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The Paris Bookshop for the Broken-Hearted–starting over again
The Paris Bookshop for the Broken-Hearted
By Rebecca Raisin
When Coco is betrayed by her romantic and business partner, she loses not only her lover and her small, London publishing firm, but also her reputation. Although she did nothing illegal or unethical, she finds herself unemployable. Picking herself up, she takes her teen daughter out of their home and comfort zone and moves into one bedroom in her parents’ apartment in Paris. Fortunately, all four of them are bilingual.
Just as Coco acknowledges to herself that she will be unable to find a job in a publishing firm, she wanders down a cobblestone side street and discovers The Bookshop for the Broken-Hearted. The owner of the combination chaotic bookstore and unusual bar with cocktails (potions) and bespoke passages is Valérie. She hires Coco to help in the shop. Coco helps with traditional clerking duties and makes innovations in the running of the store. She also takes over the store’s book club introducing a number of interesting characters to the story. There are several mysteries in the shop. Where does Valérie disappear to every day? How does she seem to know just what each customer needs? Who is this Henri who keeps crossing paths with Coco? Where does he go every day at 4:00?
While Coco is settling in to her new job, she also has to tread untested waters with a resentful teen who misses her friends back in London. Eloise is being bullied at school and all kinds of difficulties arise from that.
The plot is well-written with some surprising twists and romantic turns that provide opportunities for character development. The crisis in Eloise’s life is complicated by her mom’s possible entanglement with Henri. The other characters see the romantic interest between Henri and Coco before the pair recognizes it, but that doesn’t mean it will progress smoothly for the couple. By virtue of its setting, the book has a lot of the feel of Paris in it. That ambiance will be a big draw for some readers as well as the bookish mood that permeates The Paris Bookshop for the Broken-Hearted.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Romance, Women’s Fiction
Notes: Includes several instances of one vulgar French word and one English expletive is uttered a few times. Otherwise clean.
Publication: February 3, 2025—Boldwood Books
Memorable Lines:
Eloise and I have left London with only two suitcases and a backpack full of books. I also have a couple of extra bags, but those are under my eyes and here for the duration.
I’ll probably lose my French citizenship mentioning that fashion doesn’t inspire me, but honestly, who can pretend about these things? “If I were to spoil myself, it would be a book-buying spree, not a blouse with or without frills.”
“Your car has more dimples than a golf ball.” “Parking in Paris is a blood sport.”
Puzzled 4 Murder–puzzled by the puzzles
Puzzled 4 Murder
by J.C. Eaton
I have read almost all of the 14 books in the Sophie Kimball Mystery series. Obviously there is an attraction there. I keep threatening to quit because I get tired of reading how many usually unhealthy foods the characters consume. I keep coming back, however, for the mystery and the characters.
The mysteries in Puzzled 4 Murder are layered. It starts with a murder and picks up a cold case along the way. Threaded all through the plot are odd things that happen regarding a humongous jigsaw puzzle that is being put together in the library—40,000 pieces! It is a popular community project because the setting is Sun City West, Arizona, in the middle of the summer. We’re talking the kind of heat that means it is too hot to swim in an outdoor pool. Any kind of activity that can be done in an air conditioned building is perfect. Thus, the puzzle project has its avid supporters. To add tension to the situation, there is a deadline as the magazine Senior Living has chosen this group and their puzzle for a feature article. The initial problem is agreeing on the picture chosen for the puzzle, and the first options presented are “The Sandy Beach” (just beige desert sands) and “Snowy Blizzard” (all white). The real trouble starts when the puzzle is changed to an old blown-up photo of a street in Sun City. It seems the library there has never used it and can share it with Sun City West. How can that possibly present danger?
The regular characters in the Sophie Kimball series recur in Puzzled 4 Murder. Although an accountant at the Williams Detective Agency, Sophie (Phee) is heavily involved in the investigations—partly her doing and partly the result of her mother dragging her into the mysteries. The private investigators Nate and Marshall (Phee’s husband) are stable and hardworking. The receptionist Augusta, usually a minor character, plays a big role in solving these crimes. Of course, Harriet Plunkett, Phee’s mom, and her “book club ladies” have their noses into everything that happens in Sun City West, predominantly a retirement community where everyone knows everyone’s business. The other given is that where the ladies are involved, Herb and the men will gather around too—especially if there is food. Paul with his enthusiasm for fishing makes some appearances as well. Most importantly, it wouldn’t be part of the “4 Murder” series without Streetman, Harriet’s spoiled and neurotic chiweenie. The seniors and Streetman provide humor throughout. Read Puzzled 4 Murder for the mystery, the characters, the humor, and to learn how Streetman gets his new nickname “Prince Valiant.”
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery, Fiction
Notes: #14 in the Sophie Kimball Mystery series. It could be read as a standalone, but this is pretty far into the series for that.
Publication: February 25, 2025—Beyond the Page
Memorable Lines:
“Any progress on that cold case?” “If you mean how the interviews are going, then the answer is slower than a three-legged turtle.”
“He’d better behave at the (dog) park. That’s all I can say.” “You worry too much, Phee. He’ll be an angel. An absolute angel.” So was Lucifer.
When I got off the phone, I told Augusta what to expect in a few hours. But no one told me what I could expect in the hours and days to come. If they had, I would have booked a flight to Rio.
The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime–for Sherlock fans
The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime
by Vicki Delany
Gemma, the protagonist of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series, and a small group of friends and relatives travel to London for the wedding of Gemma’s sister Pippa. At the wedding, Gemma is approached in the hotel’s lobby by her ex-husband Paul with whom she also owned a bookstore before their divorce and her move to the U.S. He claims to have a “rare find” and implores her to come to their former bookstore to look at it. She agrees to come in the morning, but when she arrives at the bookshop, which is now in disrepair, she finds that Paul has been murdered.
There are many possible motivations for his murder. He is clearly in debt so perhaps a gang member was trying to settle up. He is somewhat of a lothario, so maybe a disgruntled husband or boyfriend settled their jealousy problem. It could be that someone had caught wind of a rare book at the shop and decided to steal it. There are many other threads. Gemma decides to get to the bottom of Paul’s murder before her time in London is up. The conclusion is a surprise, and I enjoyed this mystery with its many allusions to Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery, Fiction
Notes: #10 in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series. This could be read as a stand alone as the author explains who the characters are in the context of the current story. I had only read one of the earlier books in the series but still enjoyed this one. Donald had a major role in this book, and I did feel like I would have enjoyed that character with his Sherlockian obsession more if I had read some of the previous books. I have read several cozy mysteries in her Tea by the Sea series and enjoyed them more.
Publication: January 14, 2025—Crooked Lane Books
Memorable Lines:
He gave me that crooked grin I’d once found so charming. Now I found it full of nothing but loneliness and regret.
I’d been getting bored with this conversation. The best way of getting out of a police interview, I’d discovered some time ago, was to start asking them questions they didn’t want to answer.
“I’m not one for gossip, you understand.” “I totally understand.” And I did. Everyone who reassures me they are not a gossip turns out to be eager to dish the dirt.
The Correspondent–successful epistolary novel
The Correspondent
by Virginia Evans
When we first meet Sybil Van Antwerp, age 73, she is retired from law and spends a lot of time writing letters and emails. She also reads a lot and is interested in what her correspondents are reading. She has children and grandchildren, but she lives alone in Annapolis, Maryland, and doesn’t see her family very often. During the course of reading her correspondence, we very gradually learn about Sybil—her history and her present troubles. She is a complicated character and several times in reading The Correspondent I paused to ask myself what I thought of Sybil—did I like her? What about her kept me from the immediate response a reader usually has about the main character of a book? Even at the end of the book, I am still ambivalent about Sybil, but I certainly understand her much better.
Sybil, herself, and the book have so many layers. There is true depth to the story. My book club took deep dives into it over a period of three weeks, and I don’t think we have sampled all the topics represented in this book. It is a wonderful novel for stimulating meaningful discussion.
Neurodivergence is not called out or named, but it comes to mind in thinking about Harry, a child who is the son of a judge, a former colleague of Sybil. The boy doesn’t quite fit in socially with his peers, but he is brilliant. Sybil makes the perfect “pen pal” for Harry because they have some of the same characteristics. As a child she was punished for “insolence and rudeness,” but her parents were just trying to mold her into a polite young lady as expected by society. She was blunt and didn’t have many friends.
There are so many other issues worthy of discussion, but they would most certainly bring up spoilers. I won’t do that to you. Readers should have the opportunity to see the story gradually emerge from the letters, including a continuing one that the reader doesn’t know to whom Sybil is writing. Sybil sets the word “stone” for secrets, and there are stones in this book making it a puzzle, a mystery of sorts—for the reader.
As a reviewer, I tend to go quickly from one book to the next as soon as I have composed and published my thoughts. Characters in various books can even blend together. This is not the case with The Correspondent. The characters in this book, especially Sybil, have stayed with me and come to mind frequently as I go through my day. Virginia Evans has created a fictional world with impact. Just as Sybil needed time (years in her case) to process the events of her life, the reader will need time to process them and their effects on Sybil as well.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Women’s Fiction, Epistolary
Notes: Includes discussion questions
Publication: April 29,2025—Crown
Memorable Lines:
But I think of life rather like a long road we walk in one direction. By and large a lonesome walk out in the wildness of hills and wind. Mountains. Snow. And sometimes there is someone to come along and walk with you for a stretch, and sometimes (this is what I’m getting to) sometimes you see in the distance some lights and it heartens you, the lone house or maybe a village and you come into the warmth of that stopover and go inside.
Imagine, the letters one has sent out into the world, the letters received back in turn, are like the pieces of a magnificent puzzle, or, a better metaphor, if dated, the links of a long chain, and even if those links are never put back together, which they will certainly never be, even if they remain for the rest of time dispersed across the earth like the fragile blown seeds of a dying dandelion, isn’t there something wonderful in that, to think that a story of one’s life is preserved in some way, that this very letter may one day mean something, even if it is a very small thing, to someone?
…she positively exploded, went into a diatribe of her grievances against me like the projectile innards of a dirty bomb.
The Rise and Fall of Miss Fannie’s Biscuits–Amish cozy mystery
The Rise and Fall of Miss Fannie’s Biscuits
by Wanda E. Brunstetter and Martha Bolton
Fannie Miller is a single Amish woman of forty-three who owns a quilting shop. She is also a big fan of mysteries. She has collaborated on several investigations with Foster Bates, a retired cop who has become a private investigator in Sugarcreek, Ohio. They develop a friendship and learn to respect each other’s intuition about the cases that come their way.
Miss Fannie enters a baking contest, as she has for the last ten years. This year the prize is twenty-five thousand dollars which she could use to repair her roof or expand her quilting shop. Her main goal, however, is to use her aunt’s buttermilk biscuit recipe to win a blue ribbon.
Some strange things seem to be going on in the town. There is a strained feeling and a number of contestants have disappeared. Is something dangerous and illegal going on? Fannie convinces Foster that there could be and they need to look into it.
Fannie progresses to the finals along with the Beiler sisters: Faith, Hope, and Charity. These ladies, known as the town gossips, own a wonderful bakery where they sell their delicious cinnamon rolls. Michael and Melissa Taylor are also in the finals. They are a troubled couple who have separated several times. Melissa has had numerous miscarriages. They want to adopt a child, but have discovered that it would be very expensive.
Another thread concerns John Troyer, the church district’s bishop, and his son Jeb who suffers from social anxiety. It points up the difficulty of juggling business, spiritual, and family priorities.
As you might guess from the cover, this cozy mystery is fun, clean, and non-violent. It is a satisfying mystery, and I enjoyed watching the friendship develop between Fannie and Foster. There are limits to their relationship because Fannie is Amish and Foster is not. It is also interesting to see how each of them views the other’s lifestyle. If you like gentle Amish stories with some mystery thrown in, I think you will like The Rise and Fall of Miss Fannie’s Biscuits.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery, Religion, Christian, Romance
Notes: 1. I don’t know if this will become the first in a series of Miss Fannie books, but it certainly could be.
