Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite

 

Reviewed by Kristin

Imagine if your body was disposable but your mind could live on long beyond a typical lifespan. On the interstellar generational ship Fairweather, that is the new reality. Well, not exactly new, since their journey began three centuries ago. Each person has a memory book and a body, but memories can be uploaded into a new version of their own body when the old one fails, due to aging or accident—or heaven forbid—murder.

Dorothy Gentleman is Fairweather’s detective. After the last time her body wore out, she decided to keep her mind preserved in her book for a while, taking a break from a physical body. Dorothy wakes up knowing instantly that something is wrong. It’s her own consciousness, but it’s not her own body. Since she’s the detective, she sets out to discover exactly what happened.

Dorothy is a delight. With so much lived experience, her personality feels like a middle aged woman. (Note that this comment is meant in an absolutely positive way!) Dorothy’s nephew Rutherford (Ruthie) worked to create the technology needed to keep individuals’ memories and experiences available. He developed memory liquors, meant to bring back sensations of things long left behind on Earth. Think of a sunset or a baby’s laugh, or the scent of ozone during a storm.

Another interesting character is the ship itself, which seems to be a mix of a computer and a sentient being. Dorothy speaks to Ferry (short for Fairweather) and begins to piece together what may have happened in the two years her mind has been shelved without a body.

At only 100 pages, this is a more of a novella, but it was very well written and I look forward to the next in the series, Nobody’s Baby and in March 2027, The Double Dorothy.

Nevermore: We the Women, Dewey, In the Fields of Fatherless Children

 

Nevermore 4-28-26 Reported by Rita

We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America by Norah O'Donnell

A vivid portrait of the unsung American women from 1776 to today who changed the course of history in their fight for freedom and helped shape a more perfect union. Over a decades-long, distinguished career, award-winning journalist Norah O’Donnell has made it her mission to shed light on untold wom­en’s stories. Now, in honor of America’s 250th birthday, O’Donnell focuses that passion on the American heroines who helped change the course of history.

A very informative book on women's history. I found it inspiring and hopeful and thoroughly enjoyed it.    -KM     5 stars

 

Dewey the Library Cat: A True Story by Vicki Myron

Abandoned in a library book drop slot in the dead of winter, this remarkable kitten miraculously endured the coldest night of the year. Dewey Readmore Books, as he became known, quickly embraced his home inside Spencer's public library, charming the struggling small town's library-goers, young and old. As word of Dewey's winning tail, or rather his tale, spread, the library cat gained worldwide fame as a symbol of hope and proof positive that one small cat could change a town, one reader at a time.

This story is heartwarming, delightful, sweet, and bittersweet.     -CD      4 stars

 

In the Fields of Fatherless Children by Pamela Steele

In late 1960s Appalachia, many things loom darkly over June, the Vietnam War is dividing the country, and a strip mine is eating away the mountain at the head of the holler where she lives, threatening the natural landscape and the only way of life she has ever known. While still in high school, June has fallen in love. She is pregnant, and the father may be Ellis Akers. Ellis is the son of Solomon, a mortal enemy of June’s stepfather, Isom. The feud is so old it fuels two vengeful men with the power of long animosity between rival families. June’s brother, Tom, leaves to enlist in the war, and so does Ellis. Suddenly, June is on her own, at sixteen with a newborn, and is a mother unable to protect her daughter from the wrath of Isom. Without warning, her baby is kidnapped. Guided by her love for the generations of women before her, but now desperately alone, June must carefully navigate the search for her child alongside family and strangers in a wild and disappearing landscape.

 

It is pretty good. I love the vocabulary.     - MS    4 stars

 

 

Other Books Mentioned

 

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki

Broke-Ass Women's Club by Sharon Sala

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

An Actor and His Time by John Gielgud

 

New Books

 

Picky by Helen Zoe Veit

T'ai Chi for Dummies by Therese Iknoian, Manny Fuentes

A Far-Flung Life by M. L. Stedman

A Crown of Stars by Shana Abé

The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives by Elizabeth Arnott

Daughter of Egypt by Marie Benedict

New in June!

