]> Karen Rose 059363862X Donna 0 0.0 2025
author: Karen Rose
name: Donna
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read, crime-fiction, for-review
review:

]]> 222376614 An RV, a new beginning, and the hope of recovery after a devastating tragedy.
Then they meet two young hitchhikers,
Ocean and Blue—a seemingly innocent couple who aren’t who they seem. . . .
They are Jenny and Simon.
And they have left a trail of blood, destruction, and madness behind them.
Now Tom and Alice are trapped—prisoners in a deadly game, with nowhere to turn.
But as the tension builds and the lines blur,
the question becomes, In whose heart does evil truly lie?

A chilling, twist-laden ride to the final page—THE HITCHHIKERS is a master class in suspense and shock.]]> 384 Chevy Stevens 1250133653 Donna 0 to-read, for-review 3.92 2025
author: Chevy Stevens
name: Donna
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read, for-review
review:

]]> 222021267 Blindsided by betrayal in pre-WWII England, a woman charts a daring new course in this captivating tale of resilience, friendship, and new love by the bestselling author of The Rose Arbor and The Venice Sketchbook.

Surrey, England, 1938. After thirty devoted years of marriage, Ellie Endicott is blindsided by her husband’s appeal for divorce. It’s Ellie’s opportunity for change too. The unfaithful cad can have the house. She’s taking the Bentley. Ellie, her housekeeper Mavis, and her elderly friend Dora—each needing escape—impulsively head for parts unknown in the South of France.

With the Rhône surging beside them, they have nowhere to be and everywhere to go. Until the Bentley breaks down in the inviting fishing hamlet of Saint Benet. Here, Ellie rents an abandoned villa in the hills, makes wonderful friends among the villagers, and finds herself drawn to Nico, a handsome and enigmatic fisherman. As for unexpected destinations, the simple paradis of Saint Benet is perfect. But fates soon change when the threat of war encroaches.

Ellie’s second act in life is just beginning—and becoming an adventure she never expected.]]> 377 Rhys Bowen 1662527179 Donna 0 to-read, for-review 4.33
author: Rhys Bowen
name: Donna
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read, for-review
review:

]]> 217950105
Joe is doing hard time for killing his ex-wife’s lawyer, but an anonymous letter sent to the prison warns that the eyewitness in Joe’s trial made up her story. With her private investigation business foundering, Annalisa is desperate enough to start poking around into Joe’s meager case. She immediately finds two problems: One, the eyewitness definitely lied about what she saw the night of the murder, and two, Annalisa’s husband Nick was the cop who arrested Joe in the first place.

Faced with correcting Nick’s mistakes, Annalisa digs deeper into Joe’s past and discovers he has two ex-wives with nothing good to say about him. The women may have orchestrated an elaborate frame to put Joe in prison, but one wife has completely disappeared since then. Did Joe somehow kill her? Or is he the real victim? Annalisa’s search for the truth tests the bounds of her marriage, her family, and her own sense of justice. Meanwhile, a devious killer keeps sending men to a watery death in the vastness of Lake Michigan. If Annalisa doesn’t figure out the truth about Joe soon, her husband might be next.]]> 320 Joanna Schaffhausen 1250904188 Donna 0 4.00 2025
author: Joanna Schaffhausen
name: Donna
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read, crime-fiction, for-review
review:

]]> 122753645 Amy Chua's debut novel, The Golden Gate, is a sweeping, evocative, and compelling historical thriller that paints a vibrant portrait of a California buffeted by the turbulent crosswinds of a world at war and a society about to undergo massive change.

In Berkeley, California, in 1944, Berkeley Homicide Detective Al Sullivan has just left the swanky Claremont Hotel after a drink in the bar when a former presidential candidate is assassinated in one of the rooms upstairs. A rich industrialist with enemies among the anarchist factions on the far left, Walter Wilkinson could have been targeted by any number of groups. But strangely, Sullivan’s investigation brings up the specter of another tragedy at the Claremont, ten years earlier: the death of seven-year-old Iris Stafford, a member of the Bainbridge family, one of the wealthiest in all of San Francisco. Some say she haunts the Claremont still.

The many threads of the case keep leading Sullivan back to the three remaining Bainbridge heiresses, now adults: Iris’s sister, Isabella, and her cousins Cassie and Nicole. Determined not to let anything distract him from the truth—not the powerful influence of Bainbridges’ grandmother, or the political aspirations of Berkeley’s district attorney, or the interest of Chinese first lady Madame Chiang Kai-Shek in his findings—Sullivan follows his investigation to its devastating conclusion.

