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Miss Plum and Miss Penny–love in a small village
Miss Plum and Miss Penny
By Dorothy Evelyn Smith
Miss Plum arrives in the little Yorkshire village of Greeth in a state of despair. When the main character of the story, Miss Penny, an unmarried woman, takes compassion on her, rescuing her from suicide by duck pond, she finds herself responsible for a woman who seems unable to accomplish anything and typically reacts to challenges, major or minor, by breaking down into tears. Somehow outside the government social system, Miss Plum has no one and nothing to her name. As Christmas approaches, Miss Penny and her friends find themselves unable to charitably rid themselves of the problems that daily accompany Miss Plum.
Miss Penny celebrates her fortieth birthday as the story opens. She is active in the village and content with her life. Romance for her is limited to a yearly birthday card from George, a commonplace beau she was forbidden by her parents to marry as a young lady. Her stalwart housekeeper and cook Ada is also her confidant and friend hailing back to her childhood. Miss Penny has two friends, a retired banker, and a vicar. Thoughts of a romantic relationship float about, but none of them take it seriously.
As Miss Plum, somehow attractive to men, stumbles from one disaster to another, the village moves on with skating on the frozen Tarn and engaging in Christmas caroling. Although a romance, Miss Plum and Miss Penny is very different from a modern love story. Character driven, this novel brings you into Alison Penny’s cozy home “The Laurels” and out into the wet and cold with galoshes, cardigans, and overcoats. The characters include a live-in housekeeper with various skill levels for Miss Penny and each of the two men. Clearly a marriage would disrupt the delicate balance of two households; good housekeepers are not easy to find!
There is a lot of humor in this charming novel. Not the “laugh out loud” kind, but the “smile and turn the page to see what the characters will do next” type. Imagine yourself curled up by the fire enjoying each page; that is the kind of book Miss Plum and Miss Penny is. The descriptions and writing style are enchanting. I liked the resolution as the book concluded, but was sorry to say goodbye to these delightful characters.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Fiction, Romance
Notes: This was a book club selection this fall, and not everyone in the book club enjoyed it as much as I did. Several members did not think there was enough character development or growth. Others pointed out that the characters did not change but did find contentment in their circumstances. These reactions are a prime example of not every book being the “right book” for every reader.
Publication: 1959—Robert Hale
August 3, 2020—Dean Street Press
Memorable Lines:
“Love isn’t safe,” he said heavily. “Love is a blinding flash in the dark. It is a leap over a cliff. It is a breathless dive to the bottom of the ocean…”
Love should be gentleness and tolerance and a sweet cherishing. That was the only kind of love she could ever have given—or accepted.
Women accepted sorrow and defeat. The cruel wind battered at them and they bowed to the wind; and when calmness came again they lifted their heads, bruised but unbroken. Not so men, who stormed and argued and kicked against the pricks, and often went to pieces altogether.
Dying to Read–murder and rare books
Dying to Read
by Lynn Cahoon
I don’t often listen to books instead of reading them, but I decided to go the audio book route with Dying to Read after I finished reading Cahoon’s Reading Between the Lies. C.S.E. Cooney is the narrator, and I think she did a very good job of distinguishing the various characters.
Cancer survivor Rarity Cole owns a bookstore in Sedona, Arizona. She also hosts a book club on Tuesday nights at the shop. It began as a mystery book club for cancer survivors, but has become more inclusive and even has an extension for a group of amateur sleuths who investigate and share information with law enforcement. As Rarity moves further in time from her breast cancer experience, she remains committed to healthy practices but seems to see herself less as a survivor as she moves into her new “normal.” It is clear, however, that the cancer and its treatment will always color the perspective of Rarity and the other survivors of cancer.
