Ivy Get Your Gun–mystery with an “Annie Get Your Gun” twist
Ivy Get Your Gun
by Cindy Brown
With Ivy Get Your Gun, don’t expect a suspenseful thriller with a philosophical bent. Look for a fun cozy mystery with lots of humor. Ivy Meadows is a medium level actress who also works as an apprentice private investigator in her Uncle Bob’s office. Being a part of both worlds opens up opportunities for the author to explore more diverse plot threads as Ivy engages with people she knows from both arenas. A third dimension is added as Ivy deals with the consequences of a youthful mistake, her difficult family relationships, and a blossoming romance.
Mystery is the priority of this book as Ivy combines her theatrical skills with her admittedly too naive and trusting nature. She goes undercover to play Western characters in a melodrama at Gold Bug Gulch, getting involved with some interesting but dangerous personalities. The short chapters and fast pace will have you flying through this book. Even when I knew I had to put it down, I couldn’t resist a peek at the next page!
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Henery Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery, General Fiction (Adult)
Notes:
- #4 in The Ivy Meadows Mystery Series, but worked great as a standalone
- Includes information contrasting Annie Oakley in the musical Annie Get Your Gun and the historical Annie Oakley
Publication: May 16, 2017—Henery Press
Memorable Lines:
We ate in silence for a minute. Or I did. Frank chewed his Fritos noisily, with his mouth open. I got the feeling he’d lived alone for a long time.
Uncle Bob had taught me that most drives could be put down to power or passion. Power included money, prestige, and the need to one-up someone. Passion covered revenge, sex, and love.
Theater had been my safe place ever since Cody’s accident. A place I could relax and be myself, which seems odd considering that I was always playing a role onstage.
Uninvited–rejection and relationships
Uninvited
by Lysa Terkeurst
All of us have experienced rejection of some kind in our lives, sometimes deep and profound, other times more fleeting but still painful. Lysa TerKeurst is a Christian writer and speaker who steps in to examine her own feelings of rejection through a Biblical lens and shares in Uninvited what she has discovered.
Lysa falls short of the “holier than thou” Christian speaker with all the answers. As she examines her topic, she exposes herself to scrutiny, sometimes painfully, sometimes with humor, but always being real. That openness invites the reader to trust her and to listen to what God has laid on her heart about rejection.
In many ways the book is about relationships—our relationship with God as well as with others. TerKeurst draws heavily on her own experiences and on Biblical wisdom to help us take a fresh look at how we interact with others, sometimes allowing past rejections to influence current attitudes.
I read this book over a period of a few weeks, usually a chapter at a time, sometimes a few chapters in quick succession. Having finished, I know I will want to revisit this book several times to study in depth the precepts TerKeurst and God (via the Bible) put forth. The passages I marked as important in Uninvited are numerous, exceeding copyright standards for inclusion in this review. Some have personal importance, some theological value, while others stand out for their timelessness.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Thomas Nelson for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Christian Living
Notes: Teachers, rejection walks hand in hand with bullying and we have to be sensitive to evidence of it in our students. TerKeurst shares with readers a special teacher in her life saying “I don’t remember a single classroom lesson she taught, but I very clearly remember the way she made me feel. She gave me hope that the worries weighing me down in the third-grade pecking order of my peers might not always be my reality. Yes, she made me feel exceptional.”
Publication: August 9, 2016—Thomas Nelson
Memorable Lines:
Today’s rejections, big or subtle, are like stealth bombs that zing straight to my core, locating hurts from my past and making them agonizingly present all over again.
Rejection piggybacks on physical pain pathways in the brain. MRI studies show that the same areas of the brain become activated when we experience rejection as when we experience physical pain.
Rejection never has the final say. Rejection may be a delay or distraction or even a devastation for a season. But it’s never a final destination. I’m destined for a love that can’t ever be diminished, tarnished, shaken, or taken. With You, Jesus, I’m forever safe…Completely loved and always invited in.
