Dead Bath and Beyond

 This is the 4th book in the Victoria Square series by Lorraine Bartlett.  This series is a fun mix of crafts/antiques with mysteries mixed in.  Katie is a great character with ample ability to manage a business but still having a realistic dose of insecurity and uncertainty in her social and business life.  The series feels a bit different than many cozy mysteries as Katie doesn't have a central female BFF whom she confides and colludes with.  In this case many of the supporting and recurring characters are male although Katie does interact with Rose quite a bit at Artisan Alley, it's not a central sounding board or co-conspiring relationship.   Instead, the main characters she bounces her investigations off are male- her boyfriend and her friend, Ray Davenport, are the 2 main characters filling that role but at times her friend Seth in a central character as well.  

This book will especially be appealing to readers who like to boat as it centers around the end of the boating season on Lake Ontario. There are quite a few sailing related scenes and conversations.  As always the book is full of false suspicions and the ending is a bit surprising but does tie up all the pieces of the story that had been presented as unexplained situations.  I will admit though I did lose track of all the different characters in this book and was a bit uncertain who was the guilty party in the overall scheme of the story.  I think this may have been correlated to the fact that I listened to this on audiobook rather than read it and that caused me to lose track of the large cast of characters introduced in this story.

All in all a good book in a great series.   

Dead, Bath, and Beyond (Victoria Square, #4) by Lorraine Bartlett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the audio book version of this cozy. There are some good plot angles and the development of relationships both personal and professional are well written. They are realistically up and down with struggles that feel probable. The mystery itself is well written and the story wrapped up well at the ending.

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #106
2. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2021 Book 4 in series 31
3. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #114
4. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #128
5. Calendar of Crime  #CalendarOfCrime2021   sept
6. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #73
7. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #108
8. Craving for Cozies  Book #91
9. Medical Examiner Challenge 1 Toe Tags
10. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scenes 
• Row 2
• Lake or ocean

Row 5

Bathtub, shower, bathroom

• Weapons
• Row 3
• Drowning, water, ice
• Detectives- Katie/Ray
• Victims- Jake
11. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #67a  Shot #3
12. Audiobook  #2021AudiobookChallenge  Book#11

There There

 This debut novel by Tommy Orange has been on my TBR list since 2020.  I am glad I finally read this book and really enjoyed the story told in the work.  My biggest problem was in style and my difficulty  following the storyline as it switched between the different characters narrating the story.  I think some of this struggle was due to the fact I was listening to the book rather than reading.  If I had been reading a written edition, I could have switched back and forth to keep the characters straight in my head.

The other reason I only gave it a 2 1/2 star review was the ending.  I finished the book feeling like I had been dropped off a cliff.  There were so many unanswered questions regarding the fates of the characters.  Maybe this is a reflection of me as a reader and a need to feel like things are resolved and complete.  I left the book feeling like there was parts of the story missing.   I do think this does indicate I had a real interest in the characters and their lives.  I just want to know what happened to them.  

There There by Tommy Orange
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this book and would really have given it a 2 1/2 stars if possible. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and their stories and emotions. I liked the entire premise of the different people of Native American descent coming to the PowWow in Oakland each with their own motivations. The characters definitely interested me and drew me into their worlds and I found myself wanting to learn more about them. I just had a hard time with the erratic nature of the story line at times and struggled to keep the characters straight especially their relationships and their histories. I do think the fact I was listening to the book probably exaggerated this confusion. Perhaps in a written copy there is a character chart with their relationships to each other that helps keep the reader on track.
The other aspect of the book I found troubling was the ending. I felt like I was left without any resolution and a lack of knowledge of what became of the characters. I definitely think this feeling of frustration does attest to the degree to which I became invested in the characters and their stories. If I had not been engaged I probably wouldn't care so much about feeling like I was left hanging to know what became of the characters and their lives.