This book has a lot of plot complications. There is a murder at a Memory Care Center where Shirley, a part-time employee at the bookstore, has placed her husband who no longer recognizes her. There were shenanigans with the security system. Shirley’s husband George is accused of the murder. Another resident claims to be getting ready to marry George. There are many other suspects at the nursing home with a variety of possible motives. Meanwhile, rare copies of some first edition books appear randomly at Rarity’s bookstore. They seem to tie back into a theft/murder cold case. On the personal front, Archer, Rarity’s boyfriend, is ready to move in with her but suddenly stops regular contact causing Rarity to revisit emotional issues experienced with her ex-fiancé who decided she was “no fun anymore” when she was going through her cancer treatments!
Dying to Read is fascinating and the whodunit was a surprise but made sense. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series because clearly that good storyteller Lynn Cahoon has more adventures in mind for Rarity.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: 1. #5 in the Survivor’s Book Club mystery series
2, To amplify on my listening versus reading: I am thankful for the hearing aids I wear but while they amplify, they do not always clarify speech for me. For example, this week I thought I would do a quick listen to a book that I read about three weeks ago to refresh my memory before my book club meeting. I had to give up within a few minutes of listening; it just wasn’t working for me. I reread the book instead, enjoying the beautiful language even more the second time around. Envious of a fellow blogger who inhales books and listens to many audio books at an increased speed, I tried ramping up the speed which made the hearing process go from bad to worse. I’ll remain thankful for reading and only occasionally dip into audio books (while I walk my dogs).
Publication: May 6, 2025—Lyrical Press/Tantor Media
Pinned 4 Murder–mystery in the bowling alley
Pinned 4 Murder
By J.C. Eaton
Sophie Kimball, an accountant for an investigative firm, is now Sophie Kimball Gregory as she and private detective Marshall Gregory are now married. An informal sleuth, Sophie excels at listening in on conversations and passing along information to her husband and the local authorities. Most of the time what she does is legal, but she did step over the line once in this book. It’s one of those cases of suspending reality and judgement because it is, after all, fiction. Sophie’s mother and her friends have some hilarious responses when a crime occurs or someone tries to put through a policy in their community that they don’t agree with. They always turn to Sophie to solve the crime or straighten out the situation.
In my review of #12 (Revved up 4 Murder), I explained that I had loved this series, but #12 just fell flat for me. The humor was down, and the emphasis on the foods the characters ate was just too repetitious. Pinned 4 Murder was the chance I gave to the Sophie Kimball Mystery series before I decided to abandon it or stick around for more of the cozy mysteries. My judgement of Pinned 4 Murder is that the husband and wife writing team has somewhat redeemed themselves, and I will continue on to the next book they publish in this series. This recommendation, however, comes with a caveat. The humor level is back up in this book with the chiweenie Streetman on top of his game and the Sun City West Book Club ladies and the Pinochle Crew of men creating gossip and mayhem as usual. The crafting of the mysteries (murder, vandalism, and cyber-crime) is excellent. Where Pinned 4 Murder lets me down is the focus again on all the foods they consume—takeouts or deliveries from restaurants and coffee and pastries to share. Those repetitive passages do not entertain or move the plot forward.
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: Humor, Mystery
Notes: #13 in the Sophie Kimball Mystery series. I think it is too far into the series to be enjoyed as a stand alone, but the authors do include a very helpful “Cast of Characters” at the beginning of the book.
Publication: July 16, 2024—Beyond the Page Publishing
Memorable Lines:
“That’s where nosing around comes in.”…“Please don’t suggest the dog park. You have no idea how stressful it is to take Streetman there. He doesn’t listen. He rolls in smelly stuff on the ground, pees in the water bowls, and worst of all, goes after female dogs like a sailor who hasn’t been to port in a year!”
Too bad my mother forgot that her dog had selective hearing and a total disregard for obeying commands. I looked on in horror as that sneaky little chiweenie raced after the bowling ball, only to find himself slipping and sliding on the freshly oiled lane. Still, it didn’t prevent him from following the ball and knocking down all the pins.
Within seconds, people scrambled to spread the rumor like hair lice in a kindergarten, and I knew if it reached my mother’s table, the book club ladies would waste little time circulating and embellishing it.
Reading Between the Lies–murder in Sedona
Reading Between the Lies
by Lynn Cahoon
There are a lot of characters in Reading Between the Lies, but the protagonist is Rarity Cole, a cancer survivor who quit her high pressure job to found The Next Chapter, a bookstore in Sedona, Arizona. She tries to make the most out of every day, and she treats her friends, her customers, and her employees with respect. Her boyfriend is Archer who owns a hiking and touring business.
This novel finds Rarity and the book club of amateur sleuths that meet with her on Tuesdays trying to prove Archer innocent of a murder and then determine the actual perpetrator of the crime. The investigation is clouded by other offenses committed in Sedona around the same time as well as the relationships of various characters.
Although Killer, Rarity’s Yorkie, is her almost constant companion, he doesn’t play an essential role in the story, but his inclusion is fun. A touching side plot is the developing relationship of Terrence, Rarity’s neighbor, and Shirley, who works part time at the bookshop and is known as “Sedona’s grandmother.” Shirley’s husband has dementia and doesn’t even recognize her, but Shirley is committed to their marriage.
The setting is a big part of the book with an emphasis on “certified” vortexes. A large corporation buys up some land with claims there is a vortex at its heart. They open an art gallery and pursue their plans for a time share. What role will this resort community play in Sedona and does it hold a motivation for murder?
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: Mystery
Notes: 1. #4 in the Survivors’ Book Club Mystery Series. I think it might be enjoyed better if you don’t jump into this series in the middle, but the author is meticulous about introducing previous characters as they appear in this book.
2. This book includes a recipe for quiche written in a folksy style.
Publication: August 6, 2024—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
“Once you stare death in the face, other problems don’t seem so dire.”
“The Next Chapter is a judgment-free zone. I don’t care what you read as long as you use a bookmark. Now, that’s the sign of a real monster, not what you wear or who you date.”
“I do like playing with investigations but if it was my job? I think I’d be depressed. I hate the fact that people would hurt other people for any reason.”
The Diary at the Last House Before the Sea–disappearance in the cove
The Diary at the Last House Before the Sea
By Liz Eeles
The chapters in this book alternate narrators from Clara who returned to Heaven’s Cove to help her mother when her father became sick; to Geoffrey, the Lord of the Manor; to River, Geoffrey’s estranged son. Clara’s mother, Julie Netherway, housekeeper and cook for the manor, still lives in the little house on the manor property where Clara was raised. She is dedicated to caring for Geoffrey and the manor as were all Netherway women who came before her.
Geoffrey was a gruff father, but actually loves his son. His wife left her husband with River when he was a teenager to live in a commune in Australia. It was hard to have a relationship with his father, and he cut ties completely with Clara who had been his friend from childhood.
River is called back to Heaven’s Cove as an adult because his father is in financial straits and Cousin Bartie is convincing him that he needs to sell the manor, the only home Geoffrey has ever known and his family heritage.
This novel has gentle romantic tones, but dives deeply into the characters and their motivations. Most interesting to me is the mystery of why Geoffrey’s beautiful and adored stepmother Audrey had committed suicide when he was just a child. Sadly, he actually saw her walk into the ocean to her death. He has always wondered why he was not good enough.
Clara discovers Audrey’s diary which seems to have coded messages in it. She is fascinated by this woman and the sad tale of her death which so many years later has affected Geoffrey and River in turn.
I highly recommend The Diary at the Last House Before the Sea for its intricate plot and interesting characters. I have read several books in this series and have enjoyed all of them. The author is a very good storyteller.
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: Fiction, Women’s Fiction
Notes: #7 in the Heavens Cove series, but should be considered a standalone as the setting is the main element that connects these novels.
Publication: July 8, 2024—Bookouture
Memorable Lines:
Sunbeams were dappling through the trees at the cove’s edge and River realised that he was literally walking in his cousin’s shadow, just as he always had metaphorically.
…she nodded anyway, glowing at being called a swan. Though that did imply she’d once been an ugly duckling.
He’d long prided himself on being an unsentimental man, yet all kinds of emotions were now bubbling to the surface of his mind, like bleached bones rising from the depths of the ocean.
A Love Letter to Paris–lost art of correspondence
A Love Letter to Paris
by Rebecca Raisin
Lilou has been through several devastating romantic relationships as have some of her friends. Looking for a better way to connect, she anonymously founds Paris Cupid which matches people and enables correspondence which could result in a friendship and possibly a slow burn romance. Her day job is her own shop selling antique diaries and love letters in the Paris Market.
There are, of course, complications with both of her jobs. Through social media there is an outcry for transparency for Paris Cupid when a movie star sings its praises. Lilou has three handsome men at the Paris Market whom she suspects of secretly liking her. She visits with one of her antique dealers in a cemetery where some homeless cats hang out; their affection for the cats turns into a plot thread. Lilou is fluent in both English and French so the author throws in some French phrases that require no translation; the meaning comes from the context.
A Love Letter to Paris had no appeal for me through the first half. Then my interest picked up and was maintained throughout the second half of the book. The characters never came to life for me, however, and I didn’t like any of them. The resolution was apparent early on in the book, but the journey to the conclusion did not contain events that could have made it a page turner. Other books by Rebecca Raisin, especially those in the Travelling Shops series, have been delightful, but this one missed the mark for me despite my personal love of Paris and the French language.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 3/5
Category: Fiction, Romance
Notes: Clean language except for the occasional use of “merde,” the most common French swear word. No inclusion of intimacies.
Publication: July 8, 2024—Boldwood Books
Memorable Lines:
The market is like a petri-dish when it comes to gossip, and left unattended it grows, multiplying until everyone hears an exaggerated version of the story that just isn’t true.
They’ve taken information directly from the Paris Cupid website, saying it’s a small affair dedicated to matching the lost, the weary, the broken hearted, or the just plain romantic, using the medium of love letters.
The perfume of old books: earthy, musty nuttiness with hints of vanilla and sweet almond is like a drug.
The Secret Life of Sunflowers—bringing Vincent van Gogh to the world
The Secret Life of Sunflowers: a gripping, inspiring novel based on the true story of Johanna Bonger, Vincent van Gogh’s sister-in-law
By Marta Molnar
There are many, many works from various media that focus on the artist Vincent van Gogh—books, movies, poems, songs, and of course prints of Van Gogh’s own artwork. The irony is that Vincent Van Gogh was not appreciated as an artist during his own lifetime. His brother Theo was not an artist, but he worked as an art dealer and made enough money to support his own family and his brother so that Vincent could concentrate on his artwork.
The Secret Life of Sunflowers is not about Vincent van Gogh. It tells of the efforts of his sister-in-law, Johanna Bonger van Gogh, to promote Vincent’s art and legacy after the death of both Vincent and shortly thereafter Theo. As a young widow, Johanna had to fight to even get recognized as capable of marketing Vincent’s art. She did this while caring for her young son and earning a living running a boarding house.
This is a dual timeline book. Emsley in our current day is an art auctioneer who faces residual gender discrimination in the art world. Because of the legacy of her bold and controversial Aunt Violet, Emsley pursues her personal and professional goals even in the face of the betrayal of her business partners who were formerly her best friend and her longtime romantic partner. Among other things, Emsley’s aunt bequeaths a diary and some old papers in Dutch to Emsley. They seem to hold secrets about Vincent van Gogh. Emsley has to dive into the meaning of these papers and an ugly small painting her aunt had saved. She accomplished all this while figuring out how to rescue her own business and fulfill her aunt’s final intentions.
The author of this book was intrigued with the story of Johanna, but she had great difficulty in finding information about Johanna in her research. She fleshed out the facts she discovered by adding interesting characters. Both timelines contain supportive friends—for Emsley and her aunt and for Johanna. These three are strong women, but having others come alongside made such a difference in their journeys. Emsley and Johanna both had difficult lives and had to push to make their ways in the world. Alternating between the two timelines was an effective technique as it relieved the building tension surrounding each protagonist.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Historical Fiction, Biographical Fiction
Notes: 1. #1 in the Light and Life Series
2. Includes discussion questions
Publication: July 19, 2022
Memorable Lines:
“Vincent says, If you hear a voice within say you cannot do something, then by all means do that thing, and that voice will be silenced.”
“Sunflowers mean gratitude to Vincent. He never loses faith.” I leaned against my husband and imagined an entire vast field of vibrant golden petals. Thousands of these flowers, unworried about the world, unafraid of the storms, turned as one in gratitude toward the sun.
If life was a rolling river, friendship was the life raft.
The Forgotten Names—forever a timely reminder
The Forgotten Names
by Mario Escobar
translated by Gretchen Abernathy
Many historical novels focus on one particular character and develop a story around that character. If it is a dual timeline, then the focus is on one character in each timeline. Escobar’s The Forgotten Names does, in the current timeline, focus on a nonfictional French historian and law student, Valérie Portheret. She spent 25 years identifying at least 90 of the 108 children whose identities were deliberately and necessarily abandoned in the rescue attempt from the Vénissieux internment camp near Lyon. Had their brave parents not signed release forms giving up their parental rights, the children would certainly have been killed by the Nazis who issued mandates for the number of Jews to be “processed.” The Vichy government was theoretically in control of France, but the reality was that they answered to the Nazis who disregarded both the legalities and moralities of the French.
A diverse coalition of Catholics, Protestants, and Jews, including social workers and Resistance organizations, found a loophole in the law. Orphaned minors could obtain an exemption from the roundup that sent the occupants of Vénissieux to their deaths. Escobar tells of the harrowing days and nights spent getting parents to agree, separating the children from their parents, arranging for new homes, transporting them to Lyon, and keeping them until the new parents arrived. All very secretive and all very dangerous for everyone involved in any way.
Escobar is a historian, but he also knows how to tell a story. The chapters are short, encouraging the reader to jump from the end of one into the beginning of the next chapter. The escape story of 1942 is framed by the research story which begins in 1992 when it was still difficult to find a sympathetic advisor. Sadly, the research was hampered by continuing anti-Semitism, rising fascism, and a reluctance to open up wounds of the past. Portheret persisted in locating the children for twenty-five years. The novel is personalized with the backgrounds and experiences of various children and families as imagined by Escobar. In this way, a sad part of history is brought to life with the goal of societies not repeating the horrific tragedies so many suffered through. Portheret originally planned her thesis to examine the life of the infamous Klaus Barbie, known as “the Butcher of Lyon.” As she began her work, however, she found herself drawn to the plan to “exterminate innocent children” and preferred to focus on the victims rather than the barbaric individuals who perpetrated the crimes.
There are so many books about World War II and the Nazis, but this is a new take on the crimes committed in that war. As hard as it is to read about the suffering of innocents whose only crime is to be Jewish, I am glad I read this book. Some of the Christian characters connect various events to Christian theology such as the birth of Jesus who was a Jew, God given Christian/human morality “which imposes duties and recognizes rights,” and the “demands of charity [love] made by Christ to be the distinctive mark of his disciples.” Above all is the emphasis that the human heart rebels against the cruel and painful measures enacted on Jews and certain groups of foreigners.
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: Historical Fiction, Multicultural
Notes: The book contains references and something I always look for in historical fiction—a discussion of what is real and what is fictional. What follows is a World War II timeline beginning with the invasion of Poland by Germany in 1939 and continuing through the surrender of Nazi Germany to the Allies in 1945. The book concludes with Discussion Questions, information about the author who is Spanish and the translator.
Publication: June 11, 2024—Harper Muse
Memorable Lines:
“Have you noticed how the executioners often end up as celebrities? There are books and books about them. But so few write about their victims. The victims are mere numbers, faceless statistics, figures on the yellowed pages of history.”
The land of Mozart, Goethe, and Immanuel Kant had become a nation of barbarians, of heartless warriors whose driving desire was to control the human race and conquer the world.
“But now everybody—at least in the West—knows that it’s wrong to sacrifice humans. Maybe war will teach us a lesson we can’t learn any other way: the lesson that killing one another for our ideas, beliefs, or flags is absurd, because we all belong to the only human race there is, and we’re all brothers and sister of one another.”
Olive You to Death–where’s the bride?
Olive You to Death
by Lynn Cahoon
Wedding bells are in the air for two couples. Jill, owner of Coffee, Books, and More, is ready to tie the knot with Greg, South Cove’s detective. First, however, Josh, the owner of the antique store, and Mandy, from the family who grows olives and products for sale at the South Cove farmers market, surprise the town with an announcement of their upcoming wedding. Mandy is sweet and has worked wonders on the formerly grumpy Josh.
When she disappears without a word, Josh is heartbroken and worried sick. Several other mysteries weave in and out with the assumed kidnapping. Josh and a professor are collaborating on finding a buried treasure that has been the stuff of local legends for many years. When the professor is killed, there are several suspects including some of his former teaching assistants who had previous ties to Mandy. Is her disappearance related to the murder or to the hidden treasure? Jill is involved in the various investigations while trying to locate a wedding venue for her own upcoming nuptials, finish her final paper for her MBA, reorganize her business plan and staff, maintain her friendships, and nurture her relationship with Greg. For her own health and that of Emma, her faithful golden retriever, Jill also tries to take a beach run every day.
Olive You to Death is a clean cozy mystery with lots of threads and a little danger. It will keep you wondering whodunit, but is tied up nicely in the final chapter.
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: Mystery
Notes: 1. #16 in the Tourist Trap Mystery series. It could be read as a standalone, but reading the recently published prequel (2024), Murder in a Tourist Town, first is a great introduction to the characters and setting.
2. Includes the author’s recipe for “Weekday Enchiladas.” With a pound of both ground beef and ground pork, this recipe must make a lot of enchiladas, but she says they freeze well to provide leftovers for extra lunches.
Publication: June 4, 2024—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
The sun sparkled off a stretch of the ocean as I drove by. Living here wasn’t bad at all. Even with the drought. And now the rivers of rain. Days like today made it all worth it.
“Man, every day we’re on this earth is a sightseeing trip. You just need to open your eyes to the magic.”
I felt like the upheaval of my life was finally slowing down to at least a workable amount of stress. I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. I just hoped it wasn’t a train.
Murder in a Tourist Town–well done novella
Murder in a Tourist Town
By Lynn Cahoon
I don’t usually read novellas as it is too hard for an author to cram character development and a good mystery into one short read. I do usually read anything by Lynn Cahoon (except her one paranormal series) because she does an outstanding job of giving background information about the characters in each of the books in a series without boring readers whether they are new or returning to the series. She also creates good mysteries without the redundancy of food choices that some cozy mystery writers resort to for word count. I find that technique irritating. We do find out what the main character eats on her vacation, but the author does not dwell on it.
As a prequel to The Tourist Trap Mystery Series, the purpose of Murder in a Tourist Town is to provide a backdrop for the series, introducing protagonist Jill Gardner, a family lawyer in a large firm. Although she has put in the hours and has the skills to become a partner, as a woman she is yearly passed over. She is in a “use it or lose it” situation with her vacation hours so she takes advantage of this opportunity to visit South Cove, California, to relax, avoid burnout, and consider her career future. She meets some nice people there who encourage her to rethink her options. She also discovers the body of a former client and meets the charming Detective Greg King. The murder mystery is wrapped up satisfactorily, and the reader learns how Jill came to South Cove and how she meets Greg. This reader closed the book with a smile!
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery, Novella
Notes: 1. Prequel to the Tourist Trap Mystery Series
2. I have not read all the books in this series, nor have I read them in order. They have all worked well as stand alones.
Publication: 2024—Kensington (Lyrical Press)
Memorable Lines:
My mood would be better after a few hours of book shopping and eating. Two things that always brightened my day.
education pathways 