The Spring Cleaning Murders–Cannell has a way with words!
The Spring Cleaning Murders
by Dorothy Cannell
The Spring Cleaning Murders carves out its own niche in the world of cozy mysteries. Ellie Haskell is the moderately well-off wife of a restaurant owner and the mother of twin three year olds. The book is indeed a mystery with multiple murders and Ellie playing the part of a sleuth. Unlike the typical cozy mystery, there is no relationship with a law enforcement officer. A lot of the story is centered around family ties and the various levels of society found in a small English town. Another strong emphasis of the book s a group of of cleaning ladies and a journal containing cleaning formulas collected by Abigail Grantham, the mistress of Ellie’s home during the first of the twentieth century. Each chapter begins with one of these tips, and making and marketing the products provides a cover story for Ellie and the cleaning ladies as they search for clues.
There are many quirky characters who strengthen the plot. The Epilogue provides closure for the familial tale after the mysteries have been solved satisfactorily. I enjoyed reading this book and anticipate reading more from the series.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Random House (Alibi) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: part of the 13 book Ellie Haskell Series, but works as a standalone
Publication: May 9, 2017—Random House (Alibi)
Memorable Lines:
Feeling like a nun forsaking the convent, I went with my little girl and boy into a world painted with rainbow color for a picnic where dock leaves served for luncheon plates.
On the following Sunday, skies hung low, like soggy woolen blankets abandoned on a clothesline. The wind gurgled and moaned and rain drizzled drearily down the windowpanes.
Then I put the kettle on so I wouldn’t be the only thing steaming.
Freddy ambled over to the refrigerator to stand with the door open, peering inside with all the intensity of an anthropologist studying culture as evinced by an igloo.
Vanessa had a master’s degree in self-absorption.
“If I was a fairy godfather, do you know what I’d wish for her, Ellie girl?” “Tell me.” “That she’ll grow up to be loving and loved. That’s enough for anyone in my book.”
Lemons–in search of Bigfoot and love
Lemons
by Melissa Savage
Lemons is a delightful chapter book intended for children ages 8-12. As an adult, I loved it, and I will purchase it for my grandchildren.
Lemons features Lemonade Liberty Witt, a young girl whose mother has passed away. Suddenly “Lem’s” whole life is turned upside down. She meets her grandfather, Charlie, for the first time when she moves in with him. Her first friend in her new town is Tobin who founded and is president of Bigfoot Detectives, Inc.
I laughed and cried as Lem and Tobin along with Charlie and Tobin’s mother, Debbie, live out the pain of losing their respective loved ones, at different times and in different ways. They help each other in their struggles and work to make lemonade out of lemons. The relationship of Lem and Tobin and their search for Bigfoot is both humorous and touching.
I recommend Lemons for independent reading or as a story to share in the classroom or with a parent. It explores issues of grief and the aftermath of expressions of grief for both adults and children. This book shows bullying from the perspective of a child who is socially awkward and what a friend can do to help. The tale abounds with humor as the dynamic duo spend the summer getting to know each other as they search for evidence of Bigfoot.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Random House (Crown Books) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Children’s Fiction (Middle Grades)
Notes: provides many opportunities for discussions about feelings and how we express them
Publication: May 2, 2017—Random House (Crown Books)
Memorable Lines:
The wrinkles are so deep and twisty, each one is like a road map to all the different stories of her life.
[Lemon, thinking about her mother:] It’s an important name. The most important name in the whole universe. I say it out loud every day so the universe remembers how important it is, and that it still matters to someone. And also so it doesn’t disappear. Like she did.
“So we let all our sad and mad feelings take over, and instead of loving and supporting each other, we hurt each other with our words.”
The most important thing to remember is to have gratitude for those we love and those who love us. Even if it’s not for the amount of time we had expected or wished for. If you don’t, you can be washed away by the sadness.