 

Allen, Samantha  Puck

Andrews, Mary Kay Road Trip

Arden, Katherine  The Unicorn Hunters

Benedict, Marie  A Pair of Aces

Benjamin, Melanie  The Windsor Affair

Brennan, Allison  Whisper Creek: A Thriller

Brown, Graham  Clive Cussler Cold Fire (NUMA Files)

Colgan, Jenny Meet Me at the Seaside Cottages

Connolly, John  A River Red with Blood (Charlie Parker)

Courage, Rachel Death on the Lanai (Golden Girls Cozy Mystery)

Doiron, Paul  Storm Tide (Mike Bowditch)

Gates, Eva  Whose Body in the Library (Lighthouse Library Mystery)

Jewell, Lisa  It Could Have Been Her

Johansen, Iris  Wait and See (Kendra Michaels)

Kepnes, Caroline  You First (Joe Goldberg prequel)

McCreight, Kimberly Someone Else’s Husband

O’Farrell, Maggie  Land

Patchett, Ann Whistler

Poston, Ashley The Someday Garden

Ryan, Jennifer  The Queen’s Coronation

Sanderson, Brandon  Songs of the Dead (Strata Wars)

See, Lisa  Daughters of the Sun and Moon

Steel, Danielle  Weddings

Sten, Camilla  The Break-Up Retreat

Thayne, Raeanne The Rainy Day Bookshop

Thor, Brad Choke Point (Scot Harvath)

Woods, Stuart & Battles, Brett  Stuart Woods’ Deep Water

Nonfiction

Hattori, April 10-Minute Chair Yoga Exercises for Seniors:  40 Poses to Build Strength and Flexibility for Fall Prevention

Vance, J.D. Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith

The Subtle Art of Folding Space by John Chu

Reviewed by Kristin

An infinite number of universes.

Humans have coded and manufactured “skunkworks” to manipulate and manage physics of these multiple realities. Until things begin to fall apart…

Ellie’s cousin Daniel has found a device in the skunkworks that shouldn’t be there. The alteration is keeping Ellie’s comatose mother alive but it is causing rippling effects that might destabilize more than just this little corner of this universe. Who created this device? Who benefits? Obviously Ellie, but she wasn’t the one to rearrange the workings.

Chris is Ellie’s sister, and she “likes to keep Ellie on her toes” by attempting to assassinate her every few weeks. Or so Chris says.

Daniel is able to manifest his skunkworks analytic data into Chinese comfort food, confusing and fascinating me all the more.

I have to admit that I didn’t understand most of the physics concepts included in this work of science fiction, but I still enjoyed it. Ellie is a very likeable protagonist, and her adventures climbing through the skunkworks kept me reading. Were the skunkworks actual physical buildings, or just coding with visual representation? Even after reading the book, I have no idea! Please, someone else read this and tell me what you think.

I read an ARC provided by NetGalley and Tor Publishing, but that did not influence my opinion in any way. Family connections, generational trauma, and government authoritarianism all combine to make for an interesting read.

Nevermore: The Supreme Gift, Rebel of the Regency, Carrying Albert Home

 

Nevermore 4-21-26 Reported by Rita

 

The Supreme Gift: Love Is the Greatest Thing in the World by Paulo Coelho

The Supreme Gift is an invitation for reflection, a clear and concise response to life's biggest questions. Inspired by a 19th century sermon by Henry Drummond offering a deeper understanding of love, here Coelho explains love as the culmination of nine elements, which we can incorporate into our everyday lives for an instant connection to life's most important gift: patience, kindness, generosity, humility, gentleness, dedication, tolerance, sincerity, and innocence.

I liked The Alchemist better. This book is a bit preachy.      -HM     2 stars

 

Rebel of the Regency: The Scandalous Saga of Caroline of Brunswick, Britain’s Queen Without a Crown by Ann Foster

The dramatic, absolutely outrageous story of Caroline of Brunswick, a beloved icon of the Regency era, who uplifted the voice of the public and unabashedly defied society's expectations, yet was shockingly robbed of her crown, from the host of the Vulgar History podcast. Caroline Amelia Elizabeth, Princess of Brunswick, was born in the northern German town of Braunschweig. Her mother and father, the duke and duchess, instantly knew one thing: there was something irrefutably untamable about their daughter. She grew up a wild child, sequestered from others to protect her family's reputation--an 18th-century Rapunzel. She was freed from this gilded cage by an unexpected marriage proposal from George Augustus Frederick, Prince of Wales and the eldest son of George III and Queen Charlotte. Caroline was entirely unprepared for the backstabbing mean girls of the royal court. Always staying true to herself, she stepped into her role of queen-to-be without compromising her character, showing off her affinity for fashion, her many eccentric hobbies, and ultimately, her infallible spirit, despite being ostracized as an outsider by her in-laws. And so Caroline became the unlikely figurehead of the anti-monarchists, aided by the just-emerging tabloid press. Yet, despite her status as a revolutionary heroine, Caroline's name faded away following her death. Until now.