Chua’s page-turning debut brings to life a historical era rife with turbulent social forces and groundbreaking forensic advances, when race and class defined the very essence of power, sex, and justice, and introduces a fascinating character in Detective Sullivan, a mixed race former Army officer who is still reckoning with his own history.]]> 384 Amy Chua 1250903610 Donna 5 4.12 2023
author: Amy Chua
name: Donna
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/18
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: for-review, historical-fiction, crime-fiction
review:
This is an excellent novel. The mystery is wonderfully told and I enjoyed all the California history. Read my full review at .
]]> 29362771 14 Kim Stanley Robinson Donna 3 3.60 1984
author: Kim Stanley Robinson
name: Donna
average rating: 3.60
book published: 1984
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/29
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: post-apocalyptic-book-club, audiobooks
review:
The story dragged at points and somewhere around two-thirds I kind of lost interest in the story.
]]> 216970503 Kristen Perrin is back with the second novel in her Castle Knoll series. Annie Adams is caught in a new web of murder that spans decades, returning us to the idyllic English village that holds layers of secrets.

Present Annie Adams is just settling into life in Castle Knoll when local fortune teller Peony Lane crosses her path and shares a cryptic message. When Peony Lane is found dead only hours later inside the locked Gravesdown Estate, Annie quickly realizes that someone is out to make her look guilty while silencing Peony at the same time. Annie has no choice but to delve into the dark secrets of Castle Knoll in order to find out just what Peony Lane was trying to warn her about, before the new life she’s just begun to build comes crashing down around her.

1967: A year has passed since her friend Emily disappeared, and teenage Frances Adams finds herself caught between two men. Ford Gravesdown is one of the only remaining members of a family known for its wealth and dubious uses of power. Archie Foyle is a local who can’t hold down a job and lives above the village pub. But when Frances teams up with Archie to investigate the car crash that claimed the lives of Ford's family, it quickly becomes clear that this was no accident—hints of cover-ups, lies, and betrayals abound. The question is, just how far does the blackness creep through the heart of Castle Knoll? When Frances uncovers secrets kept by both Ford and Archie, she starts to What exactly has she gotten herself into?]]> 316 Kristen Perrin 0593474066 Donna 0 to-read, for-review 3.82 2025
author: Kristen Perrin
name: Donna
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: to-read, for-review
review:

]]> 211671383 She was only eleven-and-a-half inches tall, but she would change the world. Barbie is born in this bold new novel by USA Today bestselling author Renée Rosen.

When Ruth Handler walks into the boardroom of the toy company she co-founded and pitches her idea for a doll unlike any other, she knows what she’s setting in motion. It might just take the world a moment to catch up.

In 1956, the only dolls on the market for little girls let them pretend to be mothers. Ruth’s vision for a doll shaped like a grown woman and outfitted in an enviable wardrobe will let them dream they can be anything.

As Ruth assembles her team of creative rebels—head engineer Jack Ryan who hides his deepest secrets behind his genius and designers Charlotte Johnson and Stevie Klein, whose hopes and dreams rest on the success of Barbie’s fashion—she knows they’re working against a ticking clock to get this wild idea off the ground.

In the decades to come—through soaring heights and devastating personal lows, public scandals and private tensions— each of them will have to decide how tightly to hold on to their creation. Because Barbie has never been just a doll—she’s a legacy.]]> 432 Renée Rosen 0593335686 Donna 5 for-review, audiobooks 4.03 2025
author: Renée Rosen
name: Donna
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/22
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: for-review, audiobooks
review:
I was never a big Barbie Doll fan but I love history. This book was much more interesting than I thought it would be. I hated having to put it down. It is more about how a company went from family-owned to the big leagues and focused on several of the people involved in the beginning of Mattel and Barbie. Read my full review at .
]]> 211051086 Another delicious installment in the Bakeshop Series set in Ashland, OR!

Amidst the rocky beaches of the Oregon coast, Torte’s beloved Sterling and Stephanie have been hired to take over the aging restaurant at the cliffside Whaleshead Resort. They’re nervous about striking out on their own, but excited by the opportunity to put their own spin a new menu. From fresh fish caught the very same day to vegan options and handcrafted pastries, they’re buzzing with ideas. What’s even better is that Jules and the team from Torte have come out for opening weekend to cheer them on.

Despite some opening night jitters, the dinner is off with a bang. Guests and long-term residents of Whaleshead Resort are eager to taste the young couple’s creations. As the tickets begin to line up and guests pile in the front door, Jules and Carlos offer to roll up their sleeves and help in any way they can.

