The Mountaintop By: Katori Hall

A stunning, fictional look at the night before MLK, Jr.'s assassination.  Surprising, magical, poetic, frightening and awe-inspiring. Hall's use of language and visuals is powerful!

Jeffrey By: Paul Rudnick

A hilarious and touching look at the need for human connection during the AIDS epidemic.  Strangely, it can be applied to present day need for human connections during the COVID pandemic.

 

If There Be Thorns By: V.C. Andrews

More endless suffering and more completely unbelievable circumstances and characters with no self awareness but plenty of selfishness.

Dark Tide Rising By: Anne Perry

Oh, how I LOVE Anne Perry's work.  This is what looks to be the last of the Monk series, and what a way to go!  With her usual specificity in character development, exceptional plotting and deep understanding of the social mores of the Victorian era, Perry swirls a dark, dark tale of greed and murder.  Whole the Dark Tide is Rising in this novel, the curtain won't ever descend on Perry's talent.  now on to the Daniel Pitt and the Elena Standish series!!!!

 

Petals on the Wind By: V.C. Andrews

 

Petals on the Wind is just as anger inducing as Flowers in the Attic!  I realize that these books are set in time when therapy was not a thing that people went into-but Good God-these people are f**ked up beyond description!  There was some satisfaction at the end of this one, so that was some light at the end of this dark tunnel!

Flowers in the Attic By: V.C. Andrews

I always find it fascinating to re-read a book after several decades have passed, to see if I feel differently about it.  Flowers in the Attic read by teenage me was scary and tense; read by middle aged me, it induced waves of anger and made me wonder what sort of psychological issues the author had.  There aren't any characters to really like, the entire thing is relentlessly cruel and it doesn't end in any real satisfying way...and yet the writing is so compelling that you can help but be drawn into the story.

 

Every Living Thing By: James Herriot

This has been an awful week...my boss, and an absolute gem of a human being passed away on Monday morning.  Oddly, reading Herriot's last memoir has offered a kind of solace.  Herriot's humanity, love of life and perpetual sunny yet relaxed attitude reminds me of my boss, and that has helped.

#3 in a Cozy Series By: A Friend

Yet again, I'm blessed with friends who like sharing their manuscripts with me and ask for my feedback.  This will be the 3rd book in a delightful, Agatha nominated cozy series, which is fast becoming one of my favorites.  In this installment, our heroine has matured in her amateur sleuthing, and so have the mysteries in which she finds herself entangled.  Unexpected visits from family and unexpected progress on the romance front, coupled with co-worker thawing and laugh out loud moments, will all please fans of this series!

The Lord God Made Them All By: James Herriot

Memoir #4 from James Herriot, is just a delightful, charming and funny as the first 3 memoirs.  There is just something so down to earth about Mr. Herriot and his narrative voice.  Spring time is the perfect time to be reading these wonderful stories about his ups and downs in the vet business.

 

All Things Wise and Wonderful By: James Herriot

The sights, sounds, people, and places of his time int he R.A.F. are the springboard for more of James Herriot's delightful reminiscences of the animals he's treated and their quirky owners!  These memoirs are just the perfect panacea for a chaotic time!