The Hardy Boys return to form in the Shattered Helmet. (apparently #51 was an aberration). A summer course in film leads to a friendship with a young Greek boy, travels across the US and to Greece all in search of a helmet that had been used in an early film. Dangerous situations ensue.
This one was a hot mess of a book! It was like the author was just throwing bizarre circumstances at the Hardy's with no rhyme or reason. Aunt Gertrude and Laura Hardy also had very different voices from previous books. Despite this, it was still fun to read and It did hold my interest enough to want to know how it ended.
I was lucky enough to be asked to be the first reader of the manuscript for the first book in a new series. I hope this one gets picked up by the author's publisher because it's fresh, fun and really well plotted!
Decided to give this a re-read since the next book I'm going to read is currently at home and I'm not. This play is very dated, but does make some valid points and is very funny!
My Top Ten Books I've Read in 2025:
#10: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches By: Sangu Mandanna
I can't even with this book!!! SO charming, so sweet, laugh out loud funny and heartfelt. Wonderfully drawn characters, such great and diverse personalities and a great plot...I mean this is just a gift of a read! I can't recommend this book enough!
#9: Who to Believe By: Edwin Hill
I have a new favorite Edwin Hill book and it is Who to Believe!! OMG! The twists and turns are more impressive than a scenic mountain road and holy merde!...what characters!!! The same story told the perspectives of 7 of the people involved each revealing pieces of the puzzle and other puzzles! SO well plotted and totaling engaging! This is the book that An Instance of the Fingerpost tried to be!
#8: My Friends By: Fredrik Backman
My God, Backman can tell a story!! A simple story of a painting and a group of friends in Backman's hands becomes a 25 year epic with moments of terror, heartache, friendship love and art. Peppered with wonder moments of utter surprise and many twists this wonderful story is not to be missed!
#7: If We Were Villains By: M. L. Rio
WOW! For any theatre geek out there-this book is for you! For any Shakespeare fan-this book is for you! For any mystery fan-this book is for you! For any fan of brilliant word play, plotting and structure-this book is for you. An extraordinary novel!
#6: The Berry Pickers By: Amanda Peters
Oh, the big ugly cry happened at the end of this one! Such a heart wrenching story and yet so beautiful and hopeful. I can't rave enough about this book!!!! Read it!
#5: Before Dorothy By: Hazel Gaynor
What an absolutely beautiful story!! Part history of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression; part women's empowerment; part prequel-ish to the Wizard of Oz; all brilliant storytelling! Emily Gale is a loving, lovely, formidable woman in this origin story. Her relationship with Henry is real and a delight to experience. The story of how Dorothy ends up living with her Auntie Em is realistic for the time period and for its emotions. A cast of delightful and some not so delightful characters surround Em, Henry with love, friendship, and some wickedness. Lots of easter eggs for the Frank L. Baum devotees!
#4: Remarkably Bright Creatures By: Shelby Van Pelt
10 out of 10! I defy anyone to read Remarkably Bright Creatures and not fall in love with Marcellus and Tova and be moved by this utterly charming and lovely story! Narrated by both a Giant Pacific Octopus, a 70 year old women and a 30 year old man adrift in the world this story is always moving and exciting and told with as much love as the characters have for each other. Remarkably Bright Creatures is truly Remarkable!
#3: There Are Rivers In The Sky By: Elif Shafak
What a stunningly gorgeous book! A story that is a cross between a Geraldine Brooks novel and The Covenant of Water, Shafak's gorgeous There Are Rivers in the Sky is glorious storytelling. The story of a drop of water (yes, you read that correctly) and it's effect on three people in different time periods. Full of history, mythology, trauma, heart and healing, gorgeously written, this novel is one that will stay with you long after you've finished it.
#2: Babel By: R. F. Kuang
Wow-what a stunning book. Chock full of heavy topics, handled brilliantly and clearly, all wrapped in an absolutely fantastic story. This one is fascinating on so many levels. It covers, etymology, racism, classism, colonialism, business, politics, relationships, xenophobia...the list goes on, and yet it wasn't preachy, it is balanced and you will be riveted.
#1: James By: Percival Everett
10 out of 5 stars!!!!! A powerhouse of a little book! Absolutely brilliant, living up to and surpassing the hype! There are no words to describe the brilliance of this book! Read it!
While beautifully written, I found the pace of this fascinating mystery/folklore story too languid. It just moved too slowly for my taste-it really shouldn't have taken me a week to read it.
I was extremely uncomfortable while reading this thriller-kudos the Ms. McFadden! This is a "read in one sitting" kind of book-because you are going to want to know what happened and how it all turns out and you'll spend the latter half of the book with your jaw on the floor! You've been forewarned!
What a sweet play! A vaguely remember the movie when it came it out, but never saw it. The play is very simply written, which I think adds to its charm and lends the characters a sense of reality.
A re-read of this, in conjunction with an Our Town re-read. Wilder's ability to write this completely bizarre and hectic piece and also Our Town is an outstanding achievement. Both pieces are presentations of life; this one is completely over the top, bizarre, and all over the place, and yet brilliant in its complete picture of perseverance. Our Town is the complete opposite. And yet both present life brilliantly.
Woah! This was SOOOOOO Good! I can't really discuss the characters or the plot, for fear of given something away. Suffice it to say, it's exceedingly well plotted, full of shocking twists and turns that will leave your jaw on the floor and simply a damn good read!