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #89
2. Alphabet Soup Author Edition #AlphabetSoupAuthorChallenge  "O"
3. Beat the Backlist #BTB2021  #50 includes a 2nd person point of view
4. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #96
5. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #110
6. PopSugar #popsugarreadingchallenge #16. A book by an indigenous author
7. Nerd Daily  #NERDREADING2021 #27. SAME FIRST INITIAL AS YOU
8. Pick your Poison #17-4 A book by an author whose name is a color
9. Diversify your reading #DYRC21  yes contemporary fiction
10. Backpacking Bookworm  #bbReadingChallenge2021  Indigenous author/characters
11. Audiobook  #2021AudiobookChallenge  book #10

Crime Rib

 

Crime Rib by Leslie Budewitz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I listened the audio book version. I really enjoyed the story. The characters are interesting and realistic. There was a good balance between personal relationship developments and the storyline. There were 2 crimes and the plot was interwoven well between the 2. Erin is a dynamic business owner and a good strong female character. If you like reading about good this book is full of recipes, sweets and wines. My only complaint was the narration was.a bit unremarkable.

View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #69
2. Literary Escapes  #LiteraryEscapes  MT
3. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2021  Food Lover's Village #2
4. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #76
5. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #89
6. Calendar of Crime  #CalendarOfCrime2021   
7. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #46
8. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #72
9. Craving for Cozies  Book #62
10. Medical Examiner Challenge  2 Toe Tags
11. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scenes 
• Row 4
• Street or sidewalk
• Weapons
• Row 2 
• Knife
• Row 3
• Motor vehicle (struck by)
• Detectives- Erin Murphy
• Victims- Gibb Knox
12. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #16  Shot #2
13. Audiobook  #2021AudiobookChallenge   #8

Sharp Objects

 It feels like I was one of the last people to read Sharp Objects or any book by Gillian Flynn for that matter.   Wow is her book intense.  I listened to the audiobook and it is definitely not for public consumption.  If you are offended by language or sexual content you will want to avoid this book.  

It is a psychological thriller that has a cast of very blunt characters.  Camille is sent home to Missouri to cover a missing person's case involving a 10 year old girl.  The second tragic crime to happen in this very southern Missouri small town in less than a year.   Camille's return home it quite startling and it opens many old memories and insecurities.  Flynn definitely captures the cruelty of teenage girls especially in a small town that is divided by the wealthy and the working class.  She creates characters that are complex and unlikeable.  

Witnessing Camille struggle to fit into her family which consists of a very passive aggressive mother- Adora, a timid step father, Allan, and a half sister, Amma, she doesn't know is intense and heartbreaking at times.  Her personal struggles to deal with the loss of her younger sister, Marian when she was a 13 yr old and the resulting spiral of grief is intense.  

The mystery of the crimes is intense and is wrapped into glimpses of Camille's past, Amma's current duality of life and Adora's terrifying mothering.  The mystery has plenty of twists and turns and pokes fun at the small town stereotypes that come up in the characters.  An attempt to relieve the intensity of the psychological topic I would imagine.  

I am not sure whether I want to watch the show based on this book or not.  It could be very engaging but also disturbing.  I may need to watch though since I have managed to survive watching Riverdale and it has some similarities in topics.  Maybe on a hot summer day when hiding in AC I will try it out.  

I think I am interested in reading Gone Girl at some point but I do need to retreat to cozy mysteries and the lighter presentation for a bit before doing so.  

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is an intense psychological thriller. If you are easily offended by sexual lingo/scenes or foul language then do not read this book. It is definitely not for the faint of heart as it deals with the murder of children but it is an amazing ride that takes the reader through dealing with abuse, self injury and the consequences of it all. The ending is a twisty one although I had my suspicions about the guilty party at times while reading. It was still a shocking ending.

