Finding Mr. Purrfect by Codi Gary

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Charity Simmons is a baker with a love for cats, so she and her veterinarian friend Kara pool their resources to open a cat café and low cost cat clinic.  Meow and Furrever is doing well, but needs an infusion of cash in order to update the kitchen so they can take their business venture to the next level.  It’s been a frantic time, so the two plan a vacation to Mexico to unwind a bit—at least that was the original plan.  At the last minute Kara and her fiancé Ben decide to skip Mexcio and spend the vacation with his family, leaving Charity alone. Well, not exactly alone:  Ben’s best friend Will was also invited. The problem is that Will is just the type of guy Charity detests.  He’s a flirt who spends all his time charming women, which is pretty easy because he’s also gorgeous and has a nice guy persona.  But Charity is not fooled, and she’s not going to waste her time on a relationship without a future.  For his part, Will isn’t looking for commitment but he IS attracted to Charity, so when he’s asked to be her pretend boyfriend, it really isn’t a hardship. . . until it’s time to stop pretending.

Romance books aren’t really my thing, but the enticement of a cat café made me decide to give it a try. Also there was a promise of a baking show, so how could I resist? This was an enjoyable enough book, mainly because the dual perspective between Will and Charity was entertaining and there were cats, although I was a tad disappointed we didn’t see more cats.  The scene at the end pretty much made up for it though, as it was delightful.  Both Charity and Will have family hang ups to work through, which made them more realistic characters to me even though this is indeed a frothy romance.  The baking show competition was mentioned in several reviews but didn’t show up until the last 50 pages or so. 

While I’m not ready to give up my classic and cozy mysteries, this was a pleasant diversion. 

Nevermore: Golden Doves, Anxious People, Dreamland

 

Reported by Rita

 

The Golden Doves: a Novel by Martha Hall Kelly

To finally secure justice and protect the ones they love, two former female spies, American Josie Anderson and Parisian Arlette LaRue, aka the Golden Doves, risk everything to hunt down an infamous Nazi doctor in the aftermath of World War II.

A real page-turner.  – KN     5 stars

 

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Taken hostage by a failed bank robber while attending an open house, eight anxiety-prone strangers--including a redemption-seeking bank director, two couples who would fix their marriages, and a plucky octogenarian--discover their unexpected common traits.

Very silly – did not like it.  – MH     3 stars

 

Dreamland: a Novel by Nicholas Sparks

When Colby Mills sees his dreams of a music career derailed by tragedy, he becomes the head of a small family farm in North Carolina, where he finds a new love interest, Morgan Lee, an aspiring musician who hopes to someday move to Nashville and become a star.

Easy read – good escapism.  – VC     3 stars

 

Other Books Mentioned

The Girls in the Stilt House: a Novel by Kelly Mustian

The Warsaw Sisters: a Novel of WWII Poland by Amanda Barratt

Social Movements of the 1960s: Searching for Democracy  by Stewart Burns

The Beekeeper's Promise by Fiona Valpy

Trail of the Lost: the Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail by Andrea Lankford

 

New Books

The Secret History of Bigfoot: Field Notes on a North American Monster  by John O'Connor

The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard by Natasha Lester

Diva by Daisy Goodwin

Gator Country: Deception, Danger, and Alligators in the Everglades  by Rebecca Renner

The Raven Thief by Gigi Pandian

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Former stage magician and current designer for Secret Staircase Construction Tempest Raj is invited to a recent client’s home for a housewarming of sorts.  This particular housewarming is more than a bit atypical:  Lavinia Kingsley wants to celebrate by having a séance to banish the spirit of her soon-to-be ex-husband Corbin.  Corbin isn’t dead, just obnoxious but that’s a minor detail.  She’s enlisted Tempest’s friend and fellow magician Sanjay to perform a symbolic séance complete with some appropriate illusions, to be followed by the burning of some of Corbin’s papers.  Lavina’s book club members will be in attendance along with a few others, including Tempest and her grandfather, Ash. 

