Saturday, February 15, 2025

Home Sweet Homicide by Craig Rice

 

From the blurb:  "Unoccupied and unsupervised while their mother is working furiously on her new book, the children of widowed mystery writer Marion Carstairs find diversion wherever they can. So when the kids hear two gunshots at the house next door, they jump at the chance to launch their own amateur investigation into the murder--after all, why shouldn't they? They know everything the cops do about crime scenes, having read all about them in their mother's novels. They also know what her literary sleuths would do in such a situation. Plus, if the children solve the mystery before the police, it will do wonders for the sales of their mother's novels. And maybe, they can hook her up with the lead detective on the case at the same time."

My thoughts:  I don't always enjoy reading books about precocious children--I often find them annoying rather than funny--so I wasn't sure I was going to like the three Carstairs children. But Dinah, the most responsible and also oldest at 14, April, the dramatic and all-knowing middle child, and Archie, their impish and active 10-year-old brother, quickly grew on me. Despite their bickering and disagreements, I loved how they worked together to solve the murder of Mrs. Sanford and get a date for their mother with Detective Bill Smith. Their King Tut alphabet language and 1944 slang sprinkled throughout the book was also fun. And their meddling in the investigation, from lying to the police to hiding clues and interrogating suspects on their own, led to some very entertaining antics. This classic mystery was unexpectedly comedic. And I enjoyed every page of it. 

Happy Reading!

P.S. Craig Rice is the pen name of Georgiana Ann Randolph Craig who, in 1946, became the first mystery writer to appear on the cover of Time magazine.  

Thursday, February 13, 2025

February's Bookish Art...

 

Thomas P. Anshutz -- Woman reading at a desk

"Let's be reasonable and add an eighth day to the week that is devoted exclusively to reading." 
--Lena Dunham


Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Top Ten Tuesday...

 
Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's theme is a LOVE FREEBIE.

So, I decided to look back at my past February posts and reviews and choose ten that I loved. 


💟 A Bookish Valentine 
(This was the first list of favorite romances that I ever posted all the way back in 2013.)


(A 2014 post I wrote about organizing books and the different ways we do it.)


(2015:  one of my posts of favorite first lines from recent reads.)


(A favorite February read from 2016)




(2017...because no favorites list is complete without a book about a bookshop! And I did really like this book.)




(2018. I love this list!)


(A TTT post I did back in 2019.)


(An outstanding nonfiction read from 2020.)




(One of my favorite buddy reads with Melody from 2021.)




(Another TTT post from 2023 where I list 10 of my favorite romances.)


Happy Reading!



Friday, February 7, 2025

49 Miles Alone by Natalie D. Richards

 Four days. Two hikers. One killer.



The plot:  Cousins Katie and Aster have always been close. Until last year. But Aster is hoping their 4-day backpacking trip among Utah's red rocks and slot canyons will help heal both Katie and their relationship. But their 49-mile hike in the desert brings some unexpected surprises:  an illness, a storm, running low on water & food, an injury, and two strangers. Riley and Finn might be a perfectly nice couple, but something feels off. Katie is suspicious and fearful of Finn, Riley is acting nervous, and Aster isn't sure what to think. When Riley and Finn vanish into the desert night, Katie and Aster know they need to go for help. They just need to survive the last 23 miles.

My thoughts:  It's no secret that I love hiking and wilderness survival stories, so I was immediately drawn to this book for that reason. Plus, it's set in the scenic red rock backcountry of Moab, Utah; and I always enjoy reading books that are set in my own home state. And I definitely had fun reading this one. It's fast, has good tension, builds suspense, and really immerses you in that isolated desert environment. Katie and Aster were relatable characters that I also liked. And I appreciated Katie's personal journey as she overcame her fears and past trauma to stand strong at the end. It's a solid 4-star adventure.

Happy Reading!

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Being Henry: The Fonz...and Beyond

     This Fonz was supposed to be a knockabout guy, a man of few words, rough around the edges. Confident. A guy who could make things happen with a snap of his fingers. If this wasn't the diametric opposite of who I was in the fall of 1973, it was pretty close. I was twenty-seven years old, a short Jew from New York City with a unibrow and hair down to my shoulders, confident about next to nothing in my life.
    The one exception was when I was acting.
    When I was on stage, playing someone else, I was transported to another world, one where pretending made you successful. What I was miserable at was being myself. 