View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #65
2. Literary Escapes  #LiteraryEscapes MO
3. Beat the Backlist #BTB2021  #46 good book, bad cover
4. 2021TBR  #2021ReadingChallenge # 2 controversial book
5. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #72
6. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #85
7. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #69
8. Bookworm  #10.) Read a book that's been turned into a TV series or a Movie
9. Pick your Poison #11-3 A book about something that scares you
10. Medical Examiner Challenge 4 Toe Tags
11. Audiobook  #2021AudiobookChallenge  Book #7

The Dutch House

 I had read wonderful reviews about the audiobook version of this novel by Ann Patchett.  It is narrated by Tom Hanks and I must concur he does a wonderful job on the narration.  I really enjoyed the story and the development of the relationship between Maeve and Danny as well as their parents.  It is amazing to see the differences in relationships that develop between parents and children of the opposite genders.  Their experiences with their father are very different due to the differences in how they interacted with him while growing up.

The age difference between Maeve and Danny also created a bit of 2 different families situation.  Maeve has many more memories of their mother from her childhood while Danny effectively grew up with minimal memories of her and thus was more attached to Maeve as a maternal figure than his own mother.  The 2 also had very different relationships with Andrea, their stepmother due to their ages when she married their father.

The novel highlights how different people will react to the same trauma in different ways.  It also highlights how every story has 2 sides and maybe we shouldn't be so quick to condemn others and more willing to forgive or at least forge a new type of relationship.  The book showcases many grudges that are often just a transference of frustrations and hurt that could have been avoided had any real conversations taken place.  There were many years lost due to a bitterness that is just a said statement but is truly a common occurrence in many families.  It is often easier to hold a grudge than look at our own role in a situation and admit we all play a part in a conflict or disagreement.  It is rarely all someone else's fault when it comes to family matters.  

This book has an amazing story of Maeve being so spiteful that she creates a path for Danny that isn't at all what he desires.  But, his need to make his sister happy and to maintain their strong relationship prevents him from speaking up for himself.  Ultimately he is just pushed along by his sister and his future wife, Celeste and never really carves his own path until very late.  Everyone's desire to have Danny be a doctor for their selfish reasons ultimately backfires and leads to many disappointments and unsettled emotions.

I enjoyed this book and really loved listening to Tom Hanks narrate it.  Unfortunately I feel a bit of the book's timeline jumping was confused by listening to an audiobook since much of the book was a reflection on Danny's life.  It wasn't always clear where in time the stories he was relaying occurred and that took away a bit from the flow of the story.   

Readers who like reading stories about families and the dramas and conflicts through the generations will enjoy this book.  

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book as an audiobook and while I loved Tom Hanks as the narrator I think the audiobook may have made it more confusing for me at times. The timeline of the book narration jumps all around and at times it is difficult to determine where in Danny and Maeve’s life story the anecdotes occur. I think reading it might have been easier to follow that aspect.
The book characters are certainly well developed and it is amazing how even characters that are portrayed negatively can have somewhat of a perspective awakening occur. Ever story has two sides and then there’s the truth rings very true in this story.

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #58
2. Beat the Backlist #BTB2021 #28 on the Indie Bestseller list in 2020 or earlier 
3. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #65
4. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #78
5. Historic Fiction  #histficreadingchallenge   Book #9
6. BooklistQueen   # 49. A Book Everyone Is Talking About
7. Audiobook  #2021AudiobookChallenge  book #6

Ghostal Living

 This next installment in the Hamptons Home and Garden Mysteries centers around literature.  The book is full of references to many American authors and particularly the ones with connections to Long Island.  Kathleen Bridge returns with her main character Meg Barrett and her bff, El.   This installment is full of references to Fitzgerald, the least of which is the costume party that sounds like something straight out of The Great Gatsby.  

There are plenty of vivid descriptions of the decor, the books and the landscaping details.  Bee lovers will enjoy all the reference to honey and the Apiary in the book.   All the wonderful details about the Hamptons and the American authors blend well with the cozy mystery.   The guilty party is well hidden and its revelation a very climactic scene. 