As the séance begins, the group is gathered around the table, holding hands in the dark. There’s a sudden crash. The flickering light reveals a body in the center of the table.

Now they can do a real séance, because Corbin Kingsley is actually dead.

Someone in the room had to have killed him—but how?

This is the second in Pandian’s wonderful Secret Staircase Mystery series and I enjoyed it just as much as the first one.  It’s a classic locked room mystery series, and there are many references to Golden Age mystery authors such as John Dickson Carr and Agatha Christie. The illusion element is a fine addition:  as a magician herself, Tempest is well aware of misdirection and she doesn’t believe for a moment that anything supernatural has occurred.  The problem is proving it, a task that becomes more difficult as it turns out that the victim had apparently been in two places at once.

Pandian has created a cast of memorable characters, not to mention some truly wonderful settings.  The Secret Staircase Construction Company specializes in creating hidden rooms, sliding bookcases, and such, but more than that, they create a story. Gardens with gnomes, gates with dragons, or illusionary waters are all their stock in trade, but there are other wondrous places as well. My personal favorite is the faux train car that serves as a library for classic mystery fans.  All of which is to say that I found it wonderfully atmospheric.

While this one can be read and enjoyed as a standalone, there is an ongoing plot thread about the mysterious disappearance of Tempest’s mother and the family curse:  the eldest child will die by magic.

A Shimmer of Red by Valerie Wilson Wesley

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Things are finally looking up for Odessa Jones.   The pandemic has made real estate a hot commodity with houses are selling like hot cakes.  The agency has even picked up a couple of new agents who recently left the much more prestigious Delbarton Agency to join Risko Reality—despite the fact that Risko has been connected to more than one murder lately.  Anna and Bella have brought a new dynamic to the office, with handsome Harley becoming besotted with Anna and Louella becoming more sullen.  There’s something else, though: the two new employees seem a bit on edge behind their smiles, especially Anna.

 Dessa can’t quite figure it out, despite a slight supernatural advantage.  Dessa has the dubious gift of seeing auras, which gives her a sense of people’s mental states.  It a gift that can be reassuring or disquieting, but at least it’s not as bad as her other gift: when Dessa smells nutmeg, it means someone is going to die.  She tries to tell herself that she’s imagining the sudden whiff of spice is just bad memories, but in her heart she know differently.

When Anna is killed in a hit and run, the police believe it to be an accident. Dessa knows that it was murder. Is it her responsibility to look for answers? Or can she just walk away?

This is the third in the Odessa Jones mystery series but it could be read as a standalone.  I’ve read and enjoyed the others.  Wesley adds just a touch of supernatural in Dessa’s gifts, but never lets it overshadow the human elements in the mystery.  The supporting characters are well done; I’m very fond of Lennox in particular as well as the aunts who are determined to steer Dessa in what they consider to be the right direction.  Of course, I adore Juniper, Dessa’s cat, but that almost goes without saying. (I’m only saying that so people know there is indeed a cat in the story and it’s not just cover eye candy.)  The reader learns a bit more about Dessa’s past but again, no previous books need to have been read.  While there is a bit of cooking going on, this series has more the feel of a classic mystery than a cozy which is a good thing as far as I’m concerned.

This series has never let me down. I really like Dessa, who is an independent woman making her way in the world. She’s compassionate and driven to help those in need, but has no illusions that everyone can be “fixed.” I hope there will be another entry in this series.

Nevermore: Girls in the Stilt House, Writing Retreat, March Forward Girl

Reported by Rita

The Girls in the Stilt House: a Novel by Kelly Mustian

Murder breaks through the racial divide that separates two teenage girls, forging an unlikely friendship. A first novel.

Very well written - a real page-turner.  – KN      4 stars

 

The Writing Retreat: a Novel by Julia Bartz

While attending a month-long writing retreat at the estate of a feminist horror writer who issues a life-changing challenge, Alex, determined to win this seemingly impossible contest, ignores the strange happenings around her until the disappearance of a fellow writer leads her on a desperate search for the truth.

