Summer reading...

My summer vacation has officially started (one of the benefits of working at an elementary school), which means my summer reading begins today as well. And there are SO many books I want to read. My list of mysteries, popcorn thrillers, romance, historical fiction and nonfiction books is long enough for three summers at least, which gives me lots of books to choose from these next two and a half months. The only problem is deciding where to start. 

I just finished reading The Swamp Fox by John Oller, the true story of how Marion Francis fought the British in South Carolina and helped win the Revolutionary War. I did not know anything about the Southern front or what went on in South Carolina during the American Revolution. Needless to say, I found this biography well-written, informative and completely engrossing. And I have new respect for the quiet but determined Marion Francis and his small band of dragoons. I am planning on reading a few more books about the Revolutionary War this summer starting with Band of Giants by Jack Kelly (which I ended up having to buy because my library decided to get rid of its copy last month. It's so annoying when libraries get rid of books you were planning on checking out!) 

As for my first fiction reads of summer I'm trying to decide between Coram House by Bailey Seybolt, A Murder Most Camp by Nicolas DiDomizio and The Inklings Detective Agency by John R. Kelly. At least those are the top three books sitting in my library bag. I might change my mind and dig deeper into the bag for something else. Who knows. I'm just looking forward to a summer of free reading. What about you? What books are you hoping to read this summer?

Happy Reading!

The Labyrinth House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji

Honkaku mystery:  A Japanese subgenre focusing on intricate "fair play" puzzle-solving designed to challenge readers with logical deduction, locked-room scenarios, and complex mechanical tricks. Inspired by Western Golden Age authors like Agatha Christie, these novels typically provide all necessary clues, diagrams, and maps prioritizing the puzzle over literary prose.

Four mystery authors, a critic, an editor and his pregnant wife, and an amateur sleuth have all been invited to a famed mystery writer's isolated home to celebrate his 60th birthday. But when their weekend begins with a shocking death, they find themselves locked inside the Labyrinth House with a murderer. 

This was an entertaining 'locked-room' mystery. It was a little hard at first to keep all the characters straight, but I soon got them figured out. And I really liked Utayama Hideyuki, the editor, and Shimada Kiyoshi, a fan of mystery novels and amateur sleuth. They worked together on solving the puzzles within the Labyrinth House. I guessed one of the twists early on, but there was another twist at the very end I was not expecting. Which added a layer of fun. As did the map of the Labyrinth House included at the beginning of the book and all the allusions to the Greek myth about Minos and the minotaur. I did think the dialogue felt a little stilted at times, but that might have been because of the translation, or just a difference between Japanese and American fiction. Overall, though, I really liked this one. It's definitely made me a fan of Honkaku mysteries. 

Happy Reading!

Haiku Reviews...

 

Love Catch by Laura Langa

Roommates first. Then friends.

Can Trevor convince Kenzie

to risk her heart on him?

Sweet sport romance .... 297 pages .... 4.5/5 stars.

(He's a professional baseball player; she's an accountant. Together they work. Clean romance with the cutest rescue cat.)

Quiet Bones by Sarah Ward

A missing student.

A strange burial. A college

full of secrets.

Mystery .... 300 pages .... 3.5/5 stars.

(Carla James, an archaeology professor at Jericho College, gets caught up in three separate mysteries...or are they all connected?)

A Study in Secrets by Jeffrey Siger

A retired spy.

A homeless girl. A diner

owner. And murder.

Mystery .... 212 pages .... 4/5 stars.

(Great characters and a fun plot. I hope he writes a sequel.)

Happy Reading!

Grace & Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman

 

From the blurb: 

"The new year barely began when Grace White and Henry Adler both lost their spouses. Now, nearly a year later, the first holiday season since their "Great and Terrible Sadnesses" approaches. Although their mothers scheme to matchmake the two surviving spouses, it’s clear that neither is ready to date again. Yet no one understands what they're going through better than each other, and a delicate friendship is born.

"When Henry sees an ad for a Christmas movie marathon—once an annual tradition for him and his wife—Grace offers to watch some films with him, despite her aversion to a few of his picks. Her two young kids, Ian and Bella, also join in whenever possible—bedtimes permitting, of course.

"With each movie, Grace and Henry’s shared grief eases as they start to see a life beyond the sadness. But as they draw closer, other romantic possibilities leave them both uncertain about their future together. Is their bond merely the result of loneliness and shared circumstances, or have they found something that’s worth taking a shot at . . . again?"

My thoughts:  Matthew Norman brilliantly captures the up-and-down journey through grief. And though this novel deals with death and loss, it's not a sad book. There are poignant moments, but there are also humorous, heartwarming and fun moments. And so many times I found myself nodding my head at something Grace or Henry said about the grief process. Because I've been there. And Norman gets it. I love the way he writes! And I love these characters and their friendship and shared moments of sadness. And Grace's two kids are awesome. I loved Henry's and Ian's art projects. And all the Christmas movie tie-ins were so fun; they made me laugh. This book is the best!

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

May's Bookish Art...

 

Osman Hamdi Bey -- Young Woman Reading

Books provided a secret door to escape through....Another world she could step into and be surrounded by characters brought to life on the page. She could meet untold people and live a thousand exciting lives through the pages. It was her solace..."

--Bella Osborne, The Library

A Dreadful Splendor by B.R. Myers

 

First line:  "It's good you've finally summoned me," I said. "There's no doubt a spirit torments this house."

Setting:  Victorian London, 1852

The what:  A dead bride. A charlatan. A Gothic mystery. Secrets. Ghostly rumors. And a fake seance meant to find a murderer.

The who:  Genevieve Timmons, a young woman not quite 19, who learned how to perform seances to swindle the rich from her mother; she's got the threat of the noose hanging over her head if she can't get this last seance right.

Gareth Pemberton, the new earl of Somerset Park; he wants justice for Audra Linton, the young woman he was supposed to marry. He's not sure he can trust Genevieve, but he needs her help to flush out a murderer.

The why:  This is an entertaining mystery with atmosphere, a tangled web of secrets and suspects, interesting characters, and a few good twists. Genevieve was spunky, suspicious, stubborn, vulnerable and very alone in the world; I liked her and how she held her own even though everything was stacked against her. She and Pemberton made an interesting team. I would have liked a little more of them together at the end, but all in all I enjoyed this one.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Similar reads:

Mist of Midnight by Sandra Byrd

Dragonwyck by Anya Seton

The Gilded Cage by Lucinda Gray

Whispers Beyond the Veil by Jessica Estevao

Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

Happy Mother's Day!

 It's the first Mother's Day without my mom, and I've been thinking about her a lot lately. She was loving, kind, generous to a fault, and an extremely hard worker. She could work rings around my sisters and me. She valued education, family, and her faith. She told me bedtime stories, enjoyed music, and made the best chocolate chip cookies. She loved peanut butter and jam, and chocolate. And she LOVED to read: mysteries, travel adventures, heartwarming stories, biographies, nonfiction books, and thrillers. But she loved historical fiction most of all. So, in honor of my mom, and to celebrate her love of reading on this first Mother's Day without her, I thought I'd share three of her most favorite historical fiction series. 

Bodie Thoene's Zion Covenant series set in WWII:

The Stone of Light series set in Ancient Egypt by Christian Jacq:

And Gerald N. Lund's The Work and The Glory series:

I love you, Mom.

Happy Reading!