I'm curious to see what the central theme of the next book is since we have now read about antiques, artists and authors.  

Ghostal Living by Kathleen Bridge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I continue to enjoy this series of books set in the Hamptons. Besides the enjoyable descriptions of the Long Island areas and its residents, the books are full of cultural references. This one centers around Bibliophiles and books. Ms Bridge ties the area into the lives and works of many famous authors all while telling a wonderful cozy mystery. The mystery is multi layered and well thought out. There are several side mysteries that are somewhat intertwined. All in all an enjoyable read. This is the 3rd in the series but can be read as a standalone

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  √

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

Possible prompts

I will decide as the year goes along which prompts I use it for on several challenges since it meets multiple criteria within the challenge.

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #53
2. Calendar of Crime  #CalendarOfCrime2021   
3. Cruisin thru Cozies  free choice #32
4. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #56
5. Craving for Cozies  Book #48
6. Pick your Poison #6-4 A book about flappers
7. Backpacking Bookworm  #bbReadingChallenge2021  personified animal
8. Medical Examiner Challenge  3 Toe Tags
9. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scenes 
• Row 1
• Library or bookstore

Row 3
Cliff, roof, high place

Row 5

Beach or shoreline

• Weapons
• Row 4
• Push or fall
• Row 5
• Medicine or drugs
• Detectives- Meg/El
• Victims-  Franklin & Violet Hollingsworth; Randall
10. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #62  Shot #3
11. Audiobook  #2021AudiobookChallenge  #5

 

Hearse and Gardens

 I returned to Montauk and Sag Harbor in this second installment of the Hamptons Home and Gardens mysteries by Kathleen Bridge.  This time Meg and El are mixed up in the 20 year old death of El's relative Victor Falks.   Uncle Harrison had invited the 2 ladies to go through a bungalow on his property to search for antique finds prior to the bungalows relocation away from the eroding cliffs.  Unfortunately while examining the bungalow they discovered a sealed production studio with a skeleton.   Turns out it was Harrison's missing son, Victor, whom everyone had assumed had run off on his wife with a lover and an Andy Warhol painting.

Much investigation, antique digging and other mysteries ensue in this cozy mystery.  It is an enjoyable read and I came to realize this book focuses on artists who frequented the Hamptons in the past.  The first installment had focused on antiques and this one on artwork.  I enjoy the variety of topics that Ms. Bridge is delving into in her series.  

Hearse and Gardens by Kathleen Bridge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this next audiobook in the series. Meg and El get mixed up in a 20 year old murder/missing person case. This time we meet El’s extended family which is quite a cast of characters. The mystery is well written and has lots of side stories which add depth to the story. Meg’s personal life gets a bit interesting in this book as well. Cannot wait to see where the stories go.

View all my reviews  

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #52
2. Calendar of Crime  #CalendarOfCrime2021   
3. Cruisin thru Cozies  free choice # 31
4. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #55
5. Craving for Cozies  Book #47
6. Pick your Poison #3-2 A book with the word "house" in the title
7. Monthly Keyword #MonthlyKeyWordGXO   Garden
8. Medical Examiner Challenge  2 Toe Tags
9. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scenes 
• Free square- recording studio
• Weapons
• Row 4
• Pillow, smother, asphyxiation
• Detectives- Meg/El
• Victims- Victor Falks/Helen
10. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #62  Shot #2
11. Audiobook  #2021AudiobookChallenge #4

Better Homes and Corpses

 I found this fun cozy mystery while searching the library site for a new audiobook to listen to.  This series by Kathleen Bridge is set in the Hamptons in New York.  It is full of descriptions about the towns of East Hampton, Montauk and other summer playgrounds of the wealthy of NYC.  Anyone who can afford it flees the city in the summer.  Young professionals do house shares where 8-10 or more will split the cost of a rental.  Think giant party all summer long.  I was about to do my first share when we were asked to move to Chicago.   Probably saved me a ton of money and a lot of hangovers.  It was such a contrast when we moved to Chicago and it's a city that people flocked to on the weekends.  Favorite pastimes are summer games at Wrigley field, hanging out on the beaches on Lake Michigan and just generally lounging over brunch or drinks at an outdoor patio.  One of the many contrasts between 2 of the largest cities in the country.  