Turned out to be more horror than expected. – MH     4 stars

March Forward, Girl by Melba Beals

A member of the Little Rock Nine shares her memories of growing up in the South under Jim Crow.

Beautifully written - very moving.  – AH      5 stars

 

Other Books Mentioned

How to know a person : the art of seeing others deeply and being deeply seen by David Brooks

Snow by John Banville

Warriors don't cry : a searing memoir of the battle to integrate Little Rock's Central High by Melba Pattillo Beals

A mighty long way : my journey to justice at Little Rock Central High School; adapted for young readers by Carlotta Walls Lanier

Zodiac : a graphic memoir by Weiwei Ai

Jimshoes in Vietnam : orienting a westerner by James R. Klassen

So big by Edna Ferber

The covenant of water : a novel by Abraham Verghese

 The echo of old books : a novel by Barbara Davis Family lore : a novel by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

New Books

The mountain king : a novel by Anders De la Motte

The Warsaw Sisters : a novel of WWII Poland by Amanda Barratt

The joy of Photoshop : when you ask the wrong guy for help by James Fridman

Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford

 

Reviewed by Christy

            Jenny is 77 and has been married to her beloved Bernard for almost 60 years! Unlike some of her friends, Jenny never had any grandchildren of her own so she spends her time baking and doting on her late sister-in-law's grandchildren Poppy and Max. Poppy seems keen on baking herself, and Jenny loves to share her old family recipes with her. Jenny has built a quiet and happy life but she can't shake the feeling that the time for adventure might be over. And she doesn't like that. She doesn't like that at all.

            One night Jenny impulsively applies to be a contestant on Britain Bakes, a very popular baking competition show. She doesn't think anything will come of it, and her mind starts to settle once that is out of her system. But, of course, she is accepted. Through a whirlwind of currants and cameras, jam and judges, Jenny relies on family recipes to inspire her. Many of these recipes conjure up old memories – including a long-buried secret no one knows. Not even Bernard.

            I've been drawn to "character study" types of books lately, and this novel caught my eye (the colorful cover didn't hurt either!). I expected a cozy, wholesome read with descriptive baking passages (and it was that), but I did not expect to cry as much as I did. Jenny and Bernard are so sweet and still in love, and it was a delight to read about them. I only wanted good things for them! Jenny's shameful secret is devastating, and I felt so awful that anyone would have to go through what she did. (Though I don't think what she did was particularly shameful. How others treated her, however, certainly was.)

            Ford's writing is very sentimental, almost saccharine at times, but I loved it. It worked for me because all of it felt genuine. And I just wanted Jenny to be happy! This was a wonderful read and my first five star read of the year.

Historical Fiction with Libraries!

 Happy National Library Week!  Here are some historical fiction books which feature libraries and librarians.

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict is a novel based on the life of Belle de Costa Greene who was hired to curate J.P. Morgan’s collection of rare books and manuscripts, making her a powerful woman—and one with a secret.        

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richards is a staff favorite!  A last-of-her-kind outcast and member of the Pack Horse Library Project braves the hardships of Kentucky's Great Depression and hostile community discrimination to bring the near-magical perspectives of books to her neighbors. There is a sequel, The Book Woman’s Daughter.

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslein Charles is based on a true story of how a lonely, 1980s teenager befriends an elderly neighbor and uncovers her past as a librarian at the American Library in Paris who joined the Resistance when the Nazis arrived.

The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan When the Blitz destroys Bethnal Green Library in London, librarian Juliet Lansdown, along with two other women, relocates the stacks to the local Underground station where the city's residents shelter nightly, determined to lend out stories that will keep spirits up, but soon tragedy after tragedy threatens to destroy what they've built.

Library Mystery Series

 In honor of National Library Week, here are some popular mystery series with libraries and librarians!

The Unkindness of Ravens by M.E. Hilliard Librarian Greer Hogan matches wits with a deviously clever killer in a chilling series debut. First in the Greer Hogan series.