This was an easy read. I found it funny and fascinating. Really good.    -PP     5 stars

 

Carrying Albert Home: The Somewhat True Story of A Man, His Wife, and Her Alligator by Homer Hickam 

Elsie Lavender and Homer Hickam (the father of the author) were high school classmates in the West Virginia coalfields, graduating just as the Great Depression began. When Homer asked for her hand, Elsie instead headed to Orlando where she sparked with a dancing actor named Buddy Ebsen (yes, that Buddy Ebsen). But when Buddy headed for New York, Elsie’s dreams of a life with him were crushed and eventually she found herself back in the coalfields, married to Homer.

Unfulfilled as a miner’s wife, Elsie was reminded of her carefree days with Buddy every day because of his unusual wedding gift: an alligator named Albert she raised in the only bathroom in the house. When Albert scared Homer by grabbing his pants, he gave Elsie an ultimatum: “Me or that alligator!” After giving it some thought, Elsie concluded there was only one thing to do: Carry Albert home.

I thought this book was great. It was fun and nostalgic.     -MH    5 stars

 

 

Other Books Mentioned

 

Gray Mountain by John Grisham

Son of Nobody by Yann Martel

The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free by Paulina Bren

Ellie Dwyer's Ultimate Challenge by Diane Winger

A Hymn to Life by Gisele Pelicot

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Elephants on Acid: And Other Bizarre Experiments by Alex Boese

The Idiot by Elif Batuman

Kim by Rudyard Kipling

Strangers by Belle Burden

The Unlikely Thru-Hiker by Derick Lugo

 

New Books

 

The Violin Maker's Secret by Evie Woods

In the Fields of Fatherless Children by Pamela Steele

The Dangerous Shore by Sara Vladic

We the Women by Norah O'Donnell

Reparenting the Inner Child by Dr. Nicole LePera

Saving Graces by David Robinson

 

Reviewed by Kristin

Cemeteries are the repositories of not only physical remains, but the memories of those who once lived, loved, and mourned losses.

Photographing European cemeteries, David Robinson became aware of the many statues of visibly grieving women. First he questioned whether the statues represented women buried at those locations. Could they be religious figures? Or angels?

These statues, which Robinson soon dubbed the “Saving Graces”, did not appear to fit any of these categories. Many are swooning across graves with their carved clothing in disarray as if they are overwhelmed with grief. Some are reaching up to heaven. Some are turned into themselves. Others appear to be resigned, but still mournful.

In stark contrast, men represented in the cemeteries are usually standing upright, showing a strong moral character, and definitely not showing any emotion which would be perceived as weakness. Women, however, carry the sorrow.

The book contains a brief introduction, foreword, and afterword, with the bulk of the pages letting the captioned photographs tell their own story.

I came across this book while cleaning up books that had been browsed or returned. It is shelved at 730.94 ROB, not a section that I necessarily would think to browse myself. 730 encompasses: “Arts and recreation sculpture, ceramics, and metalwork sculpture, and related arts.” I can appreciate the artistry required to create such sculptures, and I can appreciate the emotions felt by those who commissioned these works.

High Spirits: A Haunted Haven Mystery by Carol J. Perry

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Maureen Doherty has had a lot of life changes recently, not the least of which is inheriting an inn in Florida through rather mysterious circumstances.  Not just any inn, either:  a haunted inn.  Fortunately, the dead tolerate the living well and vice versa.

Now all Maureen has to do is make the inn profitable.

Well, that and solve the murder of one of the guests.

I am a long-time fan of Perry’s Witch City mysteries set in Salem, so I decided to give this series a try.  As in that series, the main character is an intelligent woman with a connection to the supernatural, but isn’t fazed by it. More importantly to me, the supernatural elements don’t automatically solve the crime.  She also gives a good supporting cast and gives the heroine other concerns to occupy her between clues.  In this case, she’s working a new promotion for the inn:  a dinner and a movie combo, using the town’s old theater and a schedule of Christmas movies, such as the The Bishop’s Wife and Home Alone. Perry tends to toss in names of classic movies or tv shows in her books, and I am delighted to see someone else remembers some of these gems.

I did enjoy the book and will read more in the series.  However, I picked this one up with the idea of going back and reading the first one later, but that idea was quashed in the first pages as we are told who the murderer was in the first book. In fact, just in case the reader didn’t catch it the first time, the information is repeated.  If you want to read them all, I would suggest reading in order, unless you’re more interested in the characters and setting and less in solving the mystery.

My only other quibble is with the police officer on the case whom I found annoying. Then again, I wasn’t crazy about the police detective in the Witch City  mysteries either, but for somewhat different reasons.

The ghosts add a lot to the story, just by being fun. Maureen can see and interact with them, and so can her dog, Finn.  In fact, fashionista ghost Lorna reads Finn stories between finding new outfits and accessories.

Books in the series are:

Be My Ghost

High Spirits

Haunting License

The Spirit Moves

Double Knot Untied (November 2026)