This book doesn't focus on the summer shares though.  It is about year round resident Meg and her friend El who find themselves mixed up in an insurance inventory of the estate of the Queen of the Hamptons who just happens to be the mother of Meg's college roommate.

The book is full of characters that have multiple dimensions to them.  Some of them are very wealthy and others appear to be free loaders of various sorts.  The dynamics of the story are intriguing and the detecting Meg does is aided by her ability to read lips.  Bridge has created a strong protagonist who happens to be hearing impaired.  I love that Meg is portrayed with this being a strength rather than an disability.     This is just one of the characteristics of Meg that makes her such a likeable character.

The mystery itself is well written with plenty of side stories that keep the reader guessing whodunit until the very end.  It is a surprising ending but very believable and makes sense when you look back on the story.  I look forward to reading more in the series.  

Better Homes and Corpses by Kathleen Bridge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An enjoyable start to a series set in the Hamptons. A well written cozy with lots of actions me twists and turns. Meg and El dig through antiques and a mystery in the luxurious home. Lots of quirky and suspicious characters to keep the story going. Looking forward to reading more in the series

View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #50
2. Cruisin thru Cozies  free choice 30
3. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #54
4. Craving for Cozies  Book #46
5. Pick your Poison #26-4 A book with the word "better" in the title 
6. Medical Examiner Challenge  1 Toe Tags
7. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scenes 

Row 4

Stairs

• Weapons
• Row 2 
• Pointy object
• Detectives- Meg/El
• Victims- Mrs Spenser
8. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #62  Shot #1
9. Audiobook  #2021AudiobookChallenge #3

Daisy Jones and the Six

 This mockumentary interview style book was an unexpected gem.  I really wasn't sure what to expect especially given all the hype the book has received.  

Taylor Jenkins Reid did a wonderful job of creating a realistic story of a band from the 70s.  It is so realistic if you google you will find just how many people thought they were a real band.  The format of interviewing the different band members and telling a retrospective of the bands formation and subsequent dissolution is quite a unique approach and very entertaining.  

I listened to the audiobook and can highly recommend that format.  Each character is voiced by a different person.  This really made it feel like a documentary that you would find on MTV.   There are even a few surprise twists at the end.  All is all it is a great look at the personalities and dynamics of rock and roll in the 1970s- including all the sex and drugs.  Definitely has mature topics that are not camouflaged.   I found this to be one of my best reads of the year so far.  

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was an unexpected find and I highly recommend the audiobook for it. The book is written like a biographical interview of band members years after their career. The book is so well developed that it seems like a real band and there are plenty of google searches to show that many feel it is a real band. The style is unique and worked perfectly. It was a book that made me think of the MTV where are they now or rockumentaries. There are times you cannot stand some of the characters and you wish they could get their lives sorted out. It was easy to get invested in the characters and to feel as though they were real people. There are even some twists at the ending that surprise the reader. Highly recommend this book

View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #40
2. Beat the Backlist #BTB2021  #18 all about the music
3. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #48
4. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #54
5. Historic Fiction  #histficreadingchallenge   Book #7
6. Around the Year in 52 Books #38. A book related to a word given by a random word generator- Dad
7. 52 Book Club  #the52bookclub2021  #42 An Epistolary
8. The Unofficial Magnus Archives Challenge  #TMARC21  #21. Piper: music is a plot element
9. Bookworm  #54.) Read a book that takes place in the 1960s
10. Pick your Poison #26-2 A book about self care or recovery
11. Diversify your reading #DYRC21 hist fiction
12. Audiobook  #2021AudiobookChallenge #2