A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilbert:  Librarian Amy Webber must archive overdue crimes and deadly rumors before a killer strikes again in her new Virginia home in Victoria Gilbert’s charming series debut.  First in the Blue Ridge Library mystery series.

Murder Past Due by Miranda James: A famous author returns to his hometown and is murdered. It's up to Charlie Harris, the town's librarian, and his cat Diesel, to find the killer before the wrong person is arrested for the crime. The trouble is, every last one of Charlie's friends and coworkers had a score to settle with the novelist. First in the Cat in the Stacks mysteries.

Curiousity Thrilled the Cat by Sofie Kelly:  Small-town librarian Kathleen Paulson discovers that the two stray cats she has taken in--Owen and Hercules--are truly special when she, the prime suspect in a murder, gets some unexpected feline help in solving the crime and clearing her name. First in the Magical Cats series.

Miss Zukas and the Library Murders by Jo Dereske:  Librarian Helma Zukas and her friend Ruth, a six foot tall bohemian artist, investigating a dead body in the library’s fiction stacks. First in the Miss Zukas series.

Real Murders by Charlaine Harris: Roe Teagarden joins forces with police detective Arthur Smith and mystery writer Robin Crusoe to investigate a series of killings in which the victims are slain in the fashion of famous historical murders. First in the Aurora Teagarden Mystery series.

By Book or By Crook by Eve Gates: After her ten-year relationship implodes, Lucy escapes to the Outer Banks to heal and finds her dream job at a lighthouse library on Bodie Island, until a theft and a murder ensnares Lucy in a real-life mystery. This is the first in the series of Lighthouse Library mysteries.

Real Libraries and Librarians!

 Here are some fascinating non-fiction books about libraries in celebration of National Library Week!

The Library Book by Susan Orlean examines the unsolved mystery of the most catastrophic library fire in American history, and delivers a dazzling love letter to a beloved institution: our libraries.

The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer is the inspiring story of how an average, mild-mannered archivist and historian became an expert smuggler when she organized a dangerous operation to sneak 350,000 precious manuscripts out of Timbuktu in the face of the 2012 al Qaeda takeover.

This Book Is Overdue! by Marilyn Johnson is a romp through the ranks of information professionals who organize our messy world and offer old-fashioned human help through the maze. Johnson celebrates libraries and librarians and discovers offbeat and eloquent characters in the quietest corners.       

The World’s Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette’s, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by Joshua Hanagarne traces the author's inspiring story as a Mormon youth with Tourette's Syndrome who after a sequence of radical and ineffective treatments overcame nightmarish tics through education, military service and strength training. He is also a librarian with Salt Lake City Public Library.

The True Tails of Baker & Taylor: The Library Cats who Left Their Pawprints on a Small Town and the World by Jan Louch: The memoir of a small-town librarian from Nevada's Douglas County Public Library describes her loving relationship with two Scottish Folds who through promotions for the book-distribution company for whom they were named became two of the world's most famous library cats.

Dewey by Vicki Myron is the true story of a librarian’s discovery of a half frozen kitten in the drop-box of her small town library in Iowa.  The kitten becomes a beloved library mascot whose intuitive nature prompted hundreds of abiding friendships.

The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians by James Patterson: Showcasing the smart and talented people who live between the pages, this inspiring collection of true stories, as told to one of the greatest novelists of our time, invites us into a world where we can feel our curiosities, discover new voices, and find whatever we want or require.

Happy National Library Week!

In celebration of National Library Week, here are some books about libraries and librarians!

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig imagines is a library with books for an individual. One book tells the story of the person’s life as it is, while an infinite number of others tell the person’s life if other choices had been made.  Nora Seed has found the library and now she has the chance to experience her other lives—and to decide which life is worth living.

The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander: Librarian Jess Metcalf moves to the English countryside after the death of her beloved grandmother.  She discovers she’s the owner of an old red phone box, which turns into the littlest library in England with heart-warming results.

