Marsha's bookshelf: read en-US Thu, 08 May 2025 13:24:25 -0700 60 Marsha's bookshelf: read 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Dark Tomorrow (Bo Blackman #6)]]> 35233061
And then there's the small matter of bitter revenge to consider too.

This is the sixth and final book in the Bo Blackman series.

Book One: Dire Straits
Book Two: New Order
Book Three: High Stakes
Book Four: Red Angel
Book Five: Vigilante Vampire]]>
Helen Harper 1515992209 Marsha 4 3.36 2016 Dark Tomorrow (Bo Blackman #6)
author: Helen Harper
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/08
date added: 2025/05/08
shelves: currently-reading, audio-unabridged, fantasy, fiction, vampires
review:
A satisfying ending to what turned out to be a 6 book collection, when I thought it was only 5. But the 6th book tied up some loose ends and finished it beautifully. Although it's not my general favorite genre of books, it kept me interested and wondering what the next step was going to be. Interesting book series.
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Red Angel (Bo Blackman, #4) 30244269
One thing is for sure - once Bo's done, nothing will ever be the same again.]]>
Helen Harper 1494595346 Marsha 4 3.59 2015 Red Angel (Bo Blackman, #4)
author: Helen Harper
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/24
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: crime, mysteries, action-adventure, audio-unabridged, fantasy, fiction, just-fun, vampires
review:
Wow, watching her grow into her vampirism is amazing and breathtaking- and a little scary. So much happens in this book to change, reform, alter her in character and understanding, it really takes the breath away! I have one more in the series, and I'm looking forward to it in ways I didn't expect from the start.
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<![CDATA[High Stakes: Bo Blackman, Book 3]]> 229831670
When a woman is brutally assaulted, barely escaping with her life, Bo ensures she forms an integral part of the investigation. The trouble is that she may end up being confronted with a darkness that she's simply not ready for....]]>
Helen Harper Marsha 4 4.00 2014 High Stakes: Bo Blackman, Book 3
author: Helen Harper
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/18
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: mysteries, action-adventure, audio-unabridged, fantasy, fiction, just-fun, vampires
review:
This was the third of the five books in the series. Some general questions about Bo Blackman and her moral make-up are answered, and a very important decision is made. On to the 4th, but to me anyway, the title is not promising, but if this book is like the previous ones, surprises could come.
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<![CDATA[Vigilante Vampire (Bo Blackman #5)]]> 33135663
It's no more Miss Nice Vampire.

Bo has turned her back on everything that's familiar and is now working for X, the dangerous Kakos daemon who demands that his identity be kept a secret. She's prepared to do just about anything to clean the streets of London of its crime - and she's no longer sure if she cares who gets hurt in the process.

However, the vampire Families aren't going to be that easy to ignore. Lord Medici is continuing with his cold-blooded power bid - while Michael is determined not to let Bo forget him. Add a mysterious case of a missing girl into the mix and chaos is going to follow.]]>
Helen Harper 1515922294 Marsha 0 3.39 2015 Vigilante Vampire (Bo Blackman #5)
author: Helen Harper
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.39
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: currently-reading, audio-unabridged, auoio, fantasy, fiction, vampires, action-adventure
review:

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<![CDATA[Murder Most Royal (Her Majesty the Queen Investigates, #3)]]> 199714435
As reporters speculate about the proximity of the crime to the Crown and the police fail to investigate a suspicious accident on her doorstep, Elizabeth quietly begins to mull over the mystery herself. With help from her Assistant Private Secretary, Rozie Oshodi, she delves into the interlocking layers of fact and fiction surrounding the high-profile case. Someone in the quiet county of Norfolk seems to have a secret worth killing for, and the Queen is determined to find out who and what that is—even if that means discovering that someone in her close circle is a murderer.]]>
S.J. Bennett 1867561581 Marsha 4 Great book!]]> 3.60 2022 Murder Most Royal (Her Majesty the Queen Investigates, #3)
author: S.J. Bennett
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/11
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: crime, mysteries, audio-unabridged, fiction, historical-mysteries
review:
What a fun royal history (fictional, of course) about Queen Elizabeth and her contemporaries, and a vexing murder. The individual characters were crafted and built so carefully and completely that none of it was implausible. Rosie, as usual, was impeccably correct and fittingly personable and thoughtful and helpful in figuring out the details of the case, although it was really mostly the queen.
Great book!
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Stockholm: A Novel 229310632 “Hilarious, refreshing, tightly plotted, and vividly written. An irresistible read.”—Jonas Jonasson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared

“A seriously funny take on death and dying.� � Kirkus Reviews, starred review

An ingeniously plotted dark comedy by Noa Yedlin, ""a master at tone"" ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review) about aging and friendship following a tight-knit circle of seniors as they attempt to hide the death of one of their best friends so he can win the Nobel Prize for Economics.

Avishay is up for the Nobel Prize for Economics. There’s just one problem—he’s dead. His four closest friends agree that the well-earned prize must stay within his grasp, and so conspire to conceal Avishay’s corpse until the committee’s announcement. The potential of a glorious legacy for their late friend � and by extension, for them all � is only a mere eight days away. What could go wrong?

Each member of the quartet has their own motive for the scheme. Zohara, Avishay’s longtime secret lover, needs her widowhood acknowledged through an inheritance. Amos, a less successful academic than his late friend, is proving he can overcome his jealousy. Insecure magnate Yehuda needs the association to promote his own upcoming book. And Nili, a divorcee chafing against her grandmotherly expectations, thrills at the adventure.

Their plan starts out turn up the AC, take shifts watching the apartment, forge texts and emails on the deceased’s behalf. But as the days pass, they are confronted with surprise visitors, hidden motives, deep-seated resentments and the devices of nature herself. How far will this foursome go to help their friend die a winner?

Packed into a drama-filled week, bristling with insight and dark humor, Stockholm offers a refreshingly honest consideration of the age when we begin to measure the sum of our lives.

"]]>
Noa Yedlin Marsha 1 1.00 2016 Stockholm: A Novel
author: Noa Yedlin
name: Marsha
average rating: 1.00
book published: 2016
rating: 1
read at: 2025/04/09
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: audio-unabridged, auoio, book-club, contemporary-fiction, fiction, historical-fiction
review:
Deathly dull. It's promoted as “dark humor�, and the review that I saw said it was hysterical and well written I suppose that if I twisted my feelings enough, I could have seen -some- (dark) humor in it, but mostly I've found the characters stupid and insufferable. Book club book, and our meeting for it is tonight, and maybe I'll get some more input from that, but I really didn't like it. I used an audio book copy which I started out listening to at 1.25 speed (as opposed to my usual 1.5 times speed). After I'd been through about half I tried one and a half speed just to get through it a little faster. For the end, I used two and a half speed- which is usually too fast to absorb ideas, but it was so tedious that I really just wanted to get through it...
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<![CDATA[Cargo: Leine Basso Thriller #5]]> 26021994
Anyone.

Haunted by memories of an op gone bad, former assassin Leine Basso travels to Bangkok in search of a missing backpacker. With help from an old contact, she discovers the man responsible for the girl's disappearance is connected to a violent Hong Kong triad and is the linchpin of an extensive trafficking network--both animal and human.

Making enemies isn't new for Leine, but making one in the triad is--she soon finds herself a prisoner on board a cargo ship headed for sub-Saharan Africa. To ensure her survival and to continue her hunt for the missing girl, she must join forces with Derek, an ivory poacher who promises to help her.

For a price.

As her involvement intensifies, Leine delves deeper into a disturbing and treacherous criminal underworld where everything has a price.]]>
300 D.V. Berkom Marsha 0 4.28 2015 Cargo: Leine Basso Thriller #5
author: D.V. Berkom
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: currently-reading, crime, mysteries, action-adventure, contemporary-fiction, e-book, espionage, fiction, read-read-visual, thriller
review:

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<![CDATA[Cutie Pies and Deadly Lies (Murder in the Mix, #1)]]> 57238761 And a killer. Living in Honey Hollow can be murder.

A HILARIOUS cozy mystery from the New York Times bestselling author Addison Moore

My name is Lottie Lemon and I see dead people. Okay, so I rarely see dead people, mostly I see furry creatures of the dearly departed variety.

And for some reason those sweet, fluffy albeit paranormal cuties always seem to act as a not-so-great harbinger of deadly things to come for their previous owner. So when I saw that sweet orange tabby twirling around my landlord’s ankles, I figured Merilee was in for trouble. Personally, I was hoping for a skinned knee—what I got was a top spot in an open homicide investigation. Throw in a hot judge and an ornery detective that oozes testosterone and that pretty much sums up my life right about now. Have I mentioned how cute that detective is?

Lottie Lemon has a bakery to tend to, a budding romance with perhaps one too many suitors and she has the supernatural ability to see the dead—which are always harbingers for ominous things to come. Throw in the occasional ghost of the human variety, a string of murders and her insatiable thirst for justice and you’ll have more chaos than you know what to do with.

Living in the small town of Honey Hollow can be murder.
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169 Addison Moore 1624300758 Marsha 0 bailed-bored-or-didn-t-like 3.94 2018 Cutie Pies and Deadly Lies (Murder in the Mix, #1)
author: Addison Moore
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: bailed-bored-or-didn-t-like
review:

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<![CDATA[BlueRidge Crossing (Loblolly Book 4)]]> 144142131
Even though Sheriff Caleb Benton is empathetic, he's steadfast in his decision to wait the mandatory seventy-two hours before opening a missing person’s case. Then he learns Rachel’s grant assistant, the daughter of a local blueberry farmer, has left town under suspicious circumstances––a coincidence too odd to ignore.

Caleb solicits the help of veteran undercover officer Joleen Parker, and within hours of launching an investigation, the two uncover what appears to be a human trafficking drop point. Caleb and Joleen suspect the blueberry farmer may be hiding more than his daughter’s whereabouts.

Then a US Marshal arrives on the scene, and Caleb and Joleen find themselves pulled into a murky world where the obvious is rarely the truth, and you're never more than a split second from death.
Read less]]>
422 Veronica Mixon Marsha 0 currently-reading 4.35 BlueRidge Crossing (Loblolly Book 4)
author: Veronica Mixon
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.35
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: currently-reading
review:

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<![CDATA[Dakota Burn (Leine Basso Thriller #9)]]> 50867496
Former assassin Leine Basso was supposed to be in sunny LA, watching the first class of operatives graduate from the new anti-trafficking academy. Instead, she’s in North Dakota in the middle of a brutal  winter, helping ex-poacher Derek van der Haar track down and eliminate a deadly group of criminals hell-bent on providing young girls to the highest bidder.

The closer Leine and Derek get to the organization, the more dangerous the mission becomes. Soon, it’s evident that the traffickers are playing for keeps—and don’t care who they kill.

In a story ripped from the headlines, Dakota Burn reveals the dark underbelly of the Bakken oil fields, where human life is a commodity and outlaws still rule.

If you enjoy books by Mark Dawson, Barry Eisler, and Mark Greaney, you’ll love D.V. Berkom. Download this gritty, action-packed thriller today!

And you thought the Wild West was dead…]]>
316 D.V. Berkom Marsha 4 This is the ninth in a series of action adventures featuring the main character, who is one of the flawed protagonists. The villains are so clearly villainous that it is easy to accept the negative aspects Of the others as necessary for good to win.
I did find the ending less satisfying than I had hoped for But it is the only one of the series that I have read thus far, so I may be missing part of the overall story. But meanwhile It's exciting, captivating, and it kept me involved. I think I need to go back and read the first, although it is clearly not necessary for getting swept up in this one...]]>
4.50 Dakota Burn (Leine Basso Thriller #9)
author: D.V. Berkom
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: crime, action-adventure, e-book, fiction, murder, thriller, read-read-visual
review:
This book takes the reader through all sorts of levels of love, hatred, respect, and disgust with individual characters- some more than one of those emotions! The mixed feelings displayed for each of the protagonist characters helps to represent the combination of traits that make up even our heroes.
This is the ninth in a series of action adventures featuring the main character, who is one of the flawed protagonists. The villains are so clearly villainous that it is easy to accept the negative aspects Of the others as necessary for good to win.
I did find the ending less satisfying than I had hoped for But it is the only one of the series that I have read thus far, so I may be missing part of the overall story. But meanwhile It's exciting, captivating, and it kept me involved. I think I need to go back and read the first, although it is clearly not necessary for getting swept up in this one...
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<![CDATA[Summary of Dark Money: by Jane Mayer | Includes Analysis]]> 55303488


Dark Money by Jane Mayer profiles the wealthy donors who have funded and established organizations to promote libertarian ideals, particularly the brothers Charles and David Koch. They and their two other brothers were raised by parents who promoted free-market capitalism and were suspicious of anything related or sympathetic to Communism. The four Koch brothers inherited portions of their father's oil business, and later Charles and David conspired to buy out their other brothers' portions of the company...

PLEASE This is key takeaways and analysis of the book and NOT the original book.

Inside this Instaread Summary of Dark Money

- Overview of the book

- Important People

- Key Takeaways

- Analysis of Key Takeaways

About the Author

With Instaread, you can get the key takeaways, summary and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.]]>
36 Instaread Summaries 1683780701 Marsha 0 currently-reading 5.00 Summary of Dark Money: by Jane Mayer | Includes Analysis
author: Instaread Summaries
name: Marsha
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: currently-reading
review:

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<![CDATA[New Order: Volume 2 (Bo Blackman #1)]]> 140296977 Helen Harper Marsha 0 4.00 New Order: Volume 2 (Bo Blackman #1)
author: Helen Harper
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: currently-reading, crime, audio-unabridged, fantasy, intrigue, paranormal, vampires, mysteries
review:

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<![CDATA[Dire Straits (Bo Blackman, #1)]]> 29082213 Helen Harper 1494526328 Marsha 4 This is the first of (I think) five books in the series, and I think it's off to a good start.]]> 3.33 2014 Dire Straits (Bo Blackman, #1)
author: Helen Harper
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.33
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/26
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: mysteries, audio-unabridged, auoio, intrigue, magic, supernatural, suspense, thriller, vampires, demons, fantasy, action-adventure
review:
Somewhat surprising in that suspects, in general, were misleading and didn't point to the correct to answer! But overall, the conclusion was satisfying though surprising, although , it should not have surprised me, but the general conclusion did and should have surprised me.
This is the first of (I think) five books in the series, and I think it's off to a good start.
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The Boys from Brazil 20896082
Thus Ira Levin opens one of the strangest and most masterful novels of his career. Why has Mengele marked a number of harmless aging men for murder? What is the hidden link that binds them? What interest can they possibly hold for their killers: six former SS men dispatched from South America by the most wanted Nazi still alive, the notorious "Angel of Death"? One man alone must answer these questions and stop the killings—Lieberman, himself aging and thought by some to be losing his grip on reality.

At the heart of The Boys from Brazil lies a frightening contemporary nightmare, chilling and all too possible.]]>
Ira Levin 006235776X Marsha 4 Now, 50 years later, I've reread it, and I still think it's worthwhile. It was indicated as a � horror story�, as well as science fiction and historical fiction, but I don't think it's a horror story- although it has horrific ideas! But I won't tell you very much about it come on because it's definitely true that spoilers should be avoided! But its thought provoking and makes the consider how far is too far to go.
For me, it was a great revisiting, and for others, it's a worthwhile book.]]>
3.86 1976 The Boys from Brazil
author: Ira Levin
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1976
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/19
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: crime, mysteries, action-adventure, audio-unabridged, auoio, fiction, historical-fiction, history, intrigue, suspense, thriller, classic, murder, sci-fi
review:
I first read this in 1976, shortly after it came out. I was in Israel for the year, and my room might on the kibbutz recommended it, but she warned me that I had to avoid spoilers. She was definitely right.
Now, 50 years later, I've reread it, and I still think it's worthwhile. It was indicated as a � horror story�, as well as science fiction and historical fiction, but I don't think it's a horror story- although it has horrific ideas! But I won't tell you very much about it come on because it's definitely true that spoilers should be avoided! But its thought provoking and makes the consider how far is too far to go.
For me, it was a great revisiting, and for others, it's a worthwhile book.
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Negative Girl 226183408
Martin Wade lived hard in his youth, but unlike many of his former bandmates and roadie friends, he didn’t die young. Instead he hit the recovery path, cleaned up his life, and became a private investigator in a dying city in upstate New York.