Stephanie is taking on every chef’s nightmare—a fluffy chocolate soufflé—and Sterling is fast at work prepping shrimp linguini and pan-seared halibut when they suddenly hear screaming. Erik Morton, the manager of Whaleshead and their new boss, has taken a fatal fall down the steep and dangerous cliffside trail leading to the beach. Jules and her young protégés quickly realize this was no accident. Now, the team will have to juggle the investigation while keeping the restaurant—and Steph and Sterling's new jobs—from crashing like the waves along the cliffs.]]> 295 Ellie Alexander 1250326362 Donna 4 4.31 2025
author: Ellie Alexander
name: Donna
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/16
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: cozy-mystery, for-review, audiobooks
review:
I love culinary cozy mysteries. This is the first book in the series that I have read and I didn't have any trouble jumping right in. I enjoyed the characters. Read my full review at .
]]> 209036020
An inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice for readers of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and Just Mercy.

Was this small-town TV repair man “a harmless eccentric or a bizarre killer” (Atlanta Journal Constitution). For the first time, Alvin Ridley’s own defense attorney reveals the inside story of his case and trial in an extraordinary tale of friendship and an idealistic young attorney’s quest to clear his client’s name—and, in the process, rebuild his own life.

In October 1997, the town of Ringgold in northwest Georgia was shaken by reports of a murder in its midst. A dead woman was found in Alvin Ridley’s house—and even more shockingly, she was the wife no one knew he had. 

McCracken Poston had been a state representative before he lost his bid for U.S. Congress and returned to his law career. Alvin Ridley was a local character who once sold and serviced Zenith televisions. Though reclusive and an outsider, the “Zenith Man,” as Poston knew him, hardly seemed capable of murder. 

Alvin was a difficult client, storing evidence in a cockroach-infested suitcase, unwilling to reveal key facts to his defender. Gradually, Poston pieced together the full story behind Virginia and Alvin’s curious marriage and her cause of death—which was completely overlooked by law enforcement. Calling on medical experts, testimony from Alvin himself, and a wealth of surprising evidence gleaned from Alvin’s  junk-strewn house, Poston presented a groundbreaking defense that allowed Alvin to return to his peculiar lifestyle, a free man.

Years after his trial, Alvin was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, a revelation that sheds light on much of his lifelong personal battle—and shows how easily those who don’t fit societal norms can be castigated and misunderstood. Part true crime, part courtroom drama, and full of local color, Zenith Man is also the moving story of an unexpected friendship between two very different men that changed—and perhaps saved—the lives of both.]]> 1 McCracken Poston Jr. Donna 4 4.23
author: McCracken Poston Jr.
name: Donna
average rating: 4.23
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: audiobooks, mystery-book-club, nonfiction
review:
If you are a true crime fan, then this is a great book to read. I'm not a big reader of true crime but I really enjoyed this book.
]]> 211867349 Head Cases follows an enigmatic group of FBI agents as they hunt down a murderer seeking his own justice in this electrifying—and commercial—series debut.

FBI Agent Gardner Camden is an analytical genius with an affinity for puzzles. He also has a blind spot on the human side of investigations, a blindness that sometimes even includes people in his own life, like his beloved seven-year-old daughter Camila. Gardner and his squad of brilliant yet quirky agents make up the Patterns and Recognition (PAR) unit, the FBI’s hidden edge, brought in for cases that no one else can solve.

When DNA links a murder victim to a serial killer long presumed dead, the team springs into action. A second victim establishes a pattern, and the murderer begins leaving a trail of clues and riddles especially for Gardner. And while the PAR team is usually relegated to working cold cases from behind a desk, the investigation puts them on the road and into the public eye, following in the footsteps of a killer.

Along with Gardner, PAR consists of a mathematician, a weapons expert, a computer analyst, and their leader, a career agent. Each of them must use every skill they have to solve the riddle of the killer’s identity. But with the perpetrator somehow learning more and more about the team at PAR, can they protect themselves and their families…before it’s too late?

With an enigmatic case that will keep readers on the edge of their seats and a thoroughly engaging ensemble cast, John McMahon’s Head Cases is a triumph.]]> 352 John McMahon 1250348307 Donna 4 4.20 2025
author: John McMahon
name: Donna
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: for-review, crime-fiction, audiobooks
review:
This was a great start to a new crime fiction series. It features a neurodivergent main character who is an FBI agent in a special unit. A mix of police procedural and psychological suspense. Read my full review at .
]]> 211332253 In this action-packed debut, time traveling archaeologist Rabbit Ward maneuvers through the past to recover a long-lost, precious menorah hiding out in ancient Rome.