The Last Chance Library by Freya Samson follows June Jones as she emerges from her shell to fight for her beloved local library, and through the efforts and support of an eclectic group of library patrons, she discovers life-changing friendships along the way.

The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu: Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghost talker, and she now speaks to Edinburgh's dead - carrying messages to the living - but when she learns someone is bewitching children she investigates and discovers an occult library, a taste for hidden magic, and a wealth of Edinburgh's dark secrets.

The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick is the story of a shy librarian whose kind heart is often exploited receives a mysterious book of fairy tales from the beloved grandmother she believed dead and embarks on a perspective-changing journey of astonishing family secrets.

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman is a fantasy adventure series about librarian agents who must collect books from various realities.  Readers have praised it for its humor, imagination, and wordplay.

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan:  Nina, a "literary matchmaker" who takes joy in pairing readers with perfect books moves from the city to a sleepy village where she becomes a bookmobile driver and rediscovers her sense of adventure while searching for a happy ending of her own.

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

The Hatori Community House is a place where people can do many different things, such as attend a class on computers or learn to play Go.  It also has a handy library and an even handier librarian in Sayuri Komachi.  She is a large lady, very white, and her book recommendations are always on point—even if some of the choices may seem a bit odd. Her hobby is felting animals and objects and she always gives one of these to her patron as a bonus gift.

As with several Japanese books I’ve read recently, the novel is a series of stories with something in common. There are five stories, each featuring a different character who is at some sort of cross road.  He or she is unhappy or bored with life and wants to make a change.  They end up at the library where they are given what they ask for and a little extra.

Each story is a little gem, and each has something to say about books, readers, the power of story, and yes, libraries.  I admit I wasn’t quite on board at first, in part because of some cultural differences but one of the pleasures of books is seeing different viewpoints. For example, the librarian is a very large, very pale woman, something that each character notes in some way: she’s a polar bear, the Michelin man, a ball of rice. She’s also a bit otherworldly, like an oracle, though one patron thinks of Kwan Yin, the goddess of mercy.  Some readers found that off-putting, but I saw it as more a way of conveying an otherness about her.

All the stories make the character reassess what they want out of life, which can lead to some reader introspection. Sometimes we become fixated on one outcome and don’t allow that circumstances change and perhaps some of our goals should as well.

Most of all, there are so many wonderful quotes about books!  I am going to buy my own copy and a highlighter to note passages* like this one:  “Readers make their own personal connections to words, irrespective of the writer’s intentions, and each reader gains something unique.”

I could go off on a whole spiel about that, but I’ll refrain except to say that books and readers are as alchemy that creates unique experiences.  No two people read a book the exact same way.

 

*Sarah Addison Allen gave me permission to do this in her wonderful book Other Birds.

Secrets and Sequins by Gayle Leeson

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Fashion designer Amanda Tucker has her hands full with designing gowns for the Brea Ridge Historical Society’s masquerade ball.  Her assistant Zoe is busily designing masks, and Max is happily commenting everything.  Given that Max is a ghost since her death in 1930, that’s pretty much all she can contribute.  Only certain people can see Max, but that includes Amanda, Zoe, Amanda’s beloved Grandpa Dave, and other relatives.  However, Zoe’s mother Maggie refuses to acknowledge the ghost in the room.  That makes for a sticky situation sometimes, but things get even stickier when Maggie is accused of murder.

This is the fifth in the Ghostly Fashionista series, but can be read as a standalone.  Max aka Maxine is a delight.  While she drops a lot of period slang, she’s also become rather techno-literate, using a tablet to video chat, read books, and stream videos.  She’s also a—well, spirited was the word which came to mind, character with some strong opinions.  Amanda has a host of friends and family around, including a photographer boyfriend with an office in the same building as Amanda’s dress shop. As a local reader, I always enjoy the mentions of Abingdon (Amanda’s shop is on Main Street), Bristol, and other nearby places. 

There’s a secondary plot involving Grandpa Dave and his lady friend, just to keep the story moving briskly along.