When his heavily tattooed and scarred assistant Valerie sets up an appointment with a young woman who needs help keeping her biological father away from her, none of the three realize that the father is Martin’s old bandmate, still using, and on a destructive path that will soon be headed straight for Martin’s clean life. As Martin struggles, Valerie becomes increasingly obsessed with their new client’s life.]]>
Libby Cudmore Marsha 4 It was engrossing to see the different sides of individuals. And the fights they all had to continually fight just to maintain sanity and the feeling of completeness.
A surprisingly enjoyable book.]]>
3.40 Negative Girl
author: Libby Cudmore
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.40
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: mysteries, action-adventure, audio-unabridged, auoio, entertainment, fiction, murder, thriller
review:
Full of Intrigue and twists- I was rapt from the beginning. The whole situation was interesting and engrossing; the different lives of the characters were as full as they could be in a book whose overall point was not the lives of the characters, but it all fits so well!
It was engrossing to see the different sides of individuals. And the fights they all had to continually fight just to maintain sanity and the feeling of completeness.
A surprisingly enjoyable book.
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<![CDATA[Wicked Witch (Torrent Witches #10)]]> 63854379
Harlow Torrent, part-time journalist and full-time slip witch, definitely knows there is something deeply wrong with the world...and it isn’t the mimes infesting Harlot Bay. She keeps waking in strange places with new bruises and has no idea how she got there. 

When a magically twisted skeleton is discovered on Truer Island and a dark witch attacks, the Torrent Witches must prepare for the battle of their lives.

Of course there is still Molly’s wedding to arrange, a handsome new police officer in town, Aunt Cass' ghost-hunting business, a terrible curse, and exploding whiskey barrels to contend with.

This is the epic finale of the Torrent Witches Cozy Mysteries series.]]>
Tess Lake Marsha 4 4.20 Wicked Witch (Torrent Witches #10)
author: Tess Lake
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.20
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/13
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: crime, mysteries, fantasy, fiction, just-fun, witchcraft, witches
review:
It tied up the series very well! And it answered some ongoing questions from the start. There's still remains a possibility of another series based on the ending, but it definitely is not necessary for the completion of this one.
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<![CDATA[Sara Crewe; or, What happened at Miss Minchin's, and Editha's burglar]]> 12729221
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.]]>
136 Frances Hodgson Burnett 1176962248 Marsha 3 classic 4.00 Sara Crewe; or, What happened at Miss Minchin's, and Editha's burglar
author: Frances Hodgson Burnett
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2013/11/17
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: classic
review:

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<![CDATA[Lost Witch (Torrent Witches #9)]]> 39209834 When the family businesses come under attack, the Torrent Witches gear up for war� except a little Slip magic problem gets out of hand. Is it the work of the diabolical Coldwell family or a dark force intent on mayhem?
Book #9 of the Torrent Witches Cozy Mysteries series.]]>
Tess Lake Marsha 4 3.89 Lost Witch (Torrent Witches #9)
author: Tess Lake
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.89
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/09
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: mysteries, audio-unabridged, fantasy, fiction, just-fun, witchcraft, witches
review:

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<![CDATA[Cozy Witch: Torrent Witches Cozy Mysteries, Book 8]]> 228751974
But when a man staggers out of an alleyway claiming he was attacked by a monster, Harlow is pulled into a dangerous mystery decades in the making.

Between Red running her own investigation, two possible charlatans with a history of faking monsters, Aunt Cass leading expeditions under the mansion, mysterious symbols appearing everywhere, and Jack’s parents in town, Harlow has her hands full.

The past can hurt plenty, and this time it’s coming back with sharp teeth to bite!

Book number eight in the Torrent Witches Cozy Mysteries series.]]>
Tess Lake Marsha 4 4.00 Cozy Witch: Torrent Witches Cozy Mysteries, Book 8
author: Tess Lake
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/09
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: crime, mysteries, audio-unabridged, fantasy, fiction, just-fun, witchcraft, witches
review:

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<![CDATA[Love Witch (Torrent Witches #7)]]> 39209757 When he’s poisoned by an unknown assailant and the play comes under attack, Harlow is pulled into a dangerous mystery decades in the making.
Between venomous wildlife, magical lizards, mad protesters, weddings, a proposal and an Aunt Cass last seen in a hardhat and tool belt heading into the stormwater drains, Harlow must contend with a magical force driving the town mad with love.
All is fair in love and war� but Harlow is going to need help if she is to survive this one�
Book #7 of the Torrent Witches Cozy Mysteries series.]]>
Tess Lake Marsha 4 3.84 Love Witch (Torrent Witches #7)
author: Tess Lake
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.84
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/07
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: crime, audio-unabridged, fantasy, fiction, just-fun, witchcraft, witches
review:

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<![CDATA[Shadow Witch (Torrent Witches #6)]]> 36384341 Tess Lake Marsha 4 Anyway enough about the government and inappropriate rules! I have been enjoying the Torrent Witches :-)]]> 3.79 Shadow Witch (Torrent Witches #6)
author: Tess Lake
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.79
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/06
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: mysteries, audio-unabridged, e-book, fantasy, fiction, just-fun, witchcraft, witches
review:
Oh what titillating fun! This is the 6th in the series, and I have 4 to go. The rules of witchcraft are different than the standard, and I suppose it makes for more variety. It's not a particularly difficult engrossing book, but I have been enjoying reading these during my time off- between fighting with Medicare (why can't I just say I need new wheelchair, not send the doctor and me and therapist through hoops!? I've had ms diagnosed for 40 years! it's not going anywhere, and it's not getting better!) (Rant over)
Anyway enough about the government and inappropriate rules! I have been enjoying the Torrent Witches :-)
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<![CDATA[Holiday Witch (Torrent Witches #5)]]> 36384326 Tess Lake Marsha 4 Anyway enough about the government and inappropriate rules! I have been enjoying the Torrent Witches :-)]]> 3.82 Holiday Witch (Torrent Witches #5)
author: Tess Lake
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.82
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/06
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: mysteries, audio-unabridged, fiction, fantasy, witches
review:
Oh what titillating fun! This is the 6th in the series, and I have 4 to go. The rules of witchcraft are different than the standard, and I suppose it makes for more variety. It's not a particularly difficult engrossing book, but I have been enjoying reading these during my time off- between fighting with Medicare (why can't I just say I need new wheelchair, not send the doctor and me and therapist through hoops!? I've had ms diagnosed for 40 years! it's not going anywhere, and it's not getting better!) (Rant over)
Anyway enough about the government and inappropriate rules! I have been enjoying the Torrent Witches :-)
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Bessie 75568442
Drawing on biographical and historical sources, Bessie reimagines the early life of Bess Myerson, who, in 1945 at age twenty-one, remarkably rises to become one of the most famous women in America. This intimate fictional portrait reveals the transformation of the nearly six-foot-tall, self-deprecating yet talented preteen into an exemplar of beauty�, a peripheral quality in her world, where success is measured by intellectual attainment. Yet it is the focus on her beauty, and the secular world of pageantry, that she must choose to escape her roots and fulfill her fierce desire to achieve and become someone for whom great things happen.

Bessie is a tender study of a bold young woman living at a precarious moment in our cultural history as she searches for love and acceptance, eager to make her mark on the world.]]>
256 Linda Kass 1647425395 Marsha 3 Overall, it was OK but nods spectacular.]]> 3.88 2023 Bessie
author: Linda Kass
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/03
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: e-book, biography, book-club, fiction, historical-fiction, tts
review:
Again, this was a book club book.; we had a meeting about it yesterday evening. There was general agreement that Bessie was an interesting person and had an interesting life gamma but the overall preference would have been a true biology instead of a novel. My own feeling (OK, it just deleted half my review...), I would have preferred more about the music and that's about Miss America I also would have preferred more about politics and work with the ADL.
Overall, it was OK but nods spectacular.
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<![CDATA[Fabulous Witch (Torrent Witches, #4)]]> 31449567 It’s meant to be a change of pace but when the lead actor, Mattias Matterhorn, dies on his first day on set, Harlow is pulled into a dangerous plot.
A saboteur is on set and they’ll do anything to shut the film down... including murder.
With the ghost of Mattias demanding she find his murderer, her witchy cousins Molly and Luce tracking down a thief and her Aunt Cass getting into hot and spicy trouble, Harlow has her plate full. It doesn’t help one bit when she Slips and starts a magical storm...]]>
230 Tess Lake Marsha 4 3.92 Fabulous Witch (Torrent Witches, #4)
author: Tess Lake
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.92
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/04
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: crime, mysteries, audio-unabridged, fantasy, fiction, just-fun, witches
review:

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<![CDATA[Hidden Witch (Torrent Witches, #3)]]> 29434444 200 Tess Lake Marsha 4 3.94 Hidden Witch (Torrent Witches, #3)
author: Tess Lake
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.94
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/03
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: mysteries, audio-unabridged, fantasy, fiction, paranormal, witches, supernatural
review:

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<![CDATA[Bound for Murder: A Hardcover Homicide (A Juliet Page Cozy Mystery, #1)]]> 207975148 Librarian Juliet Page needs a major change, and she travels to a small town in the UK to reimagine a fresh start when she finds herself caught in the middle of a murder scene—and all fingers pointing at her�

Juliet has always loved mystery novels, but she never thought she’d be in the middle of one. With new friendships and a second chance at life on the line, Juliet must clear her name before it’s too late—and in the process, solve the crime.

BOUND FOR A HARDCOVER HOMICIDE (A Juliet Page Cozy Mystery—Book 1) is the debut novel in a new series by cozy mystery author Audrey Shine.

A charming cozy mystery series, Juliet Page will pull you right into its quaint setting, captivate you with its enchanting atmosphere, and make it impossible to stop reading. With unexpected plot twists and a perplexing mystery to unravel, this page-turner will keep you engaged late into the night, all while you fall in love with its unforgettable main character.

Future books in the series are also available!]]>
147 Audrey Shine Marsha 1 3.96 Bound for Murder: A Hardcover Homicide (A Juliet Page Cozy Mystery, #1)
author: Audrey Shine
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.96
book published:
rating: 1
read at: 2025/02/27
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: mysteries, crime, e-book, fiction, just-fun, murder
review:
It was poorly written; it definitely could have used an editor- someone who would have caught the chain in the name of the primary book that was auctioned, for instance. And someone who would have caught the overall feeling of it being written like a paper in high school where the teacher said “Make sure to use a lot of description� regardless of the importance of the setting. The overall feeling was unpolished and annoying. sigh.
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<![CDATA[Treasure Witch (Torrent Witches, #2)]]> 29082450 248 Tess Lake Marsha 4 3.92 Treasure Witch (Torrent Witches, #2)
author: Tess Lake
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.92
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: mysteries, audio-unabridged, fantasy, fiction
review:

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<![CDATA[Butter Witch (Torrent Witches, #1)]]> 28018176
Someone has murdered one of the Butter Festival competitors. Was it Zero Bend, punk sculptor extraordinaire with a history of violence? Perhaps Fusion Swan, a sleazy agent playing the publicity game when his clients meet their untimely end.

Between trying to run her struggling online newspaper, dealing with her highly caffeinated cousins Molly and Luce, fending off three meddling witch mothers who will do anything to get their daughters married off (including drugging food with magic potions) and great Aunt Cass who appears to be running an underground laboratory of some kind, Harlow barely has time to breathe, let alone solve a murder.

Romance certainly isn't on the cards either but the hot scruffy guy new to town seems to have other ideas...]]>
222 Tess Lake Marsha 4 3.78 2015 Butter Witch (Torrent Witches, #1)
author: Tess Lake
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/24
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: mysteries, witches, supernatural, magic, fantasy, fiction
review:

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<![CDATA[The Accidental Alchemist (An Accidental Alchemist Mystery, #1)]]> 50580935
When Zoe Faust--herbalist, alchemist, and recent transplant to Portland, Oregon--begins unpacking her bags, she can't help but notice she's picked up a stow away: a living, breathing, three-and-half-foot gargoyle. Dorian Robert-Houdin is no simple automaton, nor is he a homunculus; in fact, he needs Zoe's help to decipher a centuries-old text that explains exactly what he is. Zoe, who's trying to put her alchemical life behind her, isn't so sure she can help. But after a murder victim is discovered on her front porch, Zoe realized she's tangled up in ancient intrigue that can't be ignored.

Includes recipes!]]>
Gigi Pandian Marsha 0 3.47 2015 The Accidental Alchemist (An Accidental Alchemist Mystery, #1)
author: Gigi Pandian
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at: 2025/02/22
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: mysteries, audio-unabridged, fantasy, fiction, intrigue
review:

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<![CDATA[One Left Alive (Detective Morgan Brookes, #1)]]> 58143392
She knelt down by the side of the first girl. She had to force herself to breathe as she lifted the soft white cloth covering the girl’s beautiful face....

When the body of a woman is found hanging from a tree in her front garden, rookie Detective Morgan Brookes is first on the scene. But Olivia Potter is past saving. And when her husband and daughters cannot be traced, Morgan knows there is more to this tragedy. And then she finds them. Lying huddled together in the dark basement, each of their faces covered with a small cotton cloth, their bodies cold to the touch.

But as Morgan kneels beside the family, she realizes that one of the girls is still breathing. As she holds Bronte’s fragile hand in hers, begging her to hold on, she vows to find out who has done this.

Every day Morgan wakes at 4.25 a.m., her old insomnia now mixed with a new fixation on the case. But every clue about the murdered family leads to a dead end. Until, trawling through old files, she discovers a link to a cold case from years ago. Another family was murdered in this house, and the killer was never caught.

When Morgan returns to the scene of the crime to discover more about this forgotten case, she finds another body. With Bronte still unconscious in hospital, Morgan must act fast to solve this case and lay two families to rest, before the killer returns for the girl left alive....]]>
10 Helen Phifer Marsha 4 The number of moving parts was invigorating, and I love that it me on the edge of my seat; nothing was lead pass.
Invigorating]]>
3.86 2020 One Left Alive (Detective Morgan Brookes, #1)
author: Helen Phifer
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/15
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: crime, mysteries, audio-unabridged, auoio, fiction, intrigue, murder, suspense
review:
I love the characters and the camaraderie displayed! I'm unclear on the original murderer, but I may have to go back and revisit the end.
The number of moving parts was invigorating, and I love that it me on the edge of my seat; nothing was lead pass.
Invigorating
]]>
<![CDATA[The Hiding Place (Detective Morgan Brookes #3)]]> 57321600
When nine-year-old Charlotte Standish goes missing from her street in the small town of Rydale Falls, it sparks a media frenzy. Detective Morgan Brookes leads a frantic hunt for the girl, but little Charlie seems to have vanished into thin air.

Chasing up a lead at Charlie’s school, Morgan is chilled to learn that this isn’t the first time a child has gone missing on this street. Another girl disappeared fifteen years ago, and Morgan is the only one who thinks the cases could be related. But in the moment that she takes her eye off Charlie’s case to investigate the link between the two girls, another child, Macy, goes missing.

The little girl peers down the dark alleyway. She isn’t supposed to take this shortcut, but it’s raining and all she wants is to get home quickly. She steps forward. But she never makes it home�

When nine-year-old Charlotte Standish goes missing from her street, it sparks a media frenzy in her small Lake District town. Her distraught parents are desperate to have their little blonde darling back, and Detective Morgan Brookes leads a frantic hunt for the girl. But Charlotte seems to have vanished into thin air.

Chasing up a lead at Charlotte’s school, Morgan is chilled to learn that another girl disappeared from the same street fifteen years ago. But the moment she begins to investigate the link, another local child goes missing. Ten-year-old Macy loves chocolate, her mum and her dog in that order, and Morgan’s heart twists at the thought of anyone harming this precious child.