Ashes to Ashes–outstanding mystery
Ashes to Ashes
by Adair Sanders
In Ashes to Ashes, the third book of the Allison Parker Mystery Series, author Adair Sanders has honed her skills to produce an outstanding mystery. Each of the three main characters is pursuing a case independently, but there is collaboration and interweaving as they consult with each other. PI Frank Martin suffers gunshot wounds and memory loss in a mysterious attack. Lawyer Allison Parker defends a corporation being sued for wrongful termination. Her husband, Jim Kaufman, sits as a judge in a messy divorce case. These threads are held together by a foray into the world of thoroughbred racing, the surfacing of a distant Scottish cousin, and the lives of two South American immigrants. The action starts out strong and moves rapidly to an unexpected ending. You will not want to put Ashes to Ashes down until there is resolution.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: includes one detailed scene of a sexual liaison and occasional offensive language
Publication: November 18, 2016—Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Memorable Lines:
“Nine-one-one. What is your emergency?” The operator’s voice barely permeated the fog that encased his mind like a shroud.
Miles and Evelyn Goodpasture’s so-called friends had packed the courtroom, eager to hear the dirt on their neighbors, ready to render their own judgment against people who had once been welcome guests in their homes.
The waste overflowing from the trash basket by the side of Frank Martin’s desk this Saturday morning resembled an avant-garde depiction of an erupting volcano.
Lessons in Falling–finding yourself as a teenager
Lessons in Falling
Lessons in Falling has the expert touch of a gymnast in writer Diana Gallagher. Although the focus of the story is gymnastics, the book is so much more. This is not one of those themed books for young readers aimed at an audience of pre-teen and teenage girls who are, were, or want to be gymnasts. The scope of this book ranges from teenage friendships to romantic relationships. It encompasses issues common to teenagers: college applications and scholarships, driver’s tests, depression, texting, work issues, immigration, parental expectations, extracurricular activities, and discrimination. The plot centers around Savannah, an aspiring gymnast who has suffered an injury, and her longtime friend, Cass. It explores their personalities and relationship during their critical senior year of high school. Teenage years are chaotic for many; Gallagher does not oversimplify or exaggerate the difficulties her characters encounter.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Spencer Hill Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Teens and Young Adults
Notes:
- Some bad language
- Although it did not ruin the book for me, I wished I had not seen a summary prior to reading this book. I kept anticipating a certain event and would rather have been surprised when it occurred.
Publication: February 7, 2017—Spencer Hill Press
Memorable Lines:
She could go on all day like this, using me as the shoreline that her words beat against.
Yesterday, she comforted me. Today, I’m her anchor. At the end of the day, we’re thicker than humidity in July.
As kids we played together, schemed together, nursed bruised knees and silly crushes on boy bands. She was quiet unless she was with me. Together, chances were that we were screaming as we sprinted into the ocean and laughing as we splashed each other. We whispered together under the trees as the neighborhood kids ran around searching for us in Manhunt, never giving up our spot. I rode my bike to her house when Richard was first deployed, blinking tears out of my eyes. She met me at the curb and grabbed my hand. Although her hand was bony, cool, without calluses, it was just as strong as mine. Sometimes I think she hasn’t let go. She keeps her arm around me now, reminding me that I’m her anchor, that she will run to me if she needs to be safe.
A Good Day to Buy–crime at a garage sale?
A Good Day to Buy
by Sherry Harris
Having held exactly one unsuccessful garage sale and participated in one equally disappointing flea market, I approached reading the fourth book in the Sarah Winston Garage Sale Series with a modicum of trepidation. I concluded A Good Day to Buy with no increased enthusiasm for the process, but with a great deal of respect for the author, Sherry Harris, whose cozy mystery is outstanding. The story centers around former Air Force wife Sarah Winston, and her ex-husband CJ, a police chief. There is a huge cast of characters, so many I had to refer back frequently. Normally I would find this distracting, but it was compensated for by a plot line that is complicated and intriguing. There are equal amounts of cerebral efforts and action as Sarah tries to solve a multi-layered crime that starts at one of her garage sales and spreads out to include military friends and her long-lost brother.