Other titles in the series include:

Designs on Murder

Perils and Lace

Christmas Cloches and Corpses

Buttons and Blows

Note:  Gayle Leeson has several series and has also written under the name Gayle Trent and Amanda Lee. 

April New Fiction!

 

Allen, Samantha Jayne Next of Kin

Alvarez, Julia The Cemetery of Untold Stories

Baldacci, David  A Calamity of Souls

Chiaverini, Jennifer  The Museum of Lost Quilts  (Elm Creek)

Clark, Mary Higgins  and Alafair Burke It Had to Be You

Cleeton, Chanel  The House on Biscayne Bay

Cole, Alyssa  One of Us Knows

Cornwell, Bernard  Sharpe’s Command

Deveraux, Jude  An Unfinished Murder

Donati, Sara  The Sweet Blue Distance

Dugoni, Robert A Killing on the Hill

Graham, Heather  The Reaper Follows

Graves, Sarah  Death by Chocolate Raspberry Scone

Griffiths, Elly  The Last Word

Harris, C.S.  What Cannot Be Said

Henry, Emily  Funny Story

Hepworth, Sally  Darling Girls

Hillerman, Anne  Lost Birds (Leaphorn, Chee, & Manuelito)

Horowitz, Anthony  Close to Death

Houston, Victoria  At the Edge of the Woods

Jimenez, Abby  Just for the Summer

Kubica, Mary  She’s Not Sorry

Lamott, Anne  Somehow:  Thoughts on Love

Miranda, Megan  Daughter of Mine

Mofina, Rick  Someone Saw Something

Muller, Marcia  Circle in the Water (Sharon McCone)

Novak, Brenda  Tourist Season

Panowich, Brian  Nothing But the Bones

Paretsky, Sara Pay Dirt (V.I. Warshawski)

Patterson, James The  Murder Inn

Preston, Douglas  Extinction

Sandford, John  Toxic Prey

Skeslien Charles, Janet Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade

Smiley, Jane  Lucky

Steel, Danielle Only the Brave

Towles, Amor Table for Two

Winslow, Don  City in Ruins

The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Taste and smell are closely linked, so it’s only natural that certain tastes evoke memories just as smells do.  That’s the premise of The Kamogawa Food Detectives, a father and daughter team who specialize in re-creating remembered dishes.  The Kamogawa diner is in a non-descript building with no sign; the only ad reads in its entirety: “Kamogawa Diner—Kamogawa Detective Agency—We find your food.” The ad only runs in one magazine and there is no address or contact information.  It takes a determined client to find the diner; or, as Nagare Kamogawa says, it’s fate.

The book is a collection of stories, each beginning with a customer coming into the Kamogawa diner with information about a dish they would like to have re-created.  The key is in the questioning: the ingredients are important, but the detectives also need to know what was going on in their client’s life at the time in order to successfully fulfill the request.

But it’s about more than the food.  The requested dishes have more to do with a present need in a person’s life than the actual edibles. These are life lessons, served up on a plate. They’re not didactic, because the meaning is tailored to the individual.

These are quiet stories, some of which have a tinge of sadness.  Nagare, a widower and retired police detective, is the chef while his daughter Koishi acts as hostess and interviewer.  The careful questioning teases out details a person may have forgotten or suppressed.  For example in the story “Beef Stew,” a woman remembers only that she ate some sort of soup many years ago but what emerges is a tale of a path not taken.

The stories all have lavish descriptions of Japanese food, most of which I am unfamiliar with, but that is not much of an impediment.  Kashiwai is able to evoke tastes, sensations, and fragrances of the foods to such a degree that I understand them whether or not I’ve ever had the dish.  I also enjoyed the look at Japanese culture from an insider, without someone trying to explain everything to have it make sense from a Westerner’s point of view.

This is the first book of the series, which has been very popular in Japan ever since the first book came out in 2013.  I quite enjoyed this one, and I’m looking forward to reading the second book, The Restaurant of Lost Recipes, when it comes out in the US this October.