One of the most interesting protagonists that I've come across in a long time. One of the most intricately written, hard boiled mysteries I've read in a long time. Reads like a poetic Dashiell Hammett where the femme fatale is also our heroine. Sister Holiday is a deeply flawed character and when her layers are peeled back we learn to understand, forgive and love her. As she struggles with her demons she struggles to protect her school, her home and her community all while trying not to lose her faith or herself. An extraordinary read!
An interesting look at those children born of US soldiers and Vietnamese mothers, family and search for belonging.
I was flattered to be asked to be a beta reader on this installment of a popular cozy series. I was recommended to this author by a friend, and had not read any of her other work. It's fun to be in at the beginning of the process and to think my comments might help to make the story tighter and well paced.
WOW! As powerful a read as it is to see a live production! This play doesn't pull any punches and is incredibly powerful, upsetting, tender and moving. A play about the persecution of homosexuals during the Third Reich, when there was little to know information known about this, is quite amazing, the fact that this was written in the 1970's and made it to the West End, transferred to Broadway and earned Tony and Pulitzer Prize nominations is extraordinary!
A gritty and violent look at loneliness and friendship. I was lucky enough to meet the author 10 years ago and get a signed copy! The story was great, but the art work is fantastic!
Sometimes it's nice to revisit the classics-Wonder Woman fighting the Nazi's-only this time she's battling Steve Trevor!
This is how you write a "is there or isn't there-will they or won't they-what the hell is going on?" thriller! Deeply flawed (with reason) characters populate a small town where a possible serial killer pops up like a bad egg every Easter, during a radio sponsored Egg Hunt. Exceedingly well plotted, this fantastic read will leave you guessing long after the last page!
An absolutely fascinating history of talented textile workers and how their expertise help them survive the Holocaust. Meeting the women in these pages was a privilege and allowed me new insight into the trauma, devastation and horror of what the Nazi's did, and the strength of women that is so often overlooked. This is history, well written, it is history well needed and should be well heeded!
This was a total miss for me. I didn't really like any of the characters, so I couldn't feel for them, it was a little schizo in terms of it's numerous plots-I wasn't quite sure which one I should be focusing on. The ending was SO saccharine sweet that my teeth hurt (and I wear dentures!!!)! The author tried too hard and it didn't know what kind of story it wanted to be.
A fascinatingly twisted thriller, that was maybe about 200 pages too long. While this early book by Baldacci has all the hallmarks of his future works, this one could have used an edit. Don't get me wrong-it's well plotted, interesting characters and lots of story lines that all get wrapped up neatly in the end-it's just that it tended to drag because there were SO many storylines, some of which weren't really necessary they just added more bad things on top of the main character-they had more than enough. Still a great read.
Creepy, creepy, and did I say, Creepy?! So enjoyed this creepy "who done it?"! Set mainly on a small luxury yacht this one will be very uncomfortable for the claustrophobic! Lots of twists and turns! This is one that is hard to put down once you start it!
A fascinating look at crime in Great Britain from 1900 to the early 2000s. Laid out like an encyclopedia, this book is a must fro true crime fans who like a little history and sociology in the mix. Not just focusing on big name, infamous criminals and crimes, this smartly curated book also include famous politicians and barristers and justices and victims and tv shows (ta name several) that affected crime and/or criminal investigation, and/or legislation, and/or reform. It's truly a an educational and great read!
Oy! This addition to the series is simply heartbreaking! I'm not going to say why, but trust me..devastating! Despite that, a beautifully plotted mystery confronts Mac and the rest of the Cozy Capers at Halloween as fall descends on Cape Cod.
Its always nice to go back to the Cape and visit with the Cozy Capers. While Mac and the rest of book group are the "main" character(s), I'm tootally enamored of Abo Reba! She's Mac's paternal Grandmother and she is a hoot! The Capers work to solve the mysterious death of the High School's former English teacher, who apparently made more enemies than friends!
The one book in this series that I hadn't read yet and it came out 5 years ago! I finally got to read the introduction of Marcus and the engagement (which made me cry!). I adore this series!! Robbie is dealing with twins, possibly two murders and angry young man and the holidays all while running her country store and kitchen! Its always warm and cozy to visit with Robbie and her relatives, friends and customers!
Even though I'm reading these out of order-I absolutely love them! Logan McRae may be the main character in this series, but the whole police force is really the star. So many characters in Headquarters, all equally as important in movie the story forward. A fantastic series, with intricately plotted multi-mystery plot lines and satisfying conclusions. Great read!
King has created a brilliant mystery, set in the Florida art world and adds his signature creepy factor to it by adding a ghost story on top of the mystery. Beautifully rendered art is described, fascinating characters abound and heart pounding action all swirl together to paint the perfect portrait of brilliant storytelling.
Warlock discovers who it is who has been collecting the Infinity Watch members...and it's who he feared it would be!
A thoughtful entry into this series. As Warlock tries to acclimate himself to his non-deity existence, he must figure out how to protect a friend.
Warlock is at a loss now that he is no longer a God and someone (or something) is kidnapping the members of the Infinity Watch.
Warlock assembles the Infinity Watch and while on the surface, the members of the Watch seem to be unlikely candidates, Warlock has his reasons!
In this opener to this new series we find Adam Warlock in possession of the Infinity Gauntlet and being put on trial By the cosmic deity, Eternity. I've always found Warlock to be such a fascinating character and this sets up this series nicely!
An action packed ending to this story line with a great twist!
This two issue story line is just fun! A lot of great action where each of the Starjammers is featured. Lilandra (who can't seem to hold onto her throne) is again the impetus for this story line of action, betrayal, death and resurrection.
A delicious and heartbreaking cliff hanger in this one. Cyclops making the ultimate sacrifice!
Anytime the villain is Hodge-I'm all in!