The missing girls all lived close to each other so Morgan is sure that someone in this tight-knit community must know something. Going door to door, she is closing in on the truth when she gets a call that fills her with guilt. Can Morgan solve this case before any more innocent lives are taken?

A nail-biting, unputdownable crime thriller that will keep you up all night, for fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Patricia Gibney.]]>
289 Helen Phifer 1800196008 Marsha 0 4.37 2021 The Hiding Place (Detective Morgan Brookes #3)
author: Helen Phifer
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2025/02/15
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves: crime, mysteries, audio-unabridged, auoio, fiction, horror-suspense, murder, thriller, mistake
review:

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The Windsor Knot 55811530 The first book in a highly original and delightfully clever crime series in which Queen Elizabeth II secretly solves crimes while carrying out her royal duties.

Narrated by Samantha Bond (Golden Eye, Downton Abbey, Home Fires)

The morning after a dinner party at Windsor Castle, eighty-nine-year-old Queen Elizabeth is shocked to discover that one of her guests has been found murdered in his room, with a rope around his neck.

When the police begin to suspect her loyal servants, Her Majesty knows they are looking in the wrong place.

For the Queen has been living an extraordinary double life ever since her coronation. Away from the public eye, she has a brilliant knack for solving crimes.

With her household's happiness on the line, her secret must not get out. Can the Queen and her trusted secretary Rozie catch the killer, without getting caught themselves?]]>
S.J. Bennett 1838773193 Marsha 4 3.53 2020 The Windsor Knot
author: S.J. Bennett
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/10
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: mysteries, crime, audio-unabridged, auoio, fiction
review:
What a fun and beguiling start to a new series to enjoy! The Queen is depicted in a wonderful, relatable way and all the other characters are highly enjoyable! I'm glad I found this series.
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<![CDATA[The Woman Who Split the Atom: The Life of Lise Meitner]]> 63308412
As a female Jewish physicist in Berlin during the early twentieth century, Lise Meitner had to fight for an education, a job, and equal treatment in her field.

Meitner made groundbreaking strides in the study of radiation, but when Hitler came to power in Germany, she had to face not only sexism but life-threatening anti-Semitism as well. Nevertheless, she persevered and one day made a discovery that rocked the world: the splitting of the atom. While her male lab partner was awarded a Nobel Prize for the achievement, the committee refused to credit her.

Suddenly, the race to build the atomic bomb was on--although Meitner, a pacifist, was horrified to be associated with such a weapon. A physicist who never lost her humanity, Meitner wanted only to figure out how the world works.]]>
5 Marissa Moss 1705070191 Marsha 4 Several of us that on the science in the book intimidating and over our heads, but on the other hand, the rest of us were quite comfortable with it. The writing itself Was simplistic and the overall structure- aimed at a preteen- was almost stilted and definitely choppy for at least one reader, but when she changed to the audio (which is what I always use) it was definitely better; she then went back to the written book for the cartoons (of which I was totally unaware...)
It, of course, pointed out the early discriminations against women in science; then, it got into the discrimination against Jews in Germany in the 1930s. The trials of Lise Meitner's life were on full display. She was denied the Nobel Prize, but she was decreed to be “Queen of the atom bomb�, a title she always detested. Physics was for Knowledge and truth, not for bombs and death!
I really like this book, despite the fact that it's nominally our children's book. And my middle name is after her first one :)]]>
4.21 2022 The Woman Who Split the Atom: The Life of Lise Meitner
author: Marissa Moss
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/03
date added: 2025/02/05
shelves: science, audio-unabridged, auoio, biography, book-club, children-s, history, true
review:
This was a book club book, and although it's nominally a children's book, and took the effort not to talk down to the reader and actually discuss the science in an informative way that I really appreciated! The book club gave it 4 out of 5 atoms (stars) [we use a unit relative to the individual book when rating it: in this case, we use atoms to correspond to the topic and title]
Several of us that on the science in the book intimidating and over our heads, but on the other hand, the rest of us were quite comfortable with it. The writing itself Was simplistic and the overall structure- aimed at a preteen- was almost stilted and definitely choppy for at least one reader, but when she changed to the audio (which is what I always use) it was definitely better; she then went back to the written book for the cartoons (of which I was totally unaware...)
It, of course, pointed out the early discriminations against women in science; then, it got into the discrimination against Jews in Germany in the 1930s. The trials of Lise Meitner's life were on full display. She was denied the Nobel Prize, but she was decreed to be “Queen of the atom bomb�, a title she always detested. Physics was for Knowledge and truth, not for bombs and death!
I really like this book, despite the fact that it's nominally our children's book. And my middle name is after her first one :)
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The Swimmer 212431555
A deviously twisty novel of psychological suspense about secrets, neighbors, a need to belong, and murder by the award-winning author of The Maid’s Diary.

Socially awkward Chloe Cooper divides her time between dog walking, bartending, caring for her ailing mother, and at a safe distance, watching people and inventing the stories of their lives. Like Chloe’s new neighbors: glamorous influencer Jemma Spengler and Jemma’s husband, Adam, a renowned surgeon. They’re attractive, wealthy, and in a house of open windows, so exposed.

A move to the Pacific Northwest is supposed to be a fresh start for Jemma and Adam. It’s a renewed commitment to a marriage fractured by secrets. A chance to work through the tragic losses in their past. For Jemma, however, this new beginning also comes with an unnerving sensation that she’s being watched.

Then, on a fog-shrouded beach early in the morning, Chloe witnesses the murder of a swimmer. Her suspicions aroused, she suddenly sees her neighbors in a sinister new light. But as a detective and her partner close in, nothing is quite as it seems. Because the Spenglers are not the only ones with secrets. And Chloe isn’t the only one who’s been watching.]]>
10 Loreth Anne White Marsha 4 One didn't know who to like or hate, and at the same time all of the characters were flawed and unlikable. But overall, it was engrossing, and the reader felt the need to continue and find out the details. I really enjoyed it, and I love the fact that I could both like and despise a character at the same time and try to find excuses for behaviors.
good book.]]>
3.93 2024 The Swimmer
author: Loreth Anne White
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/01
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves: mysteries, crime, audio-unabridged, auoio, contemporary-fiction, fiction, murder, psychological-thriller, suspense
review:
The characters were so varied and unpredictable that it kept the reader on their edge! And the end was a combination of satisfying and open for questions.
One didn't know who to like or hate, and at the same time all of the characters were flawed and unlikable. But overall, it was engrossing, and the reader felt the need to continue and find out the details. I really enjoyed it, and I love the fact that I could both like and despise a character at the same time and try to find excuses for behaviors.
good book.
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Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 17786102 Ian Fleming’s beloved original text � newly illustrated by Joe Berger!

"Crackpot" is what everybody calls the Pott family. So when they go to buy a new car and come back with a wreck, nobody is surprised. Except for the Potts themselves. First, the car has a name. And she tells them what it is. Then they find out that she can fly. And swim. . . . Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a car on a mission to stop a criminal gang in its tracks � and she is taking the Potts with her! Jump into the world’s most loved magical car for her first adventure.]]>
170 Ian Fleming 076366684X Marsha 4 It truly is about the car, but it's an adventure that includes the family and the car it has nothing to do with up pretend merry go round or whatever else the stupid movie has. The author is surprising since he's far better known for the 07 movies/books.]]> 4.14 1964 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
author: Ian Fleming
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1964
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/28
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves: crime, action-adventure, children-s, e-book, just-fun, fantasy, fiction
review:
I love this book. It had been years since I last read it, and it's infinitely better than the movie with the same name which doesn't even begin to reflect it!
It truly is about the car, but it's an adventure that includes the family and the car it has nothing to do with up pretend merry go round or whatever else the stupid movie has. The author is surprising since he's far better known for the 07 movies/books.
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<![CDATA[The Skeptics' Guide to the Future: What Yesterday's Science and Science Fiction Tell Us About the World of Tomorrow]]> 60021139 From the bestselling authors and hosts of "The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe," a high-tech roadmap of the future in their beloved voice, cracking open the follies of futurists past and how technology will profoundly change our world, redefining what it means to be human.

Our predictions of the future are a wild fantasy, inextricably linked to our present hopes and fears, biases and ignorance. Whether they be the outlandish leaps predicted in the 1920s, like multi-purpose utility belts with climate control capabilities and planes the size of luxury cruise ships, or the forecasts of the �60s, which didn’t anticipate the sexual revolution or women’s liberation, the path to the present is littered with failed predictions and incorrect estimations. The best we can do is try to absorb the lessons from futurism's checkered past, perhaps learning to do a little better.

In THE SKEPTICS' GUIDE TO THE FUTURE, Steven Novella and his co-authors build upon the work of futurists of the past by examining what they got right, what they got wrong, and how they came to those conclusions. By exploring the pitfalls of each era, they give their own speculations about the distant future, transformed by unbelievable technology ranging from genetic manipulation to artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Applying their trademark skepticism, they carefully extrapolate upon each scientific development, leaving no stone unturned as they lay out a vision for the future.

Ěý±Ő±Ő>
Steven Novella 1668610647 Marsha 0 4.39 2022 The Skeptics' Guide to the Future: What Yesterday's Science and Science Fiction Tell Us About the World of Tomorrow
author: Steven Novella
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: science, amazon, audio-unabridged, entertainment, true, technology, futurism, bailed-bored-or-didn-t-like
review:

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<![CDATA[Forgotten Bones (Dead Remaining, #1)]]> 49860744 An unlikely pair teams up to investigate a brutal murder in a haunting thriller that walks the line between reality and impossibility.

When small-town police officers discover the grave of a young boy, they're quick to pin the crime on a convicted felon who lives nearby. But when it comes to murder, Officer Susan Marlan never trusts a simple explanation, so she's just getting started.

Meanwhile, college professor Eric Evans hallucinates a young boy in overalls: a symptom of his schizophrenia - or so he thinks. But when more bodies turn up, Eric has more visions, and they mirror details of the murder case. As the investigation continues, the police stick with their original conclusion, but Susan's instincts tell her something is off. The higher-ups keep stonewalling her, and the FBI's closing in.

Desperate for answers, Susan goes rogue and turns to Eric for help. Together they take an unorthodox approach to the case as the evidence keeps getting stranger. With Eric's hallucinations intensifying and the body count rising, can the pair separate truth from illusion long enough to catch a monster?]]>
10 Vivian Barz Marsha 4 3.74 2019 Forgotten Bones (Dead Remaining, #1)
author: Vivian Barz
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2020/02/08
date added: 2025/01/24
shelves: crime, mysteries, audio-unabridged, suspense, currently-reading, fiction
review:
I really enjoyed this book, but I continue to think that it could have been better without turning to ghosts and the supernatural! The story was exceptional and the characters were well conceived and presented and well-balanced. I like the representation of the schizophrenia as a livable and bearable disease as opposed to a scourge! Of course, the need to make the schizophrenic be the primary one to experience ghosts was unfortunate, but as I say, I would've preferred no ghosts to start with. Still, it was entertaining and satisfying.
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<![CDATA[The Secret Adversary: A Tommy and Tuppence Mystery (Tommy and Tuppence, #1)]]> 29219132
Their advertisement says they are â€willing to do anything, go anywhereâ€�. But their first assignment, for the sinister Mr Whittington, plunges them into more danger than they ever imagined…]]>
8 Agatha Christie Marsha 3 3.82 1922 The Secret Adversary: A Tommy and Tuppence Mystery (Tommy and Tuppence, #1)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1922
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/24
date added: 2025/01/24
shelves: mysteries, amazon, audio-unabridged, classic, crime
review:
Despite the fact that I've been raining Agatha Christie books since junior high, I had never read a Tommy And Tuppence book before. The whole feel is totally different than any of her other books that I have read! The fact that it's not a carbon copy of her previous styles is good, and the twist near the end is refreshing and intriguing. I don't know why I didn't give it four stars, but there you go�
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<![CDATA[Terrier Transgressions (Pet Whisperer P.I. #2)]]> 43886999
Now one of the associates at my law firm has discovered this strange new talent of mine and insists I use it to help defend his client against a double murder charge. To make things worse, I kind of have the hots for this Charles Longfellow, III.

And even worse than that? Octo-Cat can’t stand the guy and not-so-lovingly refers to him as “Upchuck.� Ugh! Despite none of us being happy about it, we’re a team now, which means it’s up to us to find out who committed the crime our client is being blamed for.

Throw in a spastic Yorkie who hasn’t figured out his owner is dead, and oh boy� How is this my life now?]]>
230 Molly Fitz Marsha 0 4.21 2019 Terrier Transgressions (Pet Whisperer P.I. #2)
author: Molly Fitz
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/14
date added: 2025/01/24
shelves: mysteries, cozy, fiction, just-fun, paranormal, mistake
review:

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<![CDATA[When Stars Come Out (When Stars Come Out, #1)]]> 61571413
As it turns out, hiding her weirdness is just one of many challenges. By the end of her first day, she’s claimed the soul of a dead girl on campus and lost the coin. Turns out, the coin gives others the ability to steal souls, and when a classmate ends up dead, there’s no mistaking the murder weapon.

Navigating the loss of her Poppa, her mother’s mistrust, and Roundtable, an anonymous student gossip app threatening to expose her, are hard enough. Now she must find the person who stole her coin before more lives are lost, but that means making herself a target for the Order, an organization that governs the dead on Earth--and they want Anora and her powers for themselves.]]>
12 Scarlett St. Clair Marsha 4 3.42 2018 When Stars Come Out (When Stars Come Out, #1)
author: Scarlett St. Clair
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/24
date added: 2025/01/24
shelves: mysteries, audio-unabridged, auoio, fiction, fantasy, magic
review:
I hadn't realized that it was marketed as a young adult book, but upon reading it, I'm not surprised by it But it is a rather complete and varied world and story. It caused me to go through a whole range of emotions and alliances. Satisfying ending, so I'm not sure whether I want to read the next in the series or just be satisfied with the current ending. There clearly is room for a continuation, but I'm not sure it's necessary...
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<![CDATA[Dune, Dock, and a Dead Man (Ravenwood Cove Mystery #2)]]> 32281739 This is the Original Cover Edition for ASIN B01LZ5X8QJ

Amanda Graham should be happy with her newly-inherited historic inn, a fat cat named Oscar, and living in a small Oregon beach town, but a terrible discovery between the dunes on the coast and she’s right back in the soup, trying to solve a murder and save her friend!
Sure, maybe he was such a rotten person he deserved to die, but as secrets start to be revealed, Amanda is drawn deeper into danger and intrigue. With a harvest festival looming, and tourists starting to come back to visit, figuring out how and why he died is the best way to protect the town, and her sweet friend.

She’s turned her back on LA and life in a gray office cubicle, so her best bet is to dig in and fight for her new hometown.

Includes the free recipe for gluten-free blueberry coffeecake. Second novel in the Ravenwood Cove ebook series. Paperback and audiobook (with Whispersync) versions coming soon. Mild PG rating (because hey, there's a dead guy in it).
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143 Carolyn L. Dean Marsha 3 Anyway, I like the main characters, and the action was surprising but fitting. It got a little too mooshy in the end, but no one was out of character. Overall, it did make me smile.

Merged review:

In many ways, it is a standard cozy mystery, but perhaps it was just the authors note in the end that made me feel a little more connected. I like the fact that she truly enjoys and respects writing � not that any other writer doesn't�
Anyway, I like the main characters, and the action was surprising but fitting. It got a little too mooshy in the end, but no one was out of character. Overall, it did make me smile.]]>
4.16 2016 Dune, Dock, and a Dead Man (Ravenwood Cove Mystery #2)
author: Carolyn L. Dean
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2022/06/14
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: mysteries, amazon, audio-unabridged, cozy
review:
In many ways, it is a standard cozy mystery, but perhaps it was just the authors note in the end that made me feel a little more connected. I like the fact that she truly enjoys and respects writing � not that any other writer doesn't�
Anyway, I like the main characters, and the action was surprising but fitting. It got a little too mooshy in the end, but no one was out of character. Overall, it did make me smile.

Merged review:

In many ways, it is a standard cozy mystery, but perhaps it was just the authors note in the end that made me feel a little more connected. I like the fact that she truly enjoys and respects writing � not that any other writer doesn't�
Anyway, I like the main characters, and the action was surprising but fitting. It got a little too mooshy in the end, but no one was out of character. Overall, it did make me smile.
]]>
<![CDATA[Scraps of Paper (Spookie Town Murder Mystery, #1)]]> 17311444 Starting her new life, Abigail moves to small town and buys a fixer-upper house left empty when old Edna Summers died. Once it was also home to Edna’s younger sister, Emily, and her two children, Jenny and Christopher, who, people believe, drove away one night, thirty years ago, and just never came back.
But in renovating the house Abigail finds scraps of paper hidden behind baseboards and tucked beneath the porch that hint the three could have been victims of foul play.
Then she finds their graves hidden in the woods behind the house and with the help of eccentric townspeople and ex-homicide detective, Frank Lester, she discovers the three were murdered. Then she and Frank try to uncover who killed them and why…but in the process awaken the ire of the murderer. ***]]>
303 Kathryn Meyer Griffith Marsha 4
Merged review:

It was interesting and fun. There was probably on a little too much ghost lore and dependence on it and dreams and unreality, but it was still pretty good. There were no true surprises, but consistent characters and a and a complete and satisfying story.]]>
4.18 2003 Scraps of Paper (Spookie Town Murder Mystery, #1)
author: Kathryn Meyer Griffith
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2022/07/23
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: mysteries, amazon, audio-unabridged, cozy
review:
It was interesting and fun. There was probably on a little too much ghost lore and dependence on it and dreams and unreality, but it was still pretty good. There were no true surprises, but consistent characters and a and a complete and satisfying story.

Merged review:

It was interesting and fun. There was probably on a little too much ghost lore and dependence on it and dreams and unreality, but it was still pretty good. There were no true surprises, but consistent characters and a and a complete and satisfying story.
]]>
The Deep Blue Alibi 13645722
What do you get when you mix beautiful people, family secrets, and a yacht washed up on Sunset Key with a hundred grand in cash and a dying man? If you’re Steve Solomon, you see a case that can get Solomon & Lord off the ground. If you’re Victoria Lord, you see a golden opportunity to go out on your own. With her uncle a murder suspect and her hunky ex-boyfriend back in the picture, Victoria is pushing to take control as Solomon struggles to keep from losing it.

As an explosive trial looms, they’re fighting against time, the law, and each other—to expose a killer who came to paradise…and hasn’t left.]]>
498 Paul Levine 0998316660 Marsha 3 It reopened my eyes to the potential dishonesty in law and lawyers � both merited and less so. Overall, more disappointing than I was expecting.

Merged review:

I read the first in the series several years ago. I hadn't remembered the main characters as being as annoying as they are. The overall plot and story are actually gripping, but not enough to get over the personalities of the primary lawyers.
It reopened my eyes to the potential dishonesty in law and lawyers � both merited and less so. Overall, more disappointing than I was expecting.]]>
4.16 2006 The Deep Blue Alibi
author: Paul Levine
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2023/07/28
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: crime, mysteries, amazon, audio-unabridged, legal
review:
I read the first in the series several years ago. I hadn't remembered the main characters as being as annoying as they are. The overall plot and story are actually gripping, but not enough to get over the personalities of the primary lawyers.
It reopened my eyes to the potential dishonesty in law and lawyers � both merited and less so. Overall, more disappointing than I was expecting.

Merged review:

I read the first in the series several years ago. I hadn't remembered the main characters as being as annoying as they are. The overall plot and story are actually gripping, but not enough to get over the personalities of the primary lawyers.
It reopened my eyes to the potential dishonesty in law and lawyers � both merited and less so. Overall, more disappointing than I was expecting.
]]>
<![CDATA[Just Add Trouble (Hetta Coffey Mystery, #3)]]> 15834089
A globe-trotting engineer with adventure in her soul, Hetta is determined to solidify her relationship with her long-distance boyfriend, Jenks Jenkins. What better place for a romantic interlude than aboard her yacht in Mexico's hauntingly beautiful and solitary Sea of Cortez?

But where Hetta goes, trouble follows, and chaos is sure to ensue. After a run-in with a couple of sea serpents that threaten to rock the boat, she nevertheless decides to take on a project in the Mexican port city of Guaymas. After all, Jenks is headed back to Kuwait, so why not cash in on the best of both worlds by picking up a few pesos while living aboard her boat in Mexico?

Once again Hetta's indomitable spirit, stubborn independence and penchant for deceit will keep the reader in stitches as she launches herself and her best friend, Jan, into a sea of trouble. A pesky parrot, a drunken aunt, and a shadowy figure who is handsome in a "criminal sort of way" lead to murder, mayhem, kidnapping, and run-ins with several federal agencies on both sides of the border.]]>
311 Jinx Schwartz Marsha 3 4.15 2007 Just Add Trouble (Hetta Coffey Mystery, #3)
author: Jinx Schwartz
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2017/12/14
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves: mysteries, audio-unabridged, cozy, just-fun
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Meet Your Maker (Delta Devlin #2)]]> 54402609
In this future, reality is what you make it. In the Czar's Suite of Kiev's five-star Persian Palace, police discover a body jammed impossibly deep in a narrow ventilation duct. Security cameras reveal that no one else entered the super-secure room. An ocean away, Interpol rookie Delta Devlin witnesses an attempted assassination, but the bullet meant for the Ukrainian prime minister hits her father instead, lodging next to his heart. Investigations reveal that ex-KGB operator Yuri Korshunov smuggled a 3D-printed plastic gun into the UN Building. As her father falls into a mysterious coma, Devlin tracks down infamous tech wunderkind Lenny Bondar at the Maker Faire, a global gathering of hackers. Desperate, she follows Korshunov and Bondar into the underworld of Eastern Europe. There, her worst nightmares materialize from the darkness. Something is coming for her, and it may not even be alive. With Russian troops massed on the borders, and her father on the brink of death, Del follows a trail of bizarre murders ever deeper into no-man's-land. But can she uncover the truth and save her father before a new kind of war forever alters the world?]]>
294 Matthew Mather 1538589435 Marsha 5 This is the second of the series, but it is not connected to the first. I'm curious as to how connected the next book is, and whether it really is a kind of sequence, or if it's a different story. ANYWAY, keeps the reader questioning and thinking, and wondering how the different "scenes" tie into each other, but the reader is totally pulled in and truly NEEDS to continue onto the next answer.
It's based in Ukraine, and given the current political crisis between Russia and Ukraine, it seems that much more current (although it's truly unrelated in reality). Different government agencies with different sources (FBI, state police, Interpol, Russian FSB, etc. etc) are all working together and against each other with no one knowing who is working for whom and what the actual truth is. Who is being used by whom, and who is on what side? And what IS this machine that is suddenly everywhere, and what is it making and how is it being used?
I love a book that keeps my brain working on overdrive!

Merged review:

I only very rarely give five stars to a fiction book. Science, sometimes true crime, biology, maybe some others, but only rarely fiction, although admittedly mysteries are favorite style for me, but they still rarely get five stars. This book, however, seriously tests the mold!
This is the second of the series, but it is not connected to the first. I'm curious as to how connected the next book is, and whether it really is a kind of sequence, or if it's a different story. ANYWAY, keeps the reader questioning and thinking, and wondering how the different "scenes" tie into each other, but the reader is totally pulled in and truly NEEDS to continue onto the next answer.
It's based in Ukraine, and given the current political crisis between Russia and Ukraine, it seems that much more current (although it's truly unrelated in reality). Different government agencies with different sources (FBI, state police, Interpol, Russian FSB, etc. etc) are all working together and against each other with no one knowing who is working for whom and what the actual truth is. Who is being used by whom, and who is on what side? And what IS this machine that is suddenly everywhere, and what is it making and how is it being used?
I love a book that keeps my brain working on overdrive!]]>
4.17 Meet Your Maker (Delta Devlin #2)
author: Matthew Mather
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.17
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/25
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves: mysteries, amazon, contemporary-fiction, suspense, thriller, audio-unabridged, auoio
review:
I only very rarely give five stars to a fiction book. Science, sometimes true crime, biology, maybe some others, but only rarely fiction, although admittedly mysteries are favorite style for me, but they still rarely get five stars. This book, however, seriously tests the mold!
This is the second of the series, but it is not connected to the first. I'm curious as to how connected the next book is, and whether it really is a kind of sequence, or if it's a different story. ANYWAY, keeps the reader questioning and thinking, and wondering how the different "scenes" tie into each other, but the reader is totally pulled in and truly NEEDS to continue onto the next answer.
It's based in Ukraine, and given the current political crisis between Russia and Ukraine, it seems that much more current (although it's truly unrelated in reality). Different government agencies with different sources (FBI, state police, Interpol, Russian FSB, etc. etc) are all working together and against each other with no one knowing who is working for whom and what the actual truth is. Who is being used by whom, and who is on what side? And what IS this machine that is suddenly everywhere, and what is it making and how is it being used?
I love a book that keeps my brain working on overdrive!

Merged review:

I only very rarely give five stars to a fiction book. Science, sometimes true crime, biology, maybe some others, but only rarely fiction, although admittedly mysteries are favorite style for me, but they still rarely get five stars. This book, however, seriously tests the mold!
This is the second of the series, but it is not connected to the first. I'm curious as to how connected the next book is, and whether it really is a kind of sequence, or if it's a different story. ANYWAY, keeps the reader questioning and thinking, and wondering how the different "scenes" tie into each other, but the reader is totally pulled in and truly NEEDS to continue onto the next answer.
It's based in Ukraine, and given the current political crisis between Russia and Ukraine, it seems that much more current (although it's truly unrelated in reality). Different government agencies with different sources (FBI, state police, Interpol, Russian FSB, etc. etc) are all working together and against each other with no one knowing who is working for whom and what the actual truth is. Who is being used by whom, and who is on what side? And what IS this machine that is suddenly everywhere, and what is it making and how is it being used?
I love a book that keeps my brain working on overdrive!
]]>
The Mind's Eye 7937653 263 Oliver Sacks 033050889X Marsha 5 I own a couple of Oliver Sacks's books, but is been way too long since I read _The Man Mistook His Wife for a Hat_ (I believe his first major work), but he continues to be thoughtful, complete, informative, and able to teach! This book continues to represent his abilities and intelligence using examples of his own patients, other practitioners' experiences, and even himself! It's unfortunate that he passed (in 2015 I believe) :-(.]]> 3.92 2010 The Mind's Eye
author: Oliver Sacks
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2020/09/24
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: science, amazon, audio-unabridged, medicine, psychology, true
review:
Perception, visualization, seeing� How are they all related and distinct? If a person "sees" the world only through hearing and feeling, do they actually see? What if they visualize in their mind concurrently? What if, when they "see", they are unable to ultimately recognize? If someone can "see faces", but not recognize people by them? Or what about if they can read letters, but they can't tell what words said letters represent?
I own a couple of Oliver Sacks's books, but is been way too long since I read _The Man Mistook His Wife for a Hat_ (I believe his first major work), but he continues to be thoughtful, complete, informative, and able to teach! This book continues to represent his abilities and intelligence using examples of his own patients, other practitioners' experiences, and even himself! It's unfortunate that he passed (in 2015 I believe) :-(.
]]>
The Motive (Dismas Hardy #11) 386619 It starts with a double homicide. Because of the high profiles of the victims—a politically connected socialite and his glamorous fiancée—the mayor of San Francisco herself demands that a high-ranking detective be put on the case. And so Abe Glitsky is thrust into the controversial investigation.

Dan Cuneo, the officer already working the case, is immediately wary of Glitsky and doesn’t hide his distrust. Matters are made worse when Cuneo starts to focus on his primary suspect—who also happens to be an old girlfriend of Dismas Hardy. For Hardy and Glitsky, this is an awkward and uncomfortable coincidence. But for Cuneo, it’s proof positive of collusion, and yet another instance of Glitsky cheating with his insider friends and cronies.

Convinced that Hardy’s client is the wrong suspect, Glitsky breaks ranks within the police department to continue his own investigation. As Hardy’s murder trial builds to its stunning conclusion, Glitsky’s search for the truth does more than fuel suspicion against the two men. It reveals a trail of deception that leads beyond San Francisco, where exposing desperate secrets can be the most deadly offense.

]]>
436 John Lescroart 0451215729 Marsha 5 crime, mysteries This particular book is divided into three parts. The first part, as I recall it, is more of an introduction to the characters and situation than anything else. The second part is a trial, and the third part sort of ties up loose ends and gives motivation and the reason for the whole situation. It was done well, but original alliances and character likes and dislikes are muddied, and in the end, the reader's not sure whether or not to agree with the actions and outcomes around the main character of the third part!
Not wanting to spoil the book or the plot with this review, I really can't be more specific, but Lescroart weaves a complex and satisfying plot with several characters whose personalities are mixed. Excellent book!

Merged review:

This is another series that I have ignored for too long, particularly knowing, as I did, how much I like and get fulfillment from the books!
This particular book is divided into three parts. The first part, as I recall it, is more of an introduction to the characters and situation than anything else. The second part is a trial, and the third part sort of ties up loose ends and gives motivation and the reason for the whole situation. It was done well, but original alliances and character likes and dislikes are muddied, and in the end, the reader's not sure whether or not to agree with the actions and outcomes around the main character of the third part!
Not wanting to spoil the book or the plot with this review, I really can't be more specific, but Lescroart weaves a complex and satisfying plot with several characters whose personalities are mixed. Excellent book!]]>
3.95 2004 The Motive (Dismas Hardy #11)
author: John Lescroart
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2018/02/23
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: crime, mysteries
review:
This is another series that I have ignored for too long, particularly knowing, as I did, how much I like and get fulfillment from the books!
This particular book is divided into three parts. The first part, as I recall it, is more of an introduction to the characters and situation than anything else. The second part is a trial, and the third part sort of ties up loose ends and gives motivation and the reason for the whole situation. It was done well, but original alliances and character likes and dislikes are muddied, and in the end, the reader's not sure whether or not to agree with the actions and outcomes around the main character of the third part!
Not wanting to spoil the book or the plot with this review, I really can't be more specific, but Lescroart weaves a complex and satisfying plot with several characters whose personalities are mixed. Excellent book!

Merged review:

This is another series that I have ignored for too long, particularly knowing, as I did, how much I like and get fulfillment from the books!
This particular book is divided into three parts. The first part, as I recall it, is more of an introduction to the characters and situation than anything else. The second part is a trial, and the third part sort of ties up loose ends and gives motivation and the reason for the whole situation. It was done well, but original alliances and character likes and dislikes are muddied, and in the end, the reader's not sure whether or not to agree with the actions and outcomes around the main character of the third part!
Not wanting to spoil the book or the plot with this review, I really can't be more specific, but Lescroart weaves a complex and satisfying plot with several characters whose personalities are mixed. Excellent book!
]]>
<![CDATA[Dead Land (V.I. Warshawski, #20)]]> 50770193 Chicago’s legendary detective, V.I. Warshawski, knows her city’s rotten underbelly better than most, but she’s unable to avoid it when her goddaughter drags her into a fight over lakefront land use, in this propulsive novel from New York Times bestseller Sara Paretsky.

Chicago may be the city of broad shoulders, but its political law is “Pay to Play.� Money changes hands in the middle of the night, and by morning, buildings and parks are replaced by billion-dollar projects.

Chicago PI V.I. Warshawski gets pulled into one of these clandestine deals through her impetuous goddaughter, Bernie Fouchard. Bernie tries to rescue Lydia Zamir, a famed singer-songwriter now living on the streets; Zamir’s life fell apart when her lover was murdered next to her in a mass shooting at an outdoor concert. Not only does Bernie plunge her and V.I. headlong into the path of some ruthless developers, they lead to the murder of the young man Bernie is dating. He’s a computer geek working for a community group called SLICK.

V.I. is desperate to find a mysterious man named Coop, who roams the lakefront in the middle of the night with his dog. She’s sure he holds the key to the mounting body count within SLICK. Coop may even know why an international law firm is representing the mass murderer responsible for Lydia’s lover’s death. Instead, the detective finds a terrifying conspiracy stretching from Chicago’s parks to a cover-up of the dark chapters in America’s meddling in South American politics. Before she finds answers, this electrifying novel pushes V.I. close to the breaking point: People who pay to play take no prisoners.

RUNNING TIME � 12hrs.

©2020 Sara Paretsky (P)2020 HarperAudio]]>
12 Sara Paretsky Marsha 4 She is definitely a joy.]]> 3.76 2020 Dead Land (V.I. Warshawski, #20)
author: Sara Paretsky
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/14
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: crime, mysteries, action-adventure, audio-unabridged, auoio, suspense
review:
I had forgotten how much I liked Sara Paretsky. Her main character (V.I. Warshawski) Is definitely many sided but ultimately and undeniably likable, relatable, and more than a little acceptable. her run-ins With the undesirables start out inconceivable, but it's all answered in the end. And the good guys always win! I had read all of her books through 15 or 16, I think, as they came out, but I've missed the last few. Now I need to go back and read the ones that I've missed.
She is definitely a joy.
]]>
<![CDATA[Jewish Girls Gone Wild: A Memoir of Skokie, Scottsdale & the Seventies]]> 60186655
“Linda Pressman brings her humor and keen eye for detail to this 1970s coming-of-age story set in Arizona. It’s a tale about finding your place in an ever-changing world, something all of us can relate to.� � Windy Lynn Harris, author of Writing & Selling Short Stories & Personal The Essential Guide to Getting Your Work Published

“I adore [Pressman’s] wit, [her] turns of phrase, and [her] observational humor�. There were so many individual sentences, paragraphs, and whole sections in here that I just loved � descriptions that perfectly brought back to life a moment from my own 70s youth that I’d long forgotten; character portrayals that nailed a person in a few sentences; dialogue that’s truly authentic; and just so much cringe of coming of age. I’m wheeling out the highest of praise here…� � Theo Nestor, author of Writing is My Drink, and How to Sleep Alone in a King-Sized Bed

“The road from Skokie to Scottsdale is filled with love, life lessons and so many sisters. Linda Pressman perfectly captures what it's like to be an outsider in a new town, in a story only she can tell. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll plotz -- in all the best ways.�
� Amy Silverman, author of My Heart Can't Even Believe A Story of Science, Love and Down Syndrome]]>
310 Linda Pressman Marsha 2 3.92 2021 Jewish Girls Gone Wild: A Memoir of Skokie, Scottsdale & the Seventies
author: Linda Pressman
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/05
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: audio-unabridged, book-club, historical-fiction
review:
Actually, it was an Audible book with an Audible reader.It was a book club book and the book club had a meeting about it on Monday the 6th. It was OK, but none of us were thrilled. Despite the fact that some of us were about the same age as the main character, none of us could relate to her. At all. And we didn't like or respect any of the characters. I suppose that it had potential, but it missed the boat.
]]>
<![CDATA[Kitty Confidential (Pet Whisperer PI #1)]]> 43730066
I was just your normal twenty-something with seven associate degrees and no idea what I wanted to do with my life. That is, until I died� Well, almost.

As if a near-death experience at the hands of an old coffeemaker wasn’t embarrassing enough, I woke up to find I could talk to animals. Or rather one animal in particular.

His full name is Octavius Maxwell Ricardo Edmund Frederick Fulton, but since that’s way too long for anyone to remember, I’ve taken to calling him Octo-Cat. He talks so fast he can be difficult to understand, but seems to be telling me that his late owner didn’t die of natural causes like everyone believes.

Well, now it looks like I no longer have a choice, apparently my life calling is to serve as Blueberry Bay’s first ever pet whisperer P.I while maintaining my façade as a paralegal at the offices of Fulton, Thompson & Associates.

I just have one question: How did Dr. Dolittle make this gig look so easy?]]>
236 Molly Fitz Marsha 3 ]]> 4.02 2019 Kitty Confidential (Pet Whisperer PI #1)
author: Molly Fitz
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/14
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: mysteries, audio-unabridged, cozy, entertainment, fiction, just-fun, supernatural
review:
Silly and fun. True mystery but too easy and not enough twists

]]>
<![CDATA[The Marvelous Land of Oz (Oz, #2)]]> 179565
First issued in 1904, L. Frank Baum's The Marvelous Land of Oz is the story of the wonderful adventures of the young boy named Tip as he travels throughout the many lands of Oz. Here he meets with our old friends the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman, as well as some new friends like Jack Pumpkinhead, the Wooden Sawhorse, the Highly Magnified Woggle-Bug, and the amazing Gump. How they thwart the wicked plans of the evil witch Mombi and overcome the rebellion of General Jinjur and her army of young women is a tale as exciting and endearing today as it was when first published over eighty years ago.]]>
192 L. Frank Baum 0140350411 Marsha 3 3.78 1904 The Marvelous Land of Oz (Oz, #2)
author: L. Frank Baum
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1904
rating: 3
read at: 2020/01/30
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: amazon, audio-unabridged, children-s, classic, just-fun, fantasy
review:

]]>
Resurrection 18799474 443 Arwen Elys Dayton 1612187250 Marsha 4
Merged review:

When I started this book, my immediate thought was "I forgot to notice � ANOTHER Sci-fi!", followed immediately by "I'm not sure I'm ready for this�" Fortunately, I decided to give it a chance. I very much enjoyed the book! I found the going back and forth between times somewhat annoying and confusing at first, but the time references at the beginnings of chapters were helpful and necessary. And I really liked the combination and understanding between societies in the end. It ended up as a real upper, but it definitely had its dark spots, also. Excellent book!]]>
3.73 2001 Resurrection
author: Arwen Elys Dayton
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2021/06/26
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: amazon, fantasy, sci-fi, audio-unabridged
review:
When I started this book, my immediate thought was "I forgot to notice � ANOTHER Sci-fi!", followed immediately by "I'm not sure I'm ready for this�" Fortunately, I decided to give it a chance. I very much enjoyed the book! I found the going back and forth between times somewhat annoying and confusing at first, but the time references at the beginnings of chapters were helpful and necessary. And I really liked the combination and understanding between societies in the end. It ended up as a real upper, but it definitely had its dark spots, also. Excellent book!

Merged review:

When I started this book, my immediate thought was "I forgot to notice � ANOTHER Sci-fi!", followed immediately by "I'm not sure I'm ready for this�" Fortunately, I decided to give it a chance. I very much enjoyed the book! I found the going back and forth between times somewhat annoying and confusing at first, but the time references at the beginnings of chapters were helpful and necessary. And I really liked the combination and understanding between societies in the end. It ended up as a real upper, but it definitely had its dark spots, also. Excellent book!
]]>
<![CDATA[A Desolation Called Peace (Teixcalaan, #2)]]> 45154547 WINNER OF THE 2022 HUGO AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL
Now a USA Today bestseller!
Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2021
Amazon's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of 2021
Bookpage's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of 2021
Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ Choice Awards Nominee for Best Science Fiction Book of 2021


A Desolation Called Peace is the spectacular space opera sequel to Arkady Martine's genre-reinventing, Hugo Award-winning debut, A Memory Called Empire.

An alien armada lurks on the edges of Teixcalaanli space. No one can communicate with it, no one can destroy it, and Fleet Captain Nine Hibiscus is running out of options.

In a desperate attempt at diplomacy with the mysterious invaders, the fleet captain has sent for a diplomatic envoy. Now Mahit Dzmare and Three Seagrass—still reeling from the recent upheaval in the Empire—face the impossible task of trying to communicate with a hostile entity.

Their failure will guarantee millions of deaths in an endless war. Their success might prevent Teixcalaan’s destruction—and allow the empire to continue its rapacious expansion.

Or it might create something far stranger . . .
]]>
496 Arkady Martine 125018648X Marsha 0 4.31 2021 A Desolation Called Peace (Teixcalaan, #2)
author: Arkady Martine
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves: audio-unabridged, auoio, fiction, fantasy, intrigue, started-to-read-on-hold
review:

]]>
The Collection 52241556
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
The Secret Adversary
The Murder on the Links
The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan
The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim
The Adventure of the “Western Star�
The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor
The Million Dollar Bond Robbery
The Adventure of the Cheap Flat
The Mystery of the Hunter’s Lodge
The Kidnapped Prime Minister
The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb
The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman
The Case of the Missing Will
The Chocolate Box
The Veiled Lady
The Lost Mine
The Affair at the Victory Ball
The Adventure of the Clapham Cook
The Cornish Mystery
The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly
The Double Clue
The King of Clubs
The Lemesurier Inheritance
The Plymouth Express
The Submarine Plans
The Market Basing Mystery
The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding]]>
1334 Agatha Christie 9895620578 Marsha 4 4.51 2012 The Collection
author: Agatha Christie
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/27
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: crime, mysteries, audio-unabridged, auoio, british-lit-classic, fiction, mudddr, suspense, mistake
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot #1)]]> 23011703
A refugee of the Great War, Poirot is settling in England near Styles Court, the country estate of his wealthy benefactor, the elderly Emily Inglethorp. When Emily is poisoned and the authorities are baffled, Poirot puts his prodigious sleuthing skills to work. Suspects are plentiful, including the victim’s much younger husband, her resentful stepsons, her longtime hired companion, a young family friend working as a nurse, and a London specialist on poisons who just happens to be visiting the nearby village.

All of them have secrets they are desperate to keep, but none can outwit Poirot as he navigates the ingenious red herrings and plot twists that earned Agatha Christie her well-deserved reputation as the queen of mystery.]]>
Agatha Christie 1470332000 Marsha 4 mysteries, audio-unabridged 3.71 1920 The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot #1)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.71
book published: 1920
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/27
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: mysteries, audio-unabridged
review:
I've read Agatha Christie books since junior high. This is one of her earlier ones- her first Hercule Poirot book. I don't know how I missed it for so long- Poirot is one of my favorites. It being that the genre has changed and improved so much since she started, the reasoning and actual mystery, in general, Are expected to be far more complex and involved then they might be, but this is a good book. Agatha Christie continued to display her charm and ability, even back then.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (Lord Peter Wimsey #5)]]> 30754835 Alistair Beaton Marsha 4 3.47 1928 The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (Lord Peter Wimsey #5)
author: Alistair Beaton
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.47
book published: 1928
rating: 4
read at: 2016/07/14
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves:
review:
Standard Dorothy Sayers :-). I think I've read all of her books in the past, but I didn't remember all the details of this one. There are a couple of twists, and the method of murder is more than a little surprising. But overall, a satisfying read (listen as the case is).
]]>
A Christmas Carol 12251075
A Christmas Carol has constantly been in print since its original publication in 1849, and has been adapted for stage, television, film, and opera. It has often been credited with returning the jovial and festive atmosphere to the holiday season in Britain and North America, following the somber period that emerged during the Industrial Revolution.

The story opens on a bleak and cold Christmas Eve as Ebenezer Scrooge is closing up his office for the day. As the story progresses and Christmas morning approaches, Scrooge encounters the unforgettable characters that make this story a classic: Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, and, of course, the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come.]]>
4 Charles Dickens Marsha 5
Ahh, yes; my annual foray into the classics of Charles Dickens and a Christmas Carol. Although I know that it being the middle of Hanukkah and my being a good Jewish girl, I should eschew classical Christmas stories like _A Christmas Carol_, but it's both a good story and presents a truly useful and meaningful lesson regardless of religion or holiday. I still love the book, and Tim Curry as narrator does a more than respectable job!

Yes, it was time again for my annual read of a Christmas Carol :). Of course, by “read� I meant listen, because I can't see to read anymore, although I do still actually occasionally despite the fact that it's very difficult for me. I usually listen at one and a half to two times normal speed, but I decided to slow it down this time and actually listen at speed. I don't know whether this is the reason that I noticed a lot of things that I had forgotten since my last listen. I had heard that Charles Dickens was paid by the word, and consequently he was unnecessarily wordy in his prose. I was able to recognize this time that his wordiness actually contributes to the story. He actually contributes to the characters and scenery beautifully in such a way that it kind of fills things out. I am constantly reminded why Charles Dickens is consider a writer of classics. I realize that I am not the first to discover this- his books are, after all, classics - but it's nice to remind myself occasionally.
I just completed my annual reading of _ a Christmas Carol_. Of course, it was as good as ever. It hadn't changed In all these years, not that I would have expected it to :-). It always has a good and encouraging message. It should be required reading for our politicians- but I refuse to get into that...
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4.37 1843 A Christmas Carol
author: Charles Dickens
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1843
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/18
date added: 2024/12/18
shelves: classic, just-fun, audio-unabridged
review:
Of course I am already familiar with this book, and I was feeling festive, so I don't to it again. This is a great recording of a great book! Happy Christmas tell-all!

Ahh, yes; my annual foray into the classics of Charles Dickens and a Christmas Carol. Although I know that it being the middle of Hanukkah and my being a good Jewish girl, I should eschew classical Christmas stories like _A Christmas Carol_, but it's both a good story and presents a truly useful and meaningful lesson regardless of religion or holiday. I still love the book, and Tim Curry as narrator does a more than respectable job!

Yes, it was time again for my annual read of a Christmas Carol :). Of course, by “read� I meant listen, because I can't see to read anymore, although I do still actually occasionally despite the fact that it's very difficult for me. I usually listen at one and a half to two times normal speed, but I decided to slow it down this time and actually listen at speed. I don't know whether this is the reason that I noticed a lot of things that I had forgotten since my last listen. I had heard that Charles Dickens was paid by the word, and consequently he was unnecessarily wordy in his prose. I was able to recognize this time that his wordiness actually contributes to the story. He actually contributes to the characters and scenery beautifully in such a way that it kind of fills things out. I am constantly reminded why Charles Dickens is consider a writer of classics. I realize that I am not the first to discover this- his books are, after all, classics - but it's nice to remind myself occasionally.
I just completed my annual reading of _ a Christmas Carol_. Of course, it was as good as ever. It hadn't changed In all these years, not that I would have expected it to :-). It always has a good and encouraging message. It should be required reading for our politicians- but I refuse to get into that...

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<![CDATA[Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #1)]]> 18775663
In a mega-stakes, high-suspense race against time, three of the most unlikely and winning heroes Stephen King has ever created try to stop a lone killer from blowing up thousands.

In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, hundreds of desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes.

In another part of town, months later, a retired cop named Bill Hodges is still haunted by the unsolved crime. When he gets a crazed letter from someone who self-identifies as the “perk� and threatens an even more diabolical attack, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, hell-bent on preventing another tragedy.

Brady Hartsfield lives with his alcoholic mother in the house where he was born. He loved the feel of death under the wheels of the Mercedes, and he wants that rush again. Only Bill Hodges, with a couple of highly unlikely allies, can apprehend the killer before he strikes again. And they have no time to lose, because Brady’s next mission, if it succeeds, will kill or maim thousands.

Mr. Mercedes is a war between good and evil, from the master of suspense whose insight into the mind of this obsessed, insane killer is chilling and unforgettable.]]>
14 Stephen King 1442369795 Marsha 4 3.98 2014 Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #1)
author: Stephen King
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/17
date added: 2024/12/17
shelves: audio-unabridged, horror-suspense
review:
Given that it's a Stephen King book, I expected a horror novel. In fact, it was a mystery thriller novel - Well, more thriller than mystery. It was really good in that it was up to Stephen King's usual quality.
]]>
<![CDATA[Killer Cult (Fallon Baxter FBI #1)]]> 211712806 In the hunt for justice, FBI Agent Fallon Baxter unravels the deadliest mysteries.

Believe. Obey. Survive. Welcome to Paradise where faith meets fear, and salvation is written in blood.Clean language and heart-stopping twists that keep you glued to the edge of your seat until the very last page.

When FBI Agent Fallon Baxter returns to her hometown of Pine Ridge Falls to join the local field office, she expects a fresh start and a chance to mend her broken past. Instead, she’s thrust into the heart of darkness when a string of brutal murders shakes the quiet community.

The victims, found brutally murdered and linked only by their ties to the secretive Paradise Cult, draw Fallon into an investigation that spirals into the depths of danger and deceit.

Led by the charismatic and ruthless Supreme Leader, the cult preaches a doctrine of salvation through sacrifice and hiding evil motives beneath a veneer of spiritual enlightenment.

As Fallon digs deeper, she unearths chilling connections between the cult and her own troubled history. With the disappearance of her sister complicating matters, Fallon navigates a complex web of loyalty and betrayal.

As the body count rises, and the cult’s deadly agenda becomes clear, Fallon faces a race against time to unravel the mystery. Every clue drags her closer to a shocking revelation that will challenge everything she knows about evil, heroism, and the thin line in between.

Killer Cult is a gripping thriller that explores the shadows of obsession and the cost of redemption.

Fallon Baxter’s journey is a perilous trek through danger and despair, where only the strongest will survive and the past is never truly buried.



A brand new FBI Mystery Series by New York Times, USA TODAY, and Wall Street Journal bestseller Addison Moore.

Addison’s work has been featured in Cosmopolitan Magazine.]]>
167 Addison Moore 1624301932 Marsha 4 3.94 Killer Cult (Fallon Baxter FBI #1)
author: Addison Moore
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.94
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/15
date added: 2024/12/17
shelves: crime, mysteries, amazon, audio-unabridged, auoio, cults
review:

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<![CDATA[RING TOSS A John Ceepak Mystery Short (The John Ceepak Mysteries)]]> 18942281 33 Chris Grabenstein Marsha 3 4.22 2010 RING TOSS A John Ceepak Mystery Short (The John Ceepak Mysteries)
author: Chris Grabenstein
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/12
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: crime, mysteries, e-book, fiction, tts
review:
Not his best, but still entertaining I always love me some Ceepac and Danny Boyle. It's really just a short story, but a good listen anyway. I've actually had it for a while but I've only listened today Perian the whole Ceepac series is definitely worth your time!
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The Black Widow Clique 32055335

The girls seek out older, established, and wealthy bachelors, drawing them into their web of deception with their good looks, sexy bodies, and loving personalities.  Once their last names are changed and the ink is dry on the insurance policies, the clique executes their plans to have the new husband die an accidental death, leaving their fortune and or insurance money to the widowed wife.


Their little marry for money scam works for years until things take a drastic turn.


What happens when one friends connection to the new mark has her questioning her roll in The Black Widow Clique while the other friend wants to carry out the murderous plan to get ahold of the multi million dollar insurance policy?


Friendships will be tested, lies will be told, and loyalty will come into play when one black widow decides that their cozy web of deception, love, and money isn’t big enough for two anymore.]]>
178 Genesis Woods Marsha 0 4.19 The Black Widow Clique
author: Genesis Woods
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.19
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: crime, mysteries, murder, true, bailed-bored-or-didn-t-like
review:

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Cruel Deception 22031426 Length: 11 hours 49 minuts]]> Gregg Olsen Marsha 4 Gregg Olsen continues to write relevant and interesting (mostly true crime) books in a captivating and enthralling way; I am far from current on all of them, but I continue to embrace and enjoy.!]]> 3.40 1995 Cruel Deception
author: Gregg Olsen
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.40
book published: 1995
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/11
date added: 2024/12/11
shelves: crime, mysteries, true, murder
review:
Shiver; what an icky feeling the whole case leaves in the reader. MSBP us one of the most unfathomable crimes known to man (OK, cliche, I know). As a mother, I know that an awful lot is expected of us, and it may be unreasonable to expect it all- for a bare minimum of care and concern for our babies- or even older children or offspring is fur from Unreasonable! In a questionable situation, I can see different people coming to different solutions, BUT SUFFFOCATING YOUR BABY/TODLER SON is NEVER One of them!
Gregg Olsen continues to write relevant and interesting (mostly true crime) books in a captivating and enthralling way; I am far from current on all of them, but I continue to embrace and enjoy.!
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<![CDATA[Gingerbread and Deadly Dread (Murder in the Mix, #4)]]> 55819305
And that horrible scenario happens to be playing out at the moment where I see a beautiful long departed pooch hovering around a questionably two-timing Santa and all his naughty-hottie elves. Quite frankly, it’s a terrifying sight considering the fact the fantastic phantasm is an ominous harbinger for its previous owner. So when I find my sister’s boyfriend face down in the snow with a handful of my tasty gingerbread treats I’m not only sorry for him, but I’m very sorry that I had a blowout with him in front of the entire town of Honey Hollow. And just like that, I get the one thing for Christmas I did not ask for—a number one spot on the suspect list. I have a feeling this is going to be one Christmas I’d rather forget.

Lottie Lemon has a brand new bakery to tend to, a budding romance with perhaps one too many suitors, and she has the supernatural ability to see the dead—which are always harbingers for ominous things to come. Throw in the occasional ghost of the human variety, a string of murders, and her insatiable thirst for justice, and you’ll have more chaos than you know what to do with.

Living in the small town of Honey Hollow can be murder.]]>
204 Addison Moore Marsha 0 3.89 2018 Gingerbread and Deadly Dread (Murder in the Mix, #4)
author: Addison Moore
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves: mysteries, audio-unabridged, cozy, fantasy, fiction, just-fun, mudddr, paranormal, romance, supernatural, bailed-bored-or-didn-t-like
review:

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<![CDATA[The Ghost Hunter Next Door (Beechwood Harbor Ghost Mystery, #1)]]> 62238808 The first rule of being a ghost whisperer: Don’t tell anyone.

Seriously. Don’t.

Sure, it might sound harmless. A fun party trick, even. I assure you, it’s not.

How do I know? Well, let’s just say that I’ve had a lot of experience with this sort of thing, and nine times out of ten, it turns into an all-consuming disaster.

Being plagued by needy ghosts twenty-four/seven is one thing; being harassed by a horde of curious � or worse, grieving � flesh-and-blood people is an entirely different circus. I mean really, who wants to hold an impromptu séance in the middle of the cereal aisle? Not me, and the manager of the grocery store probably isn’t too crazy about the idea, either.

So, that’s it. If you’re a ghost whisperer, just keep your mouth shut and act normal. Ghosts? What ghosts?

Now, if only I would start listening to my own advice …]]>
Danielle Garrett Marsha 0 3.81 2017 The Ghost Hunter Next Door (Beechwood Harbor Ghost Mystery, #1)
author: Danielle Garrett
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/08
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: audio-unabridged, cozy, fantasy, fiction, just-fun, paranormal, supernatural
review:

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<![CDATA[What a Ghost Wants (Beechwood Harbor Ghost Mystery #0.5)]]> 211108788 The purr-fect mystery series for fans of Ghosts and Ghost Whisperer.

Scarlet Sanderson sees dead people. Literally. As a reluctant conduit between the land of the living and the dearly departed, she is doing her best to have a life of her own.

With an inheritance from her grandmother and the dream of opening a flower shop, she seeks out the peace and quiet of a small coastal town, thinking surely there won't be many spectral residents.

Unfortunately, she didn't fully do her homework. Beechwood Harbor is a paranormal haven, and there's a lot more than ghosts waiting to roll out the welcome wagon.

What a Ghost Wants is the prequel novella to The Beechwood Harbor Ghost Mysteries series.]]>
82 Danielle Garrett Marsha 4 4.23 What a Ghost Wants (Beechwood Harbor Ghost Mystery #0.5)
author: Danielle Garrett
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.23
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/07
date added: 2024/12/07
shelves: audio-unabridged, auoio, fantasy, crime, just-fun, mudddr, paranormal, supernatural
review:

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<![CDATA[Wardens of Wisteria (Wisteria Witches #8; Daybreak, #1)]]> 46184247
Zara Riddle is used to being woken up in the middle of the night by magical creatures. Being a witch is incredibly fun, but it does have a few drawbacks. Zara's powers make her appealing to the recently deceased, who are always showing up seeking her help. This witch is a real ghost magnet!

When Zara's resident telepathic wyvern wakes her up to announce there's a new ghost in the house, Zara is anything but surprised. She greets the new spirit, locates the crime scene, and notifies the authorities. All before the sun comes up. Zara's work is done. After all, the town's detective should be able to solve this homicide without her.

The detective, Theodore Bentley, has other ideas. He knows about Wisteria's secrets, but he's not the stubborn type who insists on doing everything himself. Why chase down a killer alone when you can have a powerful witch as a partner? He invites Zara to join him on the investigation. Zara accepts, because why not? She'll rest easier when the case is solved. Plus two heads are better than one, even if one of them is a mere human.

As the crime-fighting duo dig deeper into the town's secrets, both the human detective and the witch are shocked to discover a killer in their midst. When they underestimate the killer's powers, the tables are turned. In a heartbeat,everything changes.

Zara Riddle can only watch helplessly as someone she cares about saves the witch's life by sacrificing their own.

WARDENS OF WISTERIA is book 1 of a new mini-series set in Angela Pepper's wickedly wild world of Wisteria Witches. If you're new to the series, you can start here if you'd like! This book is told from the point of view of Zara Riddle.]]>
Angela Pepper Marsha 4 4.10 2018 Wardens of Wisteria (Wisteria Witches #8; Daybreak, #1)
author: Angela Pepper
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/06
date added: 2024/12/07
shelves: audio-unabridged, fantasy, fiction, just-fun, witches
review:

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<![CDATA[Wolves of Wisteria (Wisteria Witches #6; City Hall, #1]]> 41155748
When a beloved coworker is found dead next to her desk, the whole office gets paranoid. Is one of them a killer? Did the victim leave behind clues in the book she was writing? Is there a town-wide conspiracy, or is some lone serial predator on the loose?

The police are always two steps behind the evil that's threatening the peaceful town. Now it's up to Zinnia Riddle and the witches in her coven to uncover the secrets hiding in plain sight.

Will Zinnia's rusty magic hold up against a powerful enemy?

WOLVES OF WISTERIA is the sixth book set in Angela Pepper's Wisteria Witches universe, and the first book featuring Zinnia Riddle in her own thrilling mystery!]]>
Angela Pepper Marsha 4 3.72 2018 Wolves of Wisteria (Wisteria Witches #6; City Hall, #1
author: Angela Pepper
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/06
date added: 2024/12/06
shelves: audio-unabridged, auoio, cozy, fantasy, fiction, just-fun, paranormal, witches
review:

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<![CDATA[Wisteria Wrinkle (Wisteria Witches #7; City Hall, #2)]]> 42881864
Now that she's the boss of her own department, life seems simple enough. Sure, there are strange creatures crawling out of the ceiling, but that's life in a magical town like Wisteria.

But when two of her coworkers go missing, Zinnia springs into action. All this nonsense with the third floor has gone on long enough. If nobody else is going to fix the problem, she will. With the help of her friends, Zinnia whips up a new potion and takes a journey to somewhere she's never been.

Will the gang be able to defeat an enemy unlike any they've ever seen? Or will they be too distracted by their new powers?

Only time will tell, and time is a fickle monster, indeed.

This is the second book in the City Hall series, which centers on Zinnia Riddle (Aunt Zinnia).

Length: 11 hours 29 minutes]]>
Angela Pepper Marsha 4 4.05 2018 Wisteria Wrinkle (Wisteria Witches #7; City Hall, #2)
author: Angela Pepper
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/06
date added: 2024/12/06
shelves: amazon, audio-unabridged, auoio, cozy, just-fun, fantasy, fiction, paranormal, witches
review:

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The Little Liar 199683256 An Instant New York Times Bestseller

Beloved bestselling author Mitch Albom returns with his most important novel to date, an unforgettable story of truth and lies set during the Holocaust.

Eleven-year-old Nico Krispis has never told a lie. When the Nazis invade his home in Salonika, Greece, the trustworthy boy is discovered by a German officer, who offers him a chance to save his family. All Nico has to do is persuade his fellow Jewish residents to board trains heading “north,� where new jobs and safety await. Unaware that this is all a cruel ruse, the innocent boy reassures passengers on the station platform every day.

But when the final train is loaded, Nico sees his family being herded into a boxcar. Only then does he discover that he has helped send them—and everyone he knows and loves—to their doom at Auschwitz.

Nico escapes—but he never tells the truth again.

In The Little Liar, Mitch Albom examines the human repercussions of deception by interweaving the stories of Nico, who yearns for forgiveness; his older brother, Sebastian, who vows revenge against him; Fannie, the girl who must choose between them; and Udo Graf, the Nazi officer who forever changed their lives with his lies.

Through the war years, the concentration camps, and the decades that follow, Albom reveals the consequences of each person’s honesty and dishonesty, bringing them back to where it all started in a staggering climax worthy of the best of Albom’s internationally embraced stories.]]>
Mitch Albom Marsha 5 Yes, it was a World War Two book, but it was about people and relationships, both to each other and the world and the war. There was forgiveness- and lack of forgiveness; growth of relationships, change- both physical and emotional; acceptance and lack of acceptance; And overall a multifaceted Group of feelings and personal associations.
The writing was wonderful so that the reader could actually feel and understand the failings and feelings. The overall connection between the four main characters was intense and varied and often changing. And seeing the motivations end results was priceless.
And I absolutely loved the ending!!
As I said, this was a book club choice, and absolutely everyone in the group really liked it.]]>
4.45 2023 The Little Liar
author: Mitch Albom
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/03
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves: audio-unabridged, auoio, book-club, historical-fiction, history
review:
I started this book and I thought,� Ugh: ANOTHER world War Two book!� Since it was a book club book, I continued reading anyway. What a fortunate decision- I LOVED the book!
Yes, it was a World War Two book, but it was about people and relationships, both to each other and the world and the war. There was forgiveness- and lack of forgiveness; growth of relationships, change- both physical and emotional; acceptance and lack of acceptance; And overall a multifaceted Group of feelings and personal associations.
The writing was wonderful so that the reader could actually feel and understand the failings and feelings. The overall connection between the four main characters was intense and varied and often changing. And seeing the motivations end results was priceless.
And I absolutely loved the ending!!
As I said, this was a book club choice, and absolutely everyone in the group really liked it.
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The Books of Magic 18951821 194 Neil Gaiman 1401239935 Marsha 0 to-read 4.27 1993 The Books of Magic
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1993
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves: to-read
review:

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No Conscience 34625928
Wes Shaw’s different than his siblings—darker, awkward, the perpetual ne’er-do-well. Mary Shaw’s the doting mother, showering her children with gifts from the heart and the pocketbook.

The Shaws have survived divorce and death, but something sinister is in their midst. The truth threatens to tear them apart. The lies threaten to tear them apart.

Which side will each choose?

Adult language and explicit content.]]>
333 Phil M. Williams 1943894264 Marsha 0 to-read 3.86 2017 No Conscience
author: Phil M. Williams
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia]]> 42129163
The work is divided into three sections. The two chapters in the first part consider how Renaissance white women and women of color were depicted as plump and feminine, separated by class, yet belonging to the same gender. The second part of the work charts the rise of modern racial ideologies that yoked feminine beauty to Protestant, Anglo-Saxon whiteness. Later chapters and the epilogue consider how Americans normalized the "scientific management" of white women's bodies for the purpose of racial uplift, a project that continued to situate black women as the embodied Other.

The author does not address fat from the angle of health or previous attitudes white Europeans held towards corpulence.]]>
296 Sabrina Strings 1479886750 Marsha 0 to-read 4.25 2019 Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia
author: Sabrina Strings
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves: to-read
review:

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Fractured (Will Trent, #2) 2199587
When the local police make a misjudgement which not only threatens the investigation but places a young girl's life in danger, the case is handed over to Special Agent Will Trent of the Criminal Apprehension Team - paired with detective Faith Mitchell, a woman who resents him from their first meeting.

But in the relentless heat of a Georgia summer, Will and Faith realise that they must work together to find the brutal killer who has targeted one of Atlanta's wealthiest, most privileged communities - before it's too late...]]>
388 Karin Slaughter 0385341954 Marsha 0 to-read 4.14 2008 Fractured (Will Trent, #2)
author: Karin Slaughter
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/28
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Missing Half 217213002 Two women haunted by their sisters' unsolved disappearances band together in this captivating mystery from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of All Good People Here and host of the #1 true crime podcast Crime Junkie.

