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I downloaded this book on Kindle after reading a recommendation in Magnolia magazine. It was published in 1998, but I hadn’t read it before. A young teen girl, Zinny, and middle child in a large family that has suffered some tragedies, strives to distinguish herself by clearing a trail near a fictional town in Kentucky. It is a story of quiet resilience and the blooming of a young spirit determined to leave a mark, making this a heartwarming, soul-deep journey. Whether you are ten or a...

Craig Johnson is one of my favorite contemporary authors, but…I haven’t liked any of his recent books. In fact, it’s been quite a few years since I’ve enjoyed them. I read some reviews of Return to Sender and noticed that many readers agree with me, even when they gave the book a 3 or 4 star review. What they like are the characters, not the story, and I agree. What else I didn’t like: the Russian plot line that continued from the prior book. That transfers the series into a serial. I had no...

Having read the first three of the Hunger Games years ago, when I thought the series was only going to be a trilogy, I picked up this prequel about President Snow’s past. How could Collins make a villain an interesting and likeable person, one a reader can root for? She’s more than able to do it. Explaining his complex motivations and the reasoning (even though horribly misplaced) behind the origin of the games, Collins provides twists and surprises, and wraps it all up so well– this book...

Helena is a counselor and welcome volunteer for cruise ships that dock in her home city, Port Chalmers, New Zealand. When a passenger vanishes into thin air, Helena finds herself involved in a mystery that defies logic: How did he slip past the ship’s ironclad security? Once his body is found, additional questions arise. Were his family members involved in his disappearance? What—or who—drew him to the port city in the first place? The return of her grown sons, Jamie and Adam, the latter of...

Ragged in the Rain is book five in the Lyle Dahms mystery series. Dahms and his good friend Stephen Edgerton travel from Minneapolis to Seattle to find Edgerton’s sister who has vanished into a world of addiction and homelessness. Dahms and Edgerton also face eviction from their long-time Minneapolis boardinghouse as gentrification claims their neighborhood. Against the backdrop of the Public Market and other Seattle landmarks, Dahms navigates the heartbreak of displacement—both the threat...

This novel is set in the Georgian era in England. Harassed by his parents to secure a new wife, widower Cyprian Law, Earl of Basildon, is desperate to escape. Rosamund Fortescue, cast out by a callous husband who left her with nothing but an annulled marriage, is navigating the wreckage of her own life. When their paths collide, Cyprian’s simple act of chivalry—escorting her to the safety of her godmother’s London home—is the start of an unlikely friendship. As Rosamund fights to carve out a...

Andromache's Story is a retelling of the Greek mythology. Helen was the most beautiful woman in the world, causing the ten-year Trojan War that ended with the Trojan Horse being brought into the city of Troy, causing its collapse. The perspective is from Andromache, Andromache being the wife of Hector, the heir to the Trojan throne. There are quite a few twists to the story that are not found in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey! It’s entertaining, told in modern day language…and who knows? Maybe it...

If you are looking for a fantasy with faeries, princesses, magic, shape shifters, purpose, and suspense, this is it. Calla Sweet, known as Rioghain in another realm, trades places with the kidnapped Ciaran to join her sisters. She seeks to uncover the secret of her mother, The Princess of the Dead, and the circumstances of her birth. In the meantime, Colm, the Celtic, is trying to obtain her return from the faerie realm and save her from a mad scientist who recognizes her special gifts. Will...

An historical fiction starting in 1959 in England tells the tale of adoption, family tragedy, corruption, and young, independent girls making their own way in the world. Surprise twists tie two families together. As the years unfurl and the stakes rise even higher, prepare for an unforgettable saga where the truth is finally revealed. You will want to keep turning the pages as the years fly by. A must read.

Here's the link: https://shorturl.at/o8bm0

Emmie Austin—better known to her fans as Parker Austin—finds herself ousted from the very play she helped write. Seeking refuge from the wreckage of her Broadway dreams, she retreats to her hometown, taking on a children’s community theater production as a favor to her brother, the mayor. Between a series of unexplained mishaps that have everyone whispering about ghosts and sabotage, Emmie is fighting to keep the play on track. To make matters more complicated, she’s reunited with Boone...