I’m glad I chose to read this book in spite of its theme. There are worthwhile garage sale tips at the end for those interested. The book was successful in making me want to read more books in the series even if I was not convinced that conducting a garage sale is a profitable effort for me.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #4 in the Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mystery Series, but works well as a standalone
Publication: April 25, 2017—Kensington Books
Memorable Lines:
I stuffed some of the plastic bags into another one. What was with these things? They multiplied like those Tribbles in a Star Trek episode. You have a couple because you might need them, then boom, they’re everywhere.
In a small town, stories spread faster than news of antiques at a garage sale.
I’d always made the best of our assignments because it was either that or be miserable for a few years.
Murder is the Main Course–cooking up suspense!
Murder is the Main Course
by Shawn Reilly Simmons
Action explodes in Murder is the Main Course as Penelope, head chef on the set of The Turn of the Screw, enters the walk-in freezer in darkness only to encounter a hanging body. Has she discovered a suicide or a murder? This mystery by Shawn Reilly Simmons continues with non-stop intrigue in a tale you won’t want to put down. Characters include an assortment of actors, cooks, waiters and law enforcement. Although the cast of characters is large, it is easy to remember the individual characters. The setting is small town Forrestville, Indiana, where everyone knows everyone else and history is important. Grab a copy of this cozy mystery and get ready for suspense.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Henery Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery, General Fiction (Adult)
Notes: #4 in the Red Carpet Catering Mystery Series; could be read as a standalone
Publication: May 2, 2017—Henery Press
Murder in the Dark–at the “Last Great Party”???
Murder in the Dark
by Kerry Greenwood
I read Murder in the Dark intermittently in the midst of traveling and chaos, but I always looked forward to returning to it and was never disappointed. Invariably, the character of Phryne Fisher as a sleuth is delightful. In this book, the regulars of the series play a role, but a minor one, as little action occurs in Phryne’s home setting, but at an old rented estate where a rich and magnetizing brother and sister are holding what they bill as the Last Great Party of the year. Phryne has been invited to stop a threatened murder of the host. She has also been personally warned away from the affair. Anyone who knows Phryne understands that such threats only serve to ensure her attendance.
These mysterious warnings are entwined with other puzzling events once the weeklong party begins. Phryne must use her deductive and social skills to solve the mysteries. She also enlists the help of a variety of people she encounters, both servants and other guests. The resolutions of the mysteries are surprising and not without action scenes. I love that Phryne spends her spare time at the event reading an Agatha Christie novel.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Poisoned Pen Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery, Historical Fiction
Notes:
- heavy doses of drug use, sex, and gender transposition
- #16 in the Phryne Fisher Mystery series
Publication: May 2, 2017—Poisoned Pen Press
Memorable Lines:
“Dot has a talent for being happy.”
Phryne didn’t believe in rigid routines. They robbed the day of spontaneity.
Her childhood had been so poor that Phryne still got a vague thrill when she turned on a tap and hot water came out.
Animals Do Too! How They Behave Just Like You–Parents and Teachers, take note of this one!
Animals Do Too! How They Behave Just Like You
by Etta Kaner
Animals Do Too! How They Behave Just Like You is a wonderful picture book that can be read on so many different levels and in many different ways. Preschoolers would enjoy the basic predictable story pattern that compares their action to that of an animal (e.g. “Do you like to dance? Honeybees do too!). The young elementary student will enjoy the scientific description of what the animal does that is like what the child does and why. The slightly older student would enjoy reading the book independently. At the end of the book is an illustrated glossary of all the animals in the book with a short description of each. No review of this book would be complete without kudos to the illustrator, Marilyn Faucher. Her illustrations of both people and animals are colorful, engaging, and fun. They will make you smile!
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kids Can Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Children’s Nonfiction
Publication: May 2, 2017—Kids Can Press
education pathways 