My thoughts:  I was too little to watch Happy Days when it first aired, but when it went into reruns I watched it for one reason: The Fonz. He was always my favorite character. Which made Henry Winkler one of my favorite actors. And his memoir is full of humorous candor and charm.  He tells about his foibles and flaws, his struggles with anxiety, and his severe dyslexia and how he nearly flunked out of high school because of it. He talks about getting into Yale's School of Drama and his love of acting onstage with an ensemble. And how he made the leap from New York to California and landed the role of the Fonz on only his second audition in L.A. A role that changed his life.

I had fun reading about Henry's life and his love not only for acting, but for his wife and kids, his friends, his dogs...and fly-fishing. I related to his fears and insecurities. And I loved his honesty and humor. This memoir is conversational, personable, and as entertaining as Henry Winkler himself. 

Favorite quote:  "...you really don't know what you can accomplish until you try. All you have to do is try. And you will amaze yourself. So simple. But so crucial. And so true."

Happy Reading!


Saturday, February 1, 2025

Randonmness...

 Recently finished reading:  South of the Buttonwood Tree by Heather Webber


Beautifully written, this magical 5-star novel will tug at your heart.

My favorite quote from it:  "Stand in your own light, Blue Bishop. Stand strong. ...Opening yourself up, being you, is the only way to get what you want most in the world."

It reminded me of this sage advice from Vol. 5 of Emma M. Lion's Unselected Journals written by Beth Brower:  "...be wise, and good, and true to the beatings of your own heart..."

Yesterday's library haul:

Being Henry: The Fonz...and Beyond by Henry Winkler
Spare Change by Bette Lee Crosby
A Quantum Love Story by Mike Chen
49 Miles Alone by Natalie D. Richards
Riverbend Gap by Denise Hunter
Duchess Material by Emily Sullivan
Home Sweet Homicide by Craig Rice
Coming Out as Dalit by Yashica Dutt
Red String Theory by Lauren Kung Jessen


And, channeling my inner Pollyanna, here are some of the things that made me glad last month:
  • A fun game day with some friends where I learned to play Canvas and Skyjo.
  • Then, at my family's monthly game night, I got to play Dominion with my nephews & nieces, which was fun even though I came in last every time.  
  • I saw a Spotted Towhee in my backyard! I love these birds, but I usually only see them when I'm out hiking.
  • I've been listening to and loving Teddy Swims' album I've tried Everything but Therapy...
  • And I'm always very glad when cold & gloomy January finally ends because that means I'm one month closer to warmer weather.
What's been making you glad lately?





Wednesday, January 29, 2025

The First Death by Kendra Elliot

 
Deschutes County, Oregon

When Rowan Wolff was five, she and her brother, Malcolm, were kidnapped. Rowan was saved; her brother was never found. Now, twenty-five years later, Rowan helps to find the lost and the missing with her SAR dog, Thor. And every year on Malcolm's birthday, she returns to the forest where she was found to search for his remains. On one of these searches, she discovers the body of a young woman. Her death seems to match the recent murders of two other young women. Detective Evan Bolton, who's assigned to the case, suspects they might have a serial killer on their hands. And the more he investigates, the more convinced he becomes that these cases relate somehow to Rowan's and her brother's kidnapping.

My thoughts:  Kendra Elliot knows how to craft a compelling mystery with some very engaging characters. Her Mercy Kilpatrick series is a favorite of mine, which is where she first introduces readers to Evan and Rowan. But now they have their own book. And I loved getting to know them better. Thor, too, of course! Elliot does an excellent job of weaving Rowan's past experiences in with Evan's current investigation. And the ending, as the truth of the situation finally comes out, is both exciting and satisfying. I really enjoyed this one and can't wait to check out The Next Grave, and read more about Evan and Rowan and their developing relationship. 

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!


Other Kendra Elliot novels I've posted about: