Friday, August 28, 2026

Who is DS George Cross?

 "He was Marmite to most of his colleagues at the MCU. They either liked him or loathed him. There was no in-between. He often came across as rude, difficult or plain obtuse. But it wasn't intentional. George Cross was on the spectrum, which sometimes made him a little challenging to work with. But it was what made him an extraordinary detective."

"...Cross would never give up, particularly when he was told to. He was like a terrier snapping at your heels; once he'd got hold of your trouser leg, he would stubbornly refuse to let go, even if you spun him round in circles."

"It was a full twelve months since she'd become his partner and although it had taken some time to get used to him she had come to respect and understand him. ...In many ways she had become Cross's apologist in the department; his interpreter. She confessed to friends that she might have been less understanding had he not been such an irritatingly brilliant cop. He had the highest conviction rate in the force. By far. Having said that, there were times when she would happily have thrown him off Clifton suspension bridge." 


 The Patient by Tim Sullivan is another excellent mystery in this fun British police procedural series that stars DS George Cross. He's the best kind of character. And I am loving these books. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

  

Monday, August 24, 2026

Haiku reviews...

 

Ambition by Natalie Keller Reinert


Jules has a dream of
being the best horse trainer 
and three day eventer.


Fiction .... 358 pages .... 4/5 stars.
(First book in a fun series that's all about dressage, cross-country jumping and horses.)




The Hike by Lucy Clarke


Four women, best friends,
stumble into danger while
backpacking in Norway.



Thriller .... 367 pages .... 4/5 stars.
(Loved the setting!)





Three Hitmen and a Baby by Rob Hart


They're babysitting
for a friend when bad guys come
for Mark and Astrid.


Action/Thriller .... 287 pages .... 4.5/5 stars.
(I love this series! But read Assassins Anonymous first.)




Happy Reading!

Thursday, August 20, 2026

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page

 "The right book in the hands of the right person at exactly the right moment can change their life forever."

 
from the blurb:  When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there's a birthday gift from her husband waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn't come as more of a shock. Partly because she can't remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. But mainly because Joe died six months ago...

When she goes to pick up the present, Alfie, the London bookshop owner with kind eyes, explains the gift--twelve carefully chosen books with handwritten letters from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.

my thoughts:  Lovely. Poignant. Heartwarming.  I loved this book. I loved the letters from her husband each month, and how each book he chose helped Tilly take that next step in her journey through loss and grief to living, laughing, risking, and loving again. She meets some great people along the way, even finding a grief group in Paris. And I loved Alfie and his bookshop, and how he became such a good friend to Tilly. This book is amazing. Who wouldn't want 12 months of reading-inspired adventure from someone you love? 

my rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!


Funnily coincidental cover from an equally fun read:

Monday, August 17, 2026

August's bookish art...

 
Albert Aublet -- Reading on the Garden Path


"Some books you read.
Some books you enjoy.
But some books swallow you up heart and soul."
--Joanne Harris


Friday, August 14, 2026

A Parade of Horribles by Matt Dinniman

 I just finished reading this eighth book in Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl series and I loved it. But it's so long, and so much happens in it, I'm not even going to try and summarize the plot, or write a long review of it. Instead, I'm going to take the easy way out and write a haiku review instead. Because that's how I roll these days. 😉


A Parade of Horribles by Matt Dinniman


They've reached level ten.
Racing to stay alive, how
many more will die?


Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Action & Adventure.... 688 pages ....4.5/5 stars.
(Chaos runs rampant in the dungeon as Carl and Princess Donut fight to save as many of their friends as they can. This is one crazy, fun series! I can't wait for the next one.)



Happy Reading!


Here is my review of Dungeon Crawler Carl, the first book. 

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Top Ten Tuesday...

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

This week's theme:  BOOKS I WAS READING ON THIS DAY THIS MONTH OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS. 

It was fun to look back each August over the last ten years to see what I was reading. Here are 10 of my favs:













I know it's hard to tell much about a book just by its title, which is why I've included links to my reviews of each of these books...so if any sound interesting to you, check them out. They were all great reads.

Happy Reading!


Friday, August 7, 2026

Hudson Bay Bound by Natalie Warren

 "Sometimes a great adventure lands in your lap."


"...everything that happens, good or bad, is a story. And life is just a string of stories that we collect, over time, and we might as well make them good ones." 

This is a true adventure memoir about two women who are best friends and the two thousand mile canoe trip they take from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay the summer of 2011. What a journey! 

I love these kinds of stories: the challenges and life-changing moments they experience, the humorous camping incidents, and the descriptions that immersed me in parts of the country, the rivers and surrounding wilderness I will never get to see in real life. Plus, there's a very cute dog in it that they adopt at Norway house in Canada, along with some moose and polar bear sightings. It's an interesting and fun read. 

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

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