2. The recipe for Miss Fannie’s Buttermilk Biscuits is included.
3. This story is also being produced as a musical.
Publication: January 1,2025—Barbour
Memorable Lines:
“So, what makes you think you’re in danger?” He asked, holding tight to the edge of his wooden desk to keep from getting swept into the vortex of another complicated Fannie Miller case against his will and better judgment.
The bigger the scandal, the less evidence was needed to back it up.
“Gossip isn’t harmless. It taints reputations, including the reputation of the person telling it. No wonder the wise avoid it.”
Schooled in Murder–very bookish cozy mystery
Schooled in Murder
By Victoria Gilbert
Jennifer (Jenn) Dalton is the director of the campus writing center at Clarion University in northern Virginia. She is also the author, under a pseudonym, of a mystery series. As it turns out, when there is a murder on campus and Jenn discovers the body, she is able to successfully apply some of the investigative skills from her writing to ferret out the murderer. She has some help from unusual sources—Bri, a research librarian at the university, and Christine, the long time manager of the cafeteria on campus. In the middle of their sleuthing, another murder occurs. Are there two murderers on campus? Are the murders related?
Much to the dismay of Dr. Zachary (Zach) Flynn, a psychologist who comes to Jenn’s rescue on several occasions, Jenn keeps putting herself into dangerous situations without foreseeing any potential risk. Someone is out to stop Jenn’s investigations at any cost.
As the first book in this cozy mystery series, Schooled in Murder, is a good debut to a university whodunit. The novel is very bookish in that much of the setting is the university library or the writing center located in the basement of the library. I’m sure libraries have changed a lot since I was in college, but it reminded me of roaming through the stacks which could be a little intimidating—very quiet, dark, and rather like a maze with study carrels sprinkled throughout. Thankfully, the only crime I ever saw in my university library was a chocoholic sneaking in a little bag of M & M’s to get her through an evening of study.
The main characters in Schooled in Murder are likable, but there is a lot of infighting as professors vie for long term positions and tenure. Some of the characters have romantic involvements and professional literary conflicts that make them possible suspects also. The solutions to these crimes emerge from the tangle of personalities and motivations. I admit, I did not see some of them coming until the author chose to insert a crisis. I recommend Schooled in Murder and will be looking for the next in the series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Fiction, Mystery
Notes: 1. #1 in the Campus Sleuth Mystery Series
2. Victoria Gilbert has a number of books to her credit including The Blue Ridge Library Mysteries which take place in the same community as Schooled in Murder.
3. Clean language and the romance is limited to kissing.
Publication: January 7, 2025—Crooked Lane Books
Memorable Lines:
It’s a lot different when it’s real, I thought, mentally offering apologies to my characters for the frightening scenarios I’d placed them in over and over again, all for the sake of excitement and forward momentum.
But there are great authors who write gorgeous, deeply thoughtful poetry or prose, who are absolute jerks in real life. Talent and kindness don’t always corollate.
A Change of Heart–fun anecdotes, but serious themes too
A Change of Heart
by Philip Gulley
read by Norman Dietz
I enjoyed reading this book because it continues the story of Amanda Hodge who is being raised by her aunt and uncle. Their peaceful lives are interrupted by the reappearance of her biological parents. Have they really turned over a new leaf, had a change of heart?
The other change of heart in this book deals with physical heart problems for one of the more troublesome members of the congregation.
The Harmony series has some fun anecdotes and a very serious look at forgiveness and the importance of family.
I have enjoyed several books in this series. My less than positive view of A Change of Heart is based on discussions among the characters. One character goes overboard in pushing his opinions about how things should be done in this Quaker church, especially in terms of outreach. Dale’s outspoken, but less than popular, ideas color everyone’s opinion of him. In one conversation, he quotes the Bible with some pretty strong statements about salvation. The author has the other characters present in the discussion (who are much more likable) countering that they don’t believe Jesus ever said or did what Dale is attributing to Him. Unfortunately, the author does not provide the correction that Jesus did in fact make some very strong statements about a relationship with Him. For example, in John 14:6, Jesus says “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me.” The author is a Quaker pastor. He did a disservice to his readers by leaving them with the impression that Dale is wrong.
