Mrs. Morris and the Ghost of Christmas Past By: Traci Wilton

A tightly plotted mystery set in the beguiling Salem, MA, at Christmas.  The season of giving seems to have taken a turn to the season of taking in this 3rd installment of the Salem B&B Mystery series. It's hard to tell which is more stressful for our intrepid heroine, Charlene...is it the recently minted millionaire, the now destitute children, the dead body, or her mother!  Read this festive romp and find out!

The Black Camel By Earl Derr Biggers

The old glamour and scandals of Hollywood meets the laze of the Hawaiian Territory in the 4th installment of the Charlie Chan mysteries. It has glamour, personalities, artists, fortune tellers, a murder (or two), beach bums and Charlie and his wise sayings. This one was great fun!

Behind That Curtain By: Earl Derr Biggers

Having been written in the 1920's you have to swallow a great deal of culturally inappropriate language and the misogyny, but this one I found much better than the 1st one.  With several mysteries wrapped in the main mystery this is exceedingly well plotted, with a satisfactory wrap up!

The House Without a Key By: Earl Derr Biggers

 I had to gird myself for the fact that I knew this would be culturally insensitive considering when it was written and the ethnicity of the title character and the locale of the story...and I was right to do so.  With that said-it was well plotted, and the clues were well placed, but it lacks the oomph I've come to expect from mysteries.  It was just sort of there.

 

Battlefield Earth By: L. Ron Hubbard

I first read this tome 30 years ago. I picked it up at a yard sale, and I vaguely remember enjoying it. 30 years later, in re-reading it, I didn't remember 90% of the story, and discovered that the 19 year old me and the 49 year old me are very different. It was okay enough for me to read the whole thing, but, what starts off as an intriguing premise and an exciting Sci-Fi story ends like a Hallmark movie, and has a lot of side stories that could/should have been cut. I don't regret having another go at this, but is it a rave...meh.

Jane Darrowfield Intervenes: a short story By: Barbara Ross

The short story, previously published in a book of shorts, is where it all started for Jane. After her retirement, and completing all of the task she had hoped to get to in her retirement, what's a girl to do...solve a mystery of course. A perfect set up for Ross' new series that starts with Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody! I highly recommend this series.

My Name is Lucy Barton By: Elizabeth Strout

I just adore the writing of Elizabeth Strout! Lucy Barton is a lovely little novel about finding oneself, and in doing so you're open to finding your relationship to others. Spare, but chock full all at the same time. Gorgeous. Read this a second time and still just as a fabulous, if not more so than the last.

The Inheritance By: Matthew Lopez

WOW! This is an outstanding piece of writing-never mind that it must be epic on stage! What do we inherit from ourselves and our community, and what do those around us and our community inherit from us? A very meta play, within a book, within a play within a book-he writing is gorgeous, timely and deeply moving. An epic story reminiscent of Forster (playing a role in the play), and Kushner that is deeply profound, wholly universal and yet at the same time incredibly personal. An astounding achievement!

Company Man By: Joseph Finder

t's a good thing I take medication to lower my blood pressure, because Joseph Finder is doing his damnedest to raise it! I found myself holding my breathe a lot while reading this tense corporate thriller/police procedural. My heart was always pounding, and my jaw was constantly on the floor. The amount of twists that can be added to one story is a precarious balancing act, and yet Finder manages to just throw them in, and they all work! That is a master of plotting!

Anxious People By: Fredrik Backman

As I was getting toward the end of this tale, I was trying to find the words to describe this book, and then I hit the last chapter, and it sums up EXACTLY what I was thinking while reading. I Love Backman's ability to write, what appears to be, a chaotic mess of a story, and yet smoothly and seamlessly pulls all the random pieces together, resulting in a cohesive tale of human beings. His ability to get inside the minds of multiple characters and make you feel for each an every one of them, without being manipulative, or sappy, is lovely. I always leave a Backman book with a bit of hope and feeling a little better about myself and my place int he world.