Nicole “Nic� Monroe is in a rut. At twenty-four, she lives alone in a dinky apartment in her hometown of Mishawaka, Indiana, she’s just gotten a DWI, and she works the same dead-end job she’s been working since high school, a job she only has because her boss is a family friend and feels sorry for her. Everyone has felt sorry for her for the last seven years—since the day her older sister, Kasey, vanished without a trace.

On the night Kasey went missing, her car was found over a hundred miles from home. The driver’s door was open and her purse was untouched in the seat next to it. The only real clue in her disappearance was Jules Connor, another young woman from the same area who disappeared in the same way, two weeks earlier. But with so little for the police to go on, both their cases eventually went cold.

Nic wants nothing more than to move on—from her sister’s disappearance and the state it’s left her in. But then one day, Jules’s sister, Jenna Connor, walks into her life and offers Nic something she hasn’t felt in a long hope. What follows is a gripping tale of two sisters who will do anything to find their missing halves, even if it means destroying everything they’ve ever known.]]>
272 Ashley Flowers 0593726987 Marsha 0 to-read 4.03 2025 The Missing Half
author: Ashley Flowers
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/28
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Wisteria Wyverns (Wisteria Witches, #5)]]> 45020627
Zara Riddle went out for ice cream and ran into her mother, who was last seen dead. But the woman is not a ghost. She's flesh and blood, and ready to pick up their relationship right where they left it.

Zara is catching up with her mother at Castle Wyvern when a new ghost and a dead body turn up. The victim is someone Zara has tangled with before. All signs point to a supernatural killer. An old enemy is back to settle the score.

Now Zara is racing against time to solve her biggest mystery yet. She must survive the lies, backstabbing, and betrayal, so she can face the one person from her past who's hurt her the most. There will be pain, and there will be payback.

WISTERIA WYVERNS is book 5 in the hit witch cozy series Wisteria Witches Mysteries by Amazon All-Star author Angela Pepper.]]>
Angela Pepper Marsha 4 4.24 2017 Wisteria Wyverns (Wisteria Witches, #5)
author: Angela Pepper
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/28
date added: 2024/11/28
shelves: audio-unabridged, amazon, cozy, fantasy, fiction, just-fun, psychic-paranormal
review:

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<![CDATA[Watchful Wisteria (Wisteria Witches, #4)]]> 44107609
Zara Riddle is a thirty-something woman trying to balance her career and motherhood. Scratch that. Career, motherhood, and being a novice witch.

When someone from her past shows up in the most dramatic fashion (i.e. bleeding and nearly dead), this sassy single mother gains a whole new set of relationship problems to juggle.

And now there's a new ghost haunting Zara, making her do the strangest things, like gardening.

Zara's back yard is starting to resemble the lush lawns of a stately manor, yet not all is calm and serene in Wisteria. There's been an unexplained death, and someone close to the Riddle family is the prime suspect. It's time for Zara to put down her garden spade and trade it for a sharper weapon. Or, at the very least, a bigger shovel.

WATCHFUL WISTERIA is a complete, full-length novel in the hit series with millions of Kindle Unlimited pagereads!

WATCHFUL WISTERIA is the fourth book in the Wisteria Witches series, which can be read in any order but will be more fun this way:
#1 - Wisteria Witches
#2 - Wicked Wisteria
#3 - Wisteria Wonders
#4 - Watchful Wisteria
#5 - coming soon!

If you love author Angela Pepper's wildly funny characters, be sure to check out her other cozy murder mystery series: STORMY DAY MYSTERIES, RESTLESS SPIRITS OF THE SOUTHWEST, and more!]]>
Angela Pepper Marsha 4 4.19 2017 Watchful Wisteria (Wisteria Witches, #4)
author: Angela Pepper
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/25
date added: 2024/11/26
shelves: audio-unabridged, auoio, cozy, fantasy, fiction, paranormal, just-fun, witches
review:
Curiouser and curiouser! (to coin a phrase). It's fun to watch characters change and change form and existence. And developing. The constant changes in the characters is delightful. New realms and concepts continue to present themselves.
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<![CDATA[Wisteria Wonders (Wisteria Witches, #3)]]> 44050473
Just when Zara Riddle thought she was handling the whole witch-librarian thing, her friend got zapped into a flamingo. Yes, the pink-feathered kind. Her library coworker Frank Wonder is now four and a half feet tall, and none too happy about it!

The Department of Water and Magic gets involved, but now they want Zara to channel a missing spirit. The fiesty redheaded librarian wants to help, REALLY, but this new spirit is going to be murder on her love life.

With a few timely spells, some top-secret sleuthing, and (of course) the appropriate reference materials, Zara Riddle should have this case solved in no time. If it doesn't kill her.

WISTERIA WONDERS is a complete, full-length novel.

WISTERIA WONDERS is the third book in the Wisteria Witches series, which can be read in any order but will be more fun this way:

#1 - Wisteria Witches (available now)
#2 - Wicked Wisteria (available now)
#3 - Wisteria Wonders (coming January 2017)

If you love author Angela Pepper's wildly funny characters, be sure to check out her other cozy murder mystery series: STORMY DAY MYSTERIES, GHOST MYSTERIES OF THE SOUTHWEST, and DIAMOND FILES.
]]>
Angela Pepper Marsha 4 and personalities, and it feels that another dimension has been added to the total story. It's still a � just for fun� book, but it continues to grow in intrigue :).]]> 4.19 2017 Wisteria Wonders (Wisteria Witches, #3)
author: Angela Pepper
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/25
date added: 2024/11/25
shelves: amazon, audio-unabridged, auoio, cozy, fantasy, fiction, just-fun, witches
review:
This is a tantalizing addition to the series! There are surprising changes to relationships
and personalities, and it feels that another dimension has been added to the total story. It's still a � just for fun� book, but it continues to grow in intrigue :).
]]>
Witch Brew (Jack Daniels #22) 78095501 TRY TO GET OUT, IF YOU CAN...

What happened in the Northwoods?

Former homicide cop Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels has two vacations planned. One at a bed and breakfast with her old pal, Chandler. Another, a visit to a themed escape room with Phineas Troutt, her daughter Sam, Harry McGlade, and his son Harry Junior.

Vacations are supposed to be an escape.

But what if you can't escape?

When both trips go terrifyingly wrong, Jack and those she loves must fight for their lives against a collection of villains too horrible to comprehend.

And the maniacs running things aren't nearly as bad as the killers from Jack's past who have plans of their own...

WITCH BREW by J.A. Konrath
The only escape is death...]]>
269 J.A. Konrath Marsha 2 It did include some fascinating ideas and subplots, and it left open a tantalizing recurring idea. I do look forward to future books come on but I hope the that Mr. Konrath does not continue this confusing format.]]> 4.24 2023 Witch Brew (Jack Daniels #22)
author: J.A. Konrath
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2024/11/24
date added: 2024/11/24
shelves: mysteries, e-book, contemporary-fiction, fiction, mudddr, psychological-thriller, suspense, thriller, read-read-visual
review:
Don't get me wrong, I usually love than Jack Daniels series. I've read it and enjoyed many of them. This particular book, although a good and insightful book, was not what I was wanting or expecting. There were basically three or four ongoing streams that related to each other but the way it was presented was confusing and annoying at best. There was not one straight timeline, but four concurrent timelines separately that really did braid back together and depended on each other, but it was not a standard Jack Daniels mystery at all!
It did include some fascinating ideas and subplots, and it left open a tantalizing recurring idea. I do look forward to future books come on but I hope the that Mr. Konrath does not continue this confusing format.
]]>
<![CDATA[Wicked Wisteria (Wisteria Witches, #2)]]> 42140925
Zara Riddle is on the case! As both a witch and a librarian, she takes a special interest in finding out who or what is stealing the town of Wisteria's printed words.

With the help of her mentor witch aunt and a few unauthorized spells, soon Zara is deep into mystical trouble way over her head. Now her hunky shifter would-be boyfriend Chet is charging in with his macho guys to save the day. But when the trap is sprung, who's going to save Chet?]]>
8 Angela Pepper Marsha 3 It really is a � just for fun� read.]]> 3.97 2016 Wicked Wisteria (Wisteria Witches, #2)
author: Angela Pepper
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/22
date added: 2024/11/22
shelves: audio-unabridged, auoio, cozy, fantasy, fiction, just-fun, witches
review:
It was fun; the characters end up being surprising but totally in line with the expectations built. The overall bad guy was a surprise, and it keeps me wanting to learn more about Wisteria.
It really is a � just for fun� read.
]]>
Dracula 32721533 13 Bram Stoker 148308857X Marsha 5 For one thing, the dawning on the vampire does NOT kill him! For another thing, the vampires simply biting the neck of his/her victim does not clearly define the horror possibly transmitted!!
Oh, and "bats" are not the only form that vampires can take; there are foxes and wolves at least in addition, not to mention mist�
I enjoyed the whole full story that clearly points out the errors and shortcomings of the common myth!


I don't know what version of the book I Read for this previous review- It was certainly not the unabridged Blackstone version Which I just read. It was so much more complete In the common mythology That we are all familiar with, and I don't know now The reason that it is so Highly reputed And haunting. It's not just the story, but the creepy feelings all through.]]>
3.66 1897 Dracula
author: Bram Stoker
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.66
book published: 1897
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/20
date added: 2024/11/22
shelves: mysteries, amazon, classic, audio-unabridged, british-lit-classic, horror-suspense
review:
I don't know why I had not yet read or listened to this book! Of course, I was familiar with the common tropes from it, but the book itself is so full of character and story that the common folklore doesn't even begin to describe it!
For one thing, the dawning on the vampire does NOT kill him! For another thing, the vampires simply biting the neck of his/her victim does not clearly define the horror possibly transmitted!!
Oh, and "bats" are not the only form that vampires can take; there are foxes and wolves at least in addition, not to mention mist�
I enjoyed the whole full story that clearly points out the errors and shortcomings of the common myth!


I don't know what version of the book I Read for this previous review- It was certainly not the unabridged Blackstone version Which I just read. It was so much more complete In the common mythology That we are all familiar with, and I don't know now The reason that it is so Highly reputed And haunting. It's not just the story, but the creepy feelings all through.
]]>
<![CDATA[Wisteria Witches (Wisteria Witches #1)]]> 41028062
With all the ghosts and supernatural creatures around (Including a real hunk of a wolf shifter! Meow!) it's a good thing the Riddle women are tougher than they look. Now, if only they could handle their new witch powers as well as they've mastered their sarcastic wit!

Length: 8 hours 12 minutes]]>
Angela Pepper Marsha 5 3.94 2017 Wisteria Witches (Wisteria Witches #1)
author: Angela Pepper
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/21
date added: 2024/11/21
shelves: amazon, audio-unabridged, auoio, cozy, fiction, fantasy, just-fun, witches
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's So Hard to Think Straight About Animals]]> 6953508
Does living with a pet really make people happier and healthier? What can we learn from biomedical research with mice? Who enjoyed a better quality of life—the chicken on a dinner plate or the rooster who died in a Saturday-night cockfight? Why is it wrong to eat the family dog? Drawing on more than two decades of research in the emerging field of anthrozoology, the science of human–animal relations, Hal Herzog offers surprising answers to these and other questions related to the moral conundrums we face day in and day out regarding the creatures with whom we share our world.

Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat is a highly entertaining and illuminating journey through the full spectrum of human–animal relations, based on Dr. Herzog’s groundbreaking research on animal rights activists, cockfighters, professional dog-show handlers, veterinary students, and biomedical researchers. Blending anthropology, behavioral economics, evolutionary psychology, and philosophy, Herzog carefully crafts a seamless narrative enriched with real-life anecdotes, scientific research, and his own sense of moral ambivalence.

Alternately poignant, challenging, and laugh-out-loud funny, this enlightening and provocative book will forever change the way we look at our relationships with other creatures and, ultimately, how we see ourselves.]]>
326 Hal Herzog 0061730866 Marsha 0 3.86 2010 Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's So Hard to Think Straight About Animals
author: Hal Herzog
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/20
shelves: science, e-book, morality, nature, philosophy, psychology, read-read-visual, social-science, tts, true, started-to-read-on-hold
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Who's in Charge? Free Will and the Science of the Brain]]> 11976774 Human, Michael S. Gazzaniga has been called the “father of cognitive neuroscience.� In his remarkable book, Who’s in Charge?, he makes a powerful and provocative argument that counters the common wisdom that our lives are wholly determined by physical processes we cannot control. His well-reasoned case against the idea that we live in a “determined� world is fascinating and liberating, solidifying his place among the likes of Oliver Sacks, Antonio Damasio, V.S. Ramachandran, and other bestselling science authors exploring the mysteries of the human brain]]> 260 Michael S. Gazzaniga 0061906107 Marsha 0 3.98 2011 Who's in Charge? Free Will and the Science of the Brain
author: Michael S. Gazzaniga
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at: 2024/08/27
date added: 2024/11/20
shelves: science, audio-unabridged, auoio, biology, medicine, nature, true, brain, started-to-read-on-hold
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails]]> 7059143 Why I Became an Atheist, has assembled fifteen outstanding articles by leading skeptics, expanding on themes introduced in his first book.

Central is a defense of his "outsider test of faith," arguing that believers should test their faith with the same skeptical standards they use to evaluate the other faiths they reject, as if they were outsiders. Experts in medicine, psychology, and anthropology join Loftus to show why, when this test is applied to Christianity, it becomes very difficult to rationally defend.

Collectively, these articles reveal that popular Christian beliefs tend to rely on ignorance of the facts. Drawing together experts in diverse fields, including Hector Avalos, Richard Carrier, David Eller, and Robert Price, this book deals a powerful blow against Christian faith.]]>
432 John W. Loftus 1616141689 Marsha 3 3.99 2010 The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails
author: John W. Loftus
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/09
date added: 2024/11/09
shelves: religion, e-book, philosophy, belief
review:
Well, I admit to not having totally completely reading it, but I ran enough to know that the arguments are common and valid, and then I've already heard them. And it's not just a � Christian delusion�, it's a religious delusion, but in particular it does point out their “infallible� Bible which is fraught with contradictions, several of which this book specifically points out. It's only somewhat of a disappointment that there are no new arguments, but it's a nice confirmation that there's nothing new under the sun.
]]>
<![CDATA[Lola Is Missing (Detective Rachel Prince #1)]]> 220317615 A MISSING CHILD. A DEAD WOMAN. A SHOCKING MYSTERY.

Six-year-old Lola Jade Harper is taken from her bedroom. Her mother is distraught. She is convinced her estranged husband, Gavin Harper, has abducted their daughter.

Detective Rachel Prince is leading the investigation but is soon out of her depth as she searches for the most high-profile missing child in the country. To uncover the truth about Lola’s disappearance, Rachel must untangle the Harper family’s complicated web of secrets and lies.

As the case progresses, the body of a local woman is found. The death at first seems unrelated, until a trail of social media posts lead Rachel to a chilling discovery.

And then another little girl is taken�

With growing pressure from the public and the appearance of someone from her past she’d rather forget, will Rachel be able to solve the connection between the two missing children and the murder - before it’s too late?

Truly addictive from start to finish, The Missing Child is a tense, enthralling crime thriller by one of the best new voices in crime fiction. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Peter James and Karin Slaughter.

8 hours and 44 minutes]]>
9 Alison James Marsha 4 It's the first book of a series by an author with whom I have no familiarity, but I have high hopes for her. She adds a new voice and new ideas.]]> 4.00 2018 Lola Is Missing (Detective Rachel Prince #1)
author: Alison James
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/09
date added: 2024/11/09
shelves: mysteries, crime, audio-unabridged, fiction, murder
review:
How refreshing! A totally engaging mystery about a child abduction involving many possible suspects and surprising turns and detours!
It's the first book of a series by an author with whom I have no familiarity, but I have high hopes for her. She adds a new voice and new ideas.
]]>
<![CDATA[A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder (Countess of Harleigh Mystery, #1)]]> 43722578
Frances Wynn, the American-born Countess of Harleigh, enjoys more freedom as a widow than she did as a wife. After an obligatory year spent mourning her philandering husband, Reggie, she puts aside her drab black gowns, leaving the countryside and her money-grubbing in-laws behind. With her young daughter in tow, Frances rents a home in Belgravia and prepares to welcome her sister, Lily, arriving from New York - for her first London season.