Smithsonian archaeologist Rabbit Ward travels through time on sponsored expeditions to the past to secure precious artifacts moments before they are lost to history. Although exceptional at his job, Rabbit is not without faults. In a spectacular failure twenty years ago, he lost both the menorah of the second temple and his hot-headed mentee, Aaron. So, when new evidence reveals the menorah’s reappearance in 6th century Constantinople, Rabbit seizes the chance for redemption.

But from the moment he arrives in the past, things start to go wrong. Rabbit quickly finds out that his prime competition, an unlicensed and annoyingly appealing “stringer” named Helen, is also in Constantinople hunting the menorah. And that’s only the beginning. The oppressed Jewish population of the city is primed for revolution, Constantinople’s leading gang seems to have it out for Rabbit personally, and someone local is interested enough in the menorah to kill for it.

As the past closes in on him and his previous failures compound, will Rabbit be able to recover the menorah before it's once again lost in time? With new and old dangers alike hiding behind every corner, time might just be up for Rabbit’s redemption—and possibly his life.]]> 310 Andrew Ludington 1250349311 Donna 4 for-review, audiobooks 3.75 2025
author: Andrew Ludington
name: Donna
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/12
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: for-review, audiobooks
review:
It kind of reminded me of the TV show Timeless. I wonder if it is the start of a series. If so, I'd read another book. Read my full review at .
]]> 212378265 Stretch out in the sun with two sweet stories of couples discovering that love has been right in front of them all along…

Marriage of Inconvenience

Rich Manning and Jamie Warren have always been friends—and nothing but friends. But that all changes when she asks him to father the child she so desperately wants. Rich agrees, with one condition: they get married. As they discover a new side to their relationship, they’re both surprised by the sweetness and passion they feel. But can Rich prove to the headstrong Mrs. Manning that it’s time to let the world in on their secret and that their love is truly here to stay?

Stand-In Wife

When Leah Baker lost her sister, she was moved to help with the three young children left with widower Paul Manning. She and Paul are brought together in their shared grief. As Leah finds a place in the home, it starts to feel like family, even though it's supposed to be a temporary arrangement. As their relationship grows, Leah and Paul don't know how to trust their feelings. It's new and different for both of them, but he'll need to convince her that they have something real.]]> 400 Debbie Macomber 0778368513 Donna 3 3.29 2008
author: Debbie Macomber
name: Donna
average rating: 3.29
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/07
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: audiobooks, for-review, romance
review:
The first book in this duet Marriage of Inconvenience made me so angry I almost couldn't finish it because Rich has a temper and no respect for women. He was consumed with lust. The second book Stand-In Wife was better as the character were more mature. Read my full review at .
]]> 62877853 When a woman who’d rather do anything than read meets a swoon-worthy bookworm, sparks fly, making for one hot-summer fling in New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay's new rom-com.

For Samantha Gale, a summer on Martha’s Vineyard at her family’s tiny cottage was supposed to be about resurrecting her career as a chef, until she’s tasked with chaperoning her half-brother, Tyler. The teenage brainiac is spending his summer at the local library in a robotics competition, and there’s no place Sam, who has dyslexia, likes less than the library. And because the universe hates her, the library’s interim director turns out to be the hot-reader guy whose book she accidentally destroyed on the ferry ride to the island.

Bennett Reynolds is on a quest to find his father, whose identity he’s never known. He’s taken the temporary job on the island to research the summer his mother spent there when she got pregnant with him. Ben tells himself he isn't interested in a relationship right now. Yet as soon as Sam knocks his book into the ocean, he can’t stop thinking about her.

An irresistible attraction blossoms when Ben inspires Sam to create the cookbook she’s always dreamed about and she jumps all in on helping him find his father, and soon they realize their summer fling may heat up into a happily ever after.]]> 480 Jenn McKinlay 0593545737 Donna 4 for-review, audiobooks 3.64 2023
author: Jenn McKinlay
name: Donna
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/18
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: for-review, audiobooks
review:
I enjoyed this one more than Love at First Book. I was curious why 카지노싸이트 had listed that book as the second book in the Summer Reading series. But it isn't really a series in the sense that the books are tied together. One of the characters in this book is the main character in the second book. If winter has you wishing for warmer weather, then pick up this book. Read my full review at .
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