Rating: 3/5
Notes: #5 in the Harmony series. It can be read as a standalone, but then you miss out on a lot of character background. The reader of this audiobook had a variety characters and did well with all of them.
Category: Christian, Fiction, Religion and Spirituality
Publication: 2006—Recorded Books
Beneath a Turquoise Sky–educating the Navajos
Beneath a Turquoise Sky
By Kiersti Giron
As Beneath a Turquoise Sky begins, the author introduces Caroline Haynes, a young lady in 1910 in Pennsylvania. After five years of playing the role of mother to her two younger brothers, she feels replaced by her father’s new wife Lillian. Her best friend’s brother, whom she had long adored, moved to China to be a missionary, without Caroline, and later married. Recognizing that she really doesn’t have a home or is needed in Pennsylvania, Caroline follows up on an article in the Home Mission Monthly seeking a teacher for the younger students at the Hebron Navajo Mission. She was drawn to “children in need of schooling, of the light of Jesus.”
When she arrives at the Territory of New Mexico after a long, arduous journey, she is shown to her tiny room attached to the girls’ dormitory and meets the handsome, but rigid, Rev. Willis Abernathy and his aunt Miss Spencer. Both have their own strict ways of running a school which are typical of schools set up for Native Americans at that time. The goal is conversion, but not just spiritual conversion. The white men wanted to get rid of Navajo culture and replace it with European customs all while making it clear that the Navajos are second class people. The motto of some was: “Kill the Indian, save the man.” To this end, the Navajo students were often punished if they spoke their own language. Haircuts were forced on them. Their traditional clothes were taken away, and they were supplied with uniforms.They were assigned Anglo names and removed from their families. The parents were told this was “all for their own good.”
Caroline’s interactions with the students and the other staff is a major part of the story, but just as important is Willis’ relationship with Tse, a Navajo two years younger. They grew up together and were friends for many years, but that all changed and we see it play out as Tse needs a job to help support his parents. Willis gives it to him but treats him in a very condescending way. As was typical of that time period, he seems to have no concept of the value of cultural differences. Tse is a Christian, but because he has reverted to Navajo dress and culture, Willis feels that he has turned his back on God.
Caroline “disobeys” Willis in her efforts to teach the children and give them the emotional support they need. Tse is her “accomplice” and both of them are chastised by Willis.
There are a number of well-executed plot twists that culminate in decisions these characters have to make that will affect their future and the future of the mission. Although I had a hard time liking Willis, I could understand him as a product of his time. That does not excuse most of his behavior, however. The story concludes with many loose ends tied up, but there are still systemic problems that are not worked out regarding how the Navajos and the white men interact with each other. Caroline and Tse are both very likable characters portrayed with some depth. They live out the kindness of Jesus in their everyday lives. Willis thinks he is doing the right things, but is missing the mark in his goals and how he treats others. All of the characters experience growth and positive change, and Tse especially comes to understand how he can honor his Navajo heritage and also be a follower of Jesus.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Historical Fiction, Christian, Romance
Notes: 1. The book includes a Glossary of Navajo Words, Historical Notes, and Acknowledgements of people and organizations that have contributed to the author’s understanding of the complicated historical and cultural background of this story.
2. Giron states that she has “shown only the milder side” of the trauma children experienced under this “education” system, but it is certainly sufficient to expose the reader to the damage even well meaning individuals caused in imposing Euro-American culture and customs in the name of religion.
Publication: April 14, 2025—Story Architect
Memorable Lines:
Perhaps being set apart did mean rejecting all that was Navajo and taking on the white man’s ways. But where was that ordained in Scripture? Not like the people of ancient Israel were European, after all.
But no, the bilagáanas were always right—government officials, Indian agents, or missionaries. No matter how many broken treaties, broken promises, broken families. Broken children’s hearts.
He sang as he bridled his horse, praising Jesus in his language, letting the tune follow the natural pattern of the tones, as in the chants. It sounded genuinely Navajo, yet the truth of the words lent a wholeness to his tongue he’d never heard before.