No sooner has Frances begun her new life than the ghosts of her old one make an unwelcome appearance. The Metropolitan Police receive an anonymous letter implicating Frances in her husband's death. Frances assures Inspector Delaney of her innocence, but she's also keen to keep him from learning the scandalous circumstances of Reggie's demise. As fate would have it, her dashing new neighbour, George Hazelton, is one of only two other people aware of the full story.

While busy with social engagements on Lily's behalf, and worrying if Reggie really was murdered, Frances learns of mysterious burglaries plaguing London's elite. The investigation brings death to her doorstep, and Frances rallies her wits, a circle of gossips, and the ever-chivalrous Mr. Hazelton to uncover the truth. A killer is in their midst, perhaps even among her sister's suitors. And Frances must unmask the villain before Lily's season - and their lives - come to a most unseemly end.]]>
9 Dianne Freeman Marsha 3 3.54 2018 A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder (Countess of Harleigh Mystery, #1)
author: Dianne Freeman
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2020/06/26
date added: 2024/11/09
shelves: amazon, mysteries, cozy, audio-unabridged, crime, just-fun, suspense
review:
A fun cozy mystery. The only surprising thing was the revelation of the earlier part of the history of the husband. But it was fun
]]>
The 1st Victim 19355680 New York Times bestseller Tami Hoag’s short story "The 1st Victim."



New Year’s Day is a time for new beginnings, but Minneapolis homicide detectives Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska are focused on endings: specifically, the tragic end of their latest murder victim, an unidentified young woman discovered on the side of the freeway. Believed to be the victim of a serial killer, Kovac and Liska are determined to do the girl the small justice of returning her body to her family as they investigate her case, but it is no simple task matching the broken corpse to any of the scores of missing persons reports, especially when no one seems to be looking for her.



Meanwhile, recent widow Jeannie Reiser is frantic when she is unable to get in touch with her daughter, Rose, who, as an eighteen-year-old, is a legal adult rather than a missing child in the eyes of the law. Jeannie’s desperate attempts to get the police to believe her child is in trouble lead her closer and closer to the New Year’s Doe and to an evil even Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska may be unable to stop. Tami Hoag once again proves her place as “one of the most intense suspense writers around�* with "The 1st Victim."



*Chicago Tribune]]>
0 Tami Hoag 1480542032 Marsha 3 3.56 2013 The 1st Victim
author: Tami Hoag
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2021/10/25
date added: 2024/11/08
shelves: amazon, audio-unabridged, crime, mysteries
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Witches of Eileanan (The Witches of Eileanan, #1)]]> 264069 411 Kate Forsyth 0451456890 Marsha 0 4.03 1997 The Witches of Eileanan (The Witches of Eileanan, #1)
author: Kate Forsyth
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1997
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/07
shelves: fantasy, thriller, witches, audio-unabridged, auoio, bailed-bored-or-didn-t-like
review:

]]>
Age of Fable, Part One 34489096
We propose to tell the stories relating to them which have come down to us from the ancients, and which are alluded to by modern poets, essayists, and orators. Our readers may thus at the same time be entertained by the most charming fictions which fancy has ever created, and put in possession of information indispensable to every one who would read with intelligence the elegant literature of his own day.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.]]>
Thomas Bulfinch 1449871216 Marsha 0 3.75 1855 Age of Fable, Part One
author: Thomas Bulfinch
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1855
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/07
shelves: audio-unabridged, auoio, classic, mythology, started-to-read-on-hold
review:

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<![CDATA[Why Not? Lessons on Comedy, Courage, and Chutzpah]]> 61968864
Pursuing a career in comedy has always taken a lot of chutzpah. Today Mark Schiff looks back at his fifty-year career as a stand-up comic, actor, and writer and knows he’s laughed with the best of them. His comedy and character have been widely praised by everyone from Jerry Seinfeld to Bill Maher and Colin Quinn—as Seinfeld writes in his foreword, Mark is “the greatest comedy pal a guy could ever wish for”—but it hasn’t always been easy. In this brilliantly honest collection of essays inducing both heart tugs and deep belly laughs, Mark recounts growing up Jewish in the outer boroughs of New York City and shares how he survived a harrowing childhood and managed health crises, aging, marriage, parenting, and career highs and lows. With wit and wisdom, Mark reminds us that no matter the troubles at-hand, the show must always go on. The result is an unforgettable and highly relatable account from one of the best humor writers of our time that will leave readers of all faiths energized and feeling like they’ve schmoozed with the best of them.]]>
272 Mark Schiff 1954641168 Marsha 3 It was our book club book November for our Temple.
It was OK, and I like that it expressed The importance that he was able to a attribute to Judaism in his life. It's nice to find such An expression of a non-Christian or other thing who is actually not trying to convert anyone]]>
3.80 Why Not? Lessons on Comedy, Courage, and Chutzpah
author: Mark Schiff
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.80
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/03
date added: 2024/11/07
shelves: audio-unabridged, book-club, entertainment, humor
review:
(well, the format was actually audible audio look, not hardback)
It was our book club book November for our Temple.
It was OK, and I like that it expressed The importance that he was able to a attribute to Judaism in his life. It's nice to find such An expression of a non-Christian or other thing who is actually not trying to convert anyone
]]>
<![CDATA[Supernatural Security Force Box Set: Books 1-4]]> 60000360
Knock Em Dead: After being demoted to the position of "cleaner" for the SSF, Gem's not sure life gets much worse. But when she stumbles upon a level six demon in her last trimester hiding in downtown New Orleans, she realizes she was very, very wrong.

Death's Door: Gem's life has gone from bad to worse faster than her secret demon baby can say "baby daddy." What started as a crappy job and a possible killer to bring to justice has become a full-blown conspiracy from hell.

Dead to Rights: After months on the run from the very organization Gem swore to serve, Gem is once again back on the job. A detective with a badge to prove it - and a partner with a weakness for pretty faces. Not to mention, a boss with an axe to grind.]]>
Heather Hildenbrand Marsha 4 4.00 Supernatural Security Force Box Set: Books 1-4
author: Heather Hildenbrand
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/11/07
shelves:
review:
I like the story, but there's way too much sex. Everything was perfectly wonderful without the romance- and sex. But overall, alliances and friendships are made and extremely important, but one wonders one the actual goals and advantages of the total scumbags proved to be. There is one more book in the series (not available and audible), but I'm curious as to whether there is any more satisfying and complete conclusion.
]]>
<![CDATA[Secrets of the Greek Revival (Mystery House #1)]]> 42748091
Ellen and her two best friends share a mid-life crisis by hatching a plan to renovate an 1860's Greek revival in the nearby historic district of San Antonio. Although Ellen isn’t one to believe in ghosts, she comes face to face with something inexplicable in the attic. Her ghost-enthusiast friends convince her that they must help the spirit find closure, and as they dig deeper into the past, they uncover a shocking history that someone in the neighborhood doesn’t want exposed. But Ellen and her friends don't give up easily. They realize they've been called to give voice to the invisible women who suffered behind the walls of the house for decades.]]>
331 Eva Pohler Marsha 4 The overall thing was positive and encouraging. One ends up making all of the characters despite the twists and surprises.]]> 3.76 2015 Secrets of the Greek Revival (Mystery House #1)
author: Eva Pohler
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/07
date added: 2024/11/07
shelves: mysteries, cozy, e-book, fiction, tts, suspense
review:
No one turned out to be what was originally expected! But the whole thing was kind of amusing and allowed believers and non believers in the supernatural to continue with their own convictions.
The overall thing was positive and encouraging. One ends up making all of the characters despite the twists and surprises.
]]>
<![CDATA[Dead to Rights (Supernatural Security Force #4)]]> 101349979
After months on the run from the very organization Gem swore to serve, Gem is once again back on the job. A detective with a badge to prove it � and a partner with a weakness for pretty faces. Not to mention, a boss with an axe to grind.

Yep. Life is... almost normal.

If you don’t count the baby daddy drama and the Nephilim whose sexy-as-sin kisses might actually have the power to melt her into a puddle of goo. But even the circus that is Gem’s personal life can’t distract her from the danger that still lurks among the Nephilim council. Demons no longer slip through secret portals to terrorize Earth.

Why ship them in from afar when they can be created right here? One by one, Gem’s friends are being targeted until what began as a random science experiment becomes terrifyingly personal. This time, they have her dead to rights.]]>
1 Heather Hildenbrand Marsha 3 Too much sex! There's a difference between romance and sex, and this book kind of steps over the line! In general, I really like the story and pointing out of secrets and conspiracy which, even if they are nominally ith a good goal in mind, potentially awful and backfire!]]> 4.00 Dead to Rights (Supernatural Security Force #4)
author: Heather Hildenbrand
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/05
date added: 2024/11/05
shelves: audio-unabridged, fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, suspense, thriller
review:
(again, not an audio CD, but an Audible audio book)
Too much sex! There's a difference between romance and sex, and this book kind of steps over the line! In general, I really like the story and pointing out of secrets and conspiracy which, even if they are nominally ith a good goal in mind, potentially awful and backfire!
]]>
<![CDATA[Death's Door (Supernatural Security Force #3)]]> 72524063
Gem’s life has gone from bad to worse faster than her secret demon baby can say “baby daddy.� What started as a crappy job and a possible killer to bring to justice has become a full-blown conspiracy from hell. Literally.

Demons are being summoned into New Orleans and Gem is sure there’s a Nephilim behind it. Now, all she has to do is prove it. Oh yeah, and not get herself killed in the process.

Too bad for Gem, everyone has secrets, including her. And when the powers-that-be find out what she’s capable of, they’ll stop at nothing to silence her once and for all.]]>
0 Heather Hildenbrand Marsha 4 I still enjoy the story, but it's getting too romantic and sexy for me... It does bring up double crossing within an organization's very root and foundation...]]> 4.50 Death's Door (Supernatural Security Force #3)
author: Heather Hildenbrand
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/04
date added: 2024/11/05
shelves: espionage, entertainment, fantasy, fiction, intrigue, audio-unabridged, supernatural, suspense
review:
(Well, not exactly an audio CD, but part of an audible audio set)
I still enjoy the story, but it's getting too romantic and sexy for me... It does bring up double crossing within an organization's very root and foundation...
]]>
<![CDATA[Knock Em Dead (Supernatural Security Force #2)]]> 56965769
With her training days behind her, Gem can finally get down to the real work of being an agent. And while cleaning up other people’s messes isn’t exactly what she had in mind, she’s determined to use her new position to its full advantage.

That is until a pregnant demon shows up and derails her best laid plans.

Suddenly, Gem’s juggling a lusty panther shifter who thinks he’s her baby daddy, a hot-as-sin Nephilim she wouldn’t mind working late with, and a city overrun with demons so powerful, they defy reality.

Somewhere in the midst of the chaos is a clue about who really killed her father.

This is one mess Gem’s going to need help cleaning up.]]>
251 Heather Hildenbrand Marsha 4 4.00 Knock Em Dead (Supernatural Security Force #2)
author: Heather Hildenbrand
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/04
date added: 2024/11/04
shelves: espionage, fantasy, entertainment, fiction, paranormal, supernatural, suspense
review:
Great action and drama, but WAY too much romance. I know that a lot of people like the romance, but it's really an unnecessary addition/distraction from the overall story, which in itself is engaging and exciting. I am generally enjoying this series.
]]>
<![CDATA[Kiss of Death (Supernatural Security Force #1)]]> 57177730 294 Heather Hildenbrand Marsha 4 3.50 2019 Kiss of Death (Supernatural Security Force #1)
author: Heather Hildenbrand
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/02
date added: 2024/11/04
shelves: audio-unabridged, fantasy, fiction, intrigue, suspense, supernatural
review:
Not much to say; it was a lot of fun, and although I was afraid that it would be basically romance, it isn't (I really don't have much room in my mind - not to mention patience - for a romance book) . I like the filling out of certain characters, and I'm looking forward to seeing where that goes. As desired, I hate The overall nemesis (Whose name I have totally forgotten :-)
]]>
A Dirty Job 13619396 Christopher Moore 0060878525 Marsha 4 I totally enjoyed this, and I can't wait for the next one.]]> 3.51 2006 A Dirty Job
author: Christopher Moore
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/28
date added: 2024/10/29
shelves: mysteries, crime, fiction, just-fun, fantasy
review:
Oh my! What an amusing and intricate take on death, and spirituality and souls, and such a hodgepodge of fantasy and fantastical interactions and relationships. It runs the whole gamut including love, horror, killing, escape, and fill in the blank!
I totally enjoyed this, and I can't wait for the next one.
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<![CDATA[Bodies in the Back Garden - True Stories of Brutal Murders Close to Home]]> 21944768 288 Nigel Cawthorne 1782199861 Marsha 0 3.78 2014 Bodies in the Back Garden - True Stories of Brutal Murders Close to Home
author: Nigel Cawthorne
name: Marsha
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/21
shelves: mysteries, crime, e-book, history, mudddr, read-read-visual, stories, suspense, true, bailed-bored-or-didn-t-like
review:

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<![CDATA[The Man Who Died Twice (Thursday Murder Club, #2)]]> 57685541
The second gripping novel in the number-one internationally best-selling Thursday Murder Club series, the first of which Kate Atkinson called "A little beacon of pleasure in the midst of the gloom...such fun!"

Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim - the Thursday Murder Club - are still riding high off their recent real-life murder case and are looking forward to a bit of peace and quiet at Cooper’s Chase, their posh retirement village.

But they are out of luck.

An unexpected visitor - an old pal of Elizabeth’s (or perhaps more than just a pal?) - arrives, desperate for her help. He has been accused of stealing diamonds worth millions from the wrong men and he’s seriously on the lam.

Then, as night follows day, the first body is found. But not the last. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim are up against a ruthless murderer who wouldn’t bat an eyelid at knocking off four septuagenarians. Can our four friends catch the killer before the killer catches them? And if they find the diamonds, too? Well, wouldn’t that be a bonus? You should never put anything beyond the Thursday Murder Club.

Richard Osman is back with everyone’s favorite mystery-solving quartet, and the second installment of The Thursday Murder Club series is just as clever and warm as the first - an unputdownable, laugh-out-loud pleasure of a listen.]]>
Richard Osman Marsha 4 ]]> 4.18 2021 The Man Who Died Twice (Thursday Murder Club, #2)
author: Richard Osman
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/15
date added: 2024/10/15
shelves: mysteries, audio-unabridged, auoio, crime
review:
I expected the standard mystery, but it was really far more. It was a lot of fun, and figuring the characters' relationship with each other and the case in general was a lot of fun- I get I should have read the first in this series, first, but it is what it is. :-)

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<![CDATA[Magic Unbound (White Haven Witches, #2)]]> 42836280 As the secrets of White Haven are uncovered, the witches are in more danger than ever.Avery and the other witches are now being hunted, and they know someone is betraying them.The question is, who?Not only do they have to defend themselves against the powerful Favershams, but they also have the mysterious DI Newton to contend with.And of course, Avery also has to battle her increasing attraction to the dangerously seductive Alex.One thing is certain.They have to find their missing grimoires before their attackers do, and they have to strike back.If you love urban fantasy, filled with magic and a twist of romance, you'll love Magic Unbound.Buy now to find out what's hidden in the grimoires, and what this means for the White Haven Witches.]]> 220 T.J. Green 0995116326 Marsha 0 4.40 Magic Unbound (White Haven Witches, #2)
author: T.J. Green
name: Marsha
average rating: 4.40
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/13
shelves: mysteries, audio-unabridged, auoio, fantasy, cozy, fiction, witches, to-read
review:

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