Gotta Love a locked door mystery and this is one is no exception. A house tat has doors with no locks and no hinges, a secret panel, a signet ring and Chet buying a dilapidated dory, send Frank and Joe on an adventure through an abandoned mansion. This one has all the excitement and adventure one comes to expect from a Hardy Boys Mystery.
A fascinating mini-history of the Seneca tribe rituals adds extra oomph to this outing of the Hardy Boys. What begins as a trip to help their friend Chet investigate a shady summer College, turns into an adventure involving an elderly couple, a coin collection and a missing tribal mask.
A wild ride in the air and on the ground meets the Hardy Boys in this romp. Mysterious plan crashes, missing plan parts, an amp and a suspicious junk yard all conspire to trip up Frank and Joe and their bestie Chet.
A missing will, a broken dueling sword and a repurposed vineyard all make for an intriguing mystery for the boys to solve...this time, in addition to Chet and their Dad, Frank and Joe get a little assist from Mom!
Anne Perry's Christmas novels are such a huge part of my Christmas every year, I honestly don't think the holiday is complete unless I find the latest holiday caper in my stocking! A Christmas Resolution centers on William Monk's right hand man, John Hooper, and his wife Celia. A tale of redemption, lost souls found and even a little Christmas justice. The great thing about these Christmas mysteries, is that Perry makes the supporting characters from her other series' the star, which adds a richness to the series from whence they spring.
Sherry Harris has done it again! Her new series is every bit as fantastic as her Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mystery series! Chloe Jackson is a delightful heroine in this fish out of water mystery, set in the Emerald Coast of Florida's panhandle. Like any good bar-this story is chock full of quirky characters to amuse, annoy and delight the reader. A touch of local history adds a lovely paper umbrella dash of color to this happy drink of a book!
A deep dive into all the characters and stories beautifully set up in Books 1 & 2. I love a well written fantasy tome that takes current world themes and blends them seamlessly into the worlds of the book. I even got a little weepy at certain points.
10.) Parabellum By: Greg Hickey
An Altman-esque look at America today, that is devastating and hopeful all at once. Characters with no names shows emphasizes the new archetypes in current world. Pin-point precising in delving into the psyche of these new archetypes, Hickey has written a new Everyperson story for the new millennium.
9.) Everything in Between By: Caitlin Elizabeth Simmons
What I expected to be a simple romp through one one woman's travels and adventures,
ending up being as eye opening about my own privilege, as it was for the author.
Deeply moving, sometimes extremely funny, thoughtful, and not what I expected-in
such a good way.
8.) Find Me By: Andre Aciman
The follow-up to Call Me By Your
Name, is just as lush and gorgeously written as it's predecessor. This one,
however focuses on Dad, who was such a lovely stand out character, and now gets
his due. A beautiful exploration of finding yourself in yourself and in others.
7.) The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry By: Gabrielle Zevin
A grumpy man, a littlegirl, a bookstore on an island. Everything and everyone are not what they seem
in this delightful little novel. A must for any book lover, and for anyone who
just enjoys a good story, told well!
6.) Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody By: Barbara Ross
What's an intelligent, retired lady to do, after all of her
"I'll get to that when I retire projects" are done? Why use her logic and brains
and wits to nose around other peoples' problems, of course! Ross' new series is
an absolute delight! Jane Darrowfield is a great character, and it's nice to see
an older character being treasured for their life experience and insight!!!
5.)The Bookish Life of Nina Hill By: Abbi Waxman
What happens when you have a
young woman living her quiet life, and you throw in a whole host of family she
never knew she had? You get this, quite surprising, laugh out loud funny, comedy
of errors...join Nina and her friends for this joyous romp through life and
family.
4.5) All the new series and books by the The Wickeds -wicked good books
authors: Julie Hennrikus , Barbara Ross , Edith Maxwell , Sherry Harris , Liz
Mugavero , Jessie Crockett ! I've been lucky enough to get manuscripts and/or
ARCs of the works of these amazing writers and you really should check out all
of their series'. Check the Wicked's facebook page for their other names for
other fantastic series'!
4.) The Inheritance By: Matthew Lopez
A sweeping look at generational and personal inheritance in the time of the AIDS epidemic. The
structure of this play is so unique and breathtaking in it's own right, but it's
the dialogue that will really hit you. For those of us of a certain age, this
hits very close to the heart.
3.) Slave Play By: Jeremy O. Harris
A stunning achievement in writing, character development and honesty. A view of the
complexities of race told in shocking, uncomfortable and absolutely brilliant
structure. By far one of the best plays I've ever read.
2.) Anxious People By: Fredrik Backman
You know that meme that's been going around for a while, that basically says-don't judge a person because they were rude to you, or short with you, or mean to you, because you don't know what they are dealing with in their life at that moment? Well Backman has written a book that's all about that, and
it's absolutely brilliant. At times annoying, at times confusing, at times laugh out loud funny, Anxious People (like all of Backamn's books) is full of deeply drawn, quirky characters, with a lot of heart.
1.) The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop By: Fannie Flagg
A follow-up to the the wildly popular, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, this wonderful story follows the life of Ruth's son, and the denizens and the town of Whistle Stop. Flagg's unfailing
belief in the human condition, her joy in uniqueness of character, and sheer jubilation for life come through loud in clear. A pure joy to read, truly gives one the the warm fuzzies, and with the year we've had this book is a welcome respite from the crazy!