A Very English Murder–good mystery with sophisticated humor
A Very English Murder
By Verity Bright
When Ellie’s uncle dies, she leaves her life of adventure and world travel and returns to Henley Hall in the little town of Chipstone in the 1920’s. Even though she did not know her uncle well and had not been to Chipstone in many years, everyone in town recognizes her as Lady Swift. She is somewhat overcome by her life changes and that is complicated by her witnessing what appears to be a murder, but it is hard to convince the police of that because there is no body.
Clifford is her butler and she soon recognizes that he had a special relationship with her uncle and the townspeople and will be just as helpful to her in her investigation. She is not quite sure what the pair did, but as the story develops, the scope of their “work” starts to come into focus.
The mystery is fascinating and was quite a puzzle. The staff at Henley Hall are supportive of her and were clearly a trusted part of the projects her uncle and Clifford pursued. Clifford is a favorite character but takes some getting used to. Ellie is not sure if she can trust him. She can definitely trust Gladstone, her uncle’s bulldog. He adds humor to the book along with Ellie’s musings and misadventures. Danger comes her way as someone tries to impede their investigation. There is definite closure to the mystery, but it certainly leaves readers wanting to read more of Ellie’s adventures. If you like “Britishisms,” a strong and impulsive female lead, and a 1920’s setting, you’ll enjoy A Very English Murder, a stellar start to this extensive cozy mystery series.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #1 in the Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery Series. The author is actually a husband and wife team and the series has 25 books so far.
Publication: April 7, 2020—Bookouture
Memorable Lines:
“Give a man a badge and an official title and he thinks he’s the sole decider of right and wrong. Which would be fine if power didn’t corrupt.”
“Clifford, how did my uncle ever swallow your unwavering advice on his every daily action?” “With Darjeeling and lemon, my lady.”
Eleanor laughed, her bad mood broken. “You are very perceptive, Mrs. Butters. Clifford has a fabulously analytical mind, but it drives me to absolute distraction! But you know, you always bring me a basket full of feel-good each morning.”
The Harmony Series (audio version)
I don’t listen to audio books very often, but I think I have found a comfortable niche that works for me—Philip Gulley’s Harmony Series. It’s an easy series to come back to when walking my dogs. If my thumb hits the wrong place on my phone and I’m suddenly back a few chapters, it is not a problem. I can just enjoy that portion again. So, when I listen to a book from the series, I will share it here, but only with a brief reflection because the books are like reading short stories or collected anecdotes. The members of the Harmony Friends Meeting show up in all the books, and the setting is always the fictional small town of Harmony, Indiana. The tone of the book is generally light-hearted, containing some sarcasm and some thoughts about the ways people get along with each other. Think of Harmony as a Mayberry come to life with characters that will make you chuckle, and sometimes reach out with empathy.
Just Shy of Harmony
By Philip Gulley
The second book in the Harmony Series is Just Shy of Harmony. It has a lot of humor in its tales. Dale Hinshaw’s new outreach is his “scripture eggs” project inspired by an article about a chicken that supposedly laid an egg that had a message inside because the chicken ate a piece of paper. He’s off to evangelize the world, but he has trouble getting others excited about his idea!
The whole town “knows” about Jessie and Asa’s marital problems because the editor of the local paper writes weekly about what he sees out his window and he saw Jessie going into the building that houses the counselor’s office. You can see where that one is going, but poor Jessie and Asa don’t know why everyone is asking how they are doing.
Framing the humor, however, are two deeper subjects. Sam, the Quaker pastor, is depressed and feels like he has lost his faith. The whole town knows about it; word of mouth is as good as the local newspaper in Harmony. He is experiencing burn-out, for sure, but doesn’t know what to do about it. Avoiding spoiler details, a member of the congregation has leukemia and we see a different side of the Quaker Friends as the church rallies around in prayer and fund raising.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Christian, Fiction, Religion, Inspiration
Notes: Read by Norman Dietz who had a lot of different voices to employ and did it well.
Publication: 2002—Harper One
Memorable Lines:
After all, life is so fleeting, so tenuous, that if you can do someone even the smallest good, you ought to do it.
education pathways 