Dev Hutchins, a former detective turned private investigator, finds her past and present colliding when her ex-boyfriend, Congressman Jack Everett, agrees to hire her to investigate the murder of his sister, Sydney. A philanthropist known for her work in disaster relief and homelessness, Sydney was also a friend to Dev, making the case deeply personal. As Dev and Jack uncover Sydney’s hidden life, the case is complicated by Jack’s powerful, wealthy father. Simultaneously, Dev must navigate...

I’m a big fan of Teri M. Brown, and when I received an opportunity to get an advanced copy of Peg, Unhinged I couldn’t wait to get started reading it. All her books are outstanding, but I believe this is my favorite. In this book, Peg is slammed headfirst into a perfect storm of marital collapse, career calamities, crumbling finances, and the relentless tide of the “big M” (menopause). In her frantic, half‑prayer‑half‑complaint conversations with the Divine—similar to Margaret’s in Judy Blume...

When Laci Duvall, a military crime investigator, gets the nudge from her supervisor that she needs to take a break from work, she makes an effort to see Baltimore’s famed “Charm City” landmarks. However, an old friend asks for help in finding his missing brother, which she is all too eager to do, turning a simple vacation into a side‑splitting, cozy‑mystery adventure. This book has all the characters we love from the last two in the series.

Here's the link: https://shorturl.at/vGdKS

Angela’s Babies is a true story written by a mother who fostered, then adopted, one of nine siblings from a home with mental illness, neglect, and violence. The book opens with a reunion of siblings when one of them, an adult by this time, is in Intensive Care on the brink of her final breath. The brothers and sisters—now scattered across cities, careers, and families of their own—must set aside decades of pain to face impossible choices together. Reminiscences of their childhoods and God’s...

Laney Montgomery hopes a temporary veterinary gig in her family’s small Texas town will heal her heart after a painful breakup—only to discover that her brothers have drafted her into another, far more chaotic league. By day she’s stitching up a stubborn calf, but by night she’s a reluctant coach of the rival town’s baseball team of seven‑year‑olds with slick dance routines as much as with double‑plays. You’ll be cheering for a romance that hits base runs and heals animals as well as broken...

Temperance Matthews traded the stress of her job with the FBI for rolling dough and baking bread—fulfilling her dream of a quiet life in the charming town of Oak Hollow. But the peaceful existence she longed for quickly crumbles when flames engulf her shop and a man is killed in the fire. Drawing on her sharp eye for detail and a knack for spotting hidden patterns, she compiles a suspect list. Along with solving the murder, the question of whether she can continue with the business keeps the...

Nothing says "cozy" quite like a peaceful stroll through St. Michael's cemetery in Minnesota, unless you're amateur sleuth Andie Rose, and you stumble upon not one, but two very dead bodies, and not the buried-in-the-ground kind. The charming chaos of this engaging cozy mystery truly kicks off when Andie Rose tries to juggle crime-solving with running her inn. As Detective Parker issues a stern warning to Andie and his newly arrived twin sister to steer clear of his official investigation,...

A quick read that will stay with you forever if you let it

Life's challenges show up in many ways, from depression, substance abuse, and chronic health issues to everyday boredom. But what if a single, powerful practice could provide a path forward? Blackhurst's insightful book addresses difficult realities, offering practical advice on how to experience gratitude in every circumstance. She reveals gratitude as a transformative habit, one that paves the way to genuine joy and empowers us to...

I've just emerged from a binge-read of the entire Lincoln Lawyer series, culminating in the eighth installment, The Proving Ground. This latest book throws a curveball, veering away from Mickey Haller's usual modus operandi of practicing criminal defense from his iconic Lincoln. Instead, Mickey plunges into a contemporary legal battle, suing an AI company for allegedly encouraging a teenaged boy to commit murder—a plotline so timely it feels ripped straight from tomorrow's headlines. While...

For those who love an adventure story, especially when the journey is as much about family bonds as nautical miles, Greg's humorous account of his family's almost-year-long sea voyage is an absolute treasure. Imagine this: two parents, their three children, and two pets, all packed onto a 15-year-old sailboat, sailing along the East Coast all the way to the Bahamas. What happens is a hilarious series of mishaps—broken navigation devices, unexpected storms, and even hitting a rock—that would...