Tag: book recommendations

Posted on

Jesse Parker Mystery Duology

I have been a fan of John Flanagan for several years. His main claim to fame is his middle grade series Ranger’s Apprentice and its spinoff series, The Brotherband Chronicles and Ranger’s Apprentice: The Royal Ranger. I have read them all and loved them, so when I learned that he had written a mystery duology, I was excited to read it.

The main character in the books is Jesse Parker, a former Denver police detective, who has returned to his hometown in Colorado to work with the ski patrol. When there are a series of killings in town, he is pulled into the investigation by Sheriff Lee Torrens, a longtime friend and former flame. I really enjoyed the mystery and the rekindling of the relationship between Jesse and Lee.

In the second book, Jesse has taken a trip to Utah to face his fears after a skiing accident and ends up in the middle of a hostage situation. It was interesting to see the character in a very different type of mystery, and I really liked the ending, especially the epilogue.

Posted on

ICYMI: Benni Harper series by Earlene Fowler

ICYMI: my quest to highlight books you may have missed

The Benni Harper series by Earlene Fowler consists of fifteen books published between 1994-2011. The protagonist, Benni Harper, has moved to fictional San Celina, California after losing her husband a few months earlier and is managing an artist’s co-op and art gallery. When she encounters a fellow artist’s dead body, she decides to play amateur sleuth and try to solve the mystery.

I really enjoyed these cozy mysteries. I liked the main character a lot, even though she is quite headstrong, and appreciated the inclusion of the arts. Each book title was taken from the name of a quilt pattern, which I found really charming.

The book names in order:

  • Fool’s Puzzle
  • Irish Chain
  • Kansas Troubles
  • Goose in the Pond
  • Dove in the Window
  • Mariner’s Compass
  • Seven Sisters
  • Arkansas Traveler
  • Steps to the Altar
  • Sunshine and Shadow
  • Broken Dishes
  • Delectable Mountains
  • Tumbling Blocks
  • State Fair
  • Spider Web

Have you ever run across these? Are you familiar with any of the quilt patterns?

Posted on

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne – Tomes & Tea book 1

Reyna is one of the Queen’s private guards, and Kianthe is a powerful mage, but all the pair wants to do is leave their responsibilities behind and open a bookstore that sells tea. After a couple of years of sneaking around to spend time together, they make their move and flee to a small town where they can follow their dream. 

If you think this book is reminiscent of Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree, you would not be wrong. Thorne says in her acknowledgments that her book was directly inspired by his work. There are some definite similarities between the two, but Thorne has put her own spin on “leave a life of adventure for a cozy shop” story.

This book has a lot more adventure because there are people who don’t want the two women released from their obligations. There is also a mystery in the town that needs to be solved. I did like the action, but it was the cozy parts of the story that I enjoyed the most–watching Reyna and Kianthe explore their relationship now that they were living together, and seeing how they gradually became part of the town where they had settled. 

All in all, this was a fun read and I look forward to reading more of the series.

Posted on

“Library” Books

I love to read books about books, especially ones set in libraries. So when I was challenged by Hopewell’s Public Library of Life to post a list of books about libraries, I got right on it!

Here is my list of 11 books that are either set in a library or feature a librarian as the main character. Let me know if you have read any of these or have any others to recommend.

  1. The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams – a story about the power of a mysterious reading list and the friendship that develops between Aleisha, a teenager working at the library, and Mukesh, a widower who visits the library after his wife has passed.

2. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig – a magic library gives Nora Seed the chance to examine her regrets and discover whether life is worth living.

3. What You Are Looking for is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama – a special librarian senses exactly what people are looking for and gives the perfect book recommendations to give them the inspiration they need.

4. The Library by Bella Osborne – an unlikely friendship forms between a sixteen-year-old boy and a seventy-two-year-old woman as they rally the community to save their local library.

5. The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick – a book of fairy tales with a personal dedication leads a librarian to uncover family secrets that will change her life.

6. The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms – a school librarian gets an opportunity to escape her life for a summer and has to decide what future she wants for herself.

7. The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson – a library is threatened with closure and librarian June Jones joins forces with others in the community to fight to keep it open.

8. The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore – a librarian who is taking care of her three younger siblings gets involved in a mystery involving a rare book and a cranky neighbor.

9. The Lending Library by Aliza Fogelson – a small-town art teacher opens a lending library in her sunroom when the local library closes.

10. The Storytellers by Sue Heath – a library draws four people together through a writing competition (on my TBR)

11. Is This a Cry for Help? By Emily Austin – a librarian returns to work after a mental health crisis only to be faced with protests surrounding book banning (on my TBR)

Posted on

Somewhere Beyond the Sea

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune – Cerulean Chronicles Book 2

This sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea was good, but not as good for me as the first book. I loved being introduced to the world Klune created, meeting the magical children, and seeing things unfold between Linus and Arthur. In this book, the story focuses on the fight the inhabitants of the island wage against the Department in Charge of Magical Youth to be able to live in peace. It was clever and had some really touching moments, and I appreciated the social commentary. I just didn’t feel that it drew me in the way book one did.

Posted on

All the Broken Places

I haven’t read a Christian fiction book in quite a while, not since my favorite Christian writer Jamie Langston Turner had a new book out. But I have been following M. Jean Pike’s blog for a while now and decided to read one of her books and really enjoyed it!

In All the Broken Places, we meet Monica Humphrey, who is a schoolteacher living with her cat Ginger. She is lonely and overweight. A fall in the grocery store leads her into a relationship with the store’s manager, Barry, as well as into a weight-loss journey. As both of these storylines unfold, we learn about Monica’s history, especially with her father and the female relatives who raised her after her mother died.

I was quickly drawn into this book and connected with Monica right away. As someone who is overweight myself, I really appreciated that Monica was portrayed as a complex human being with a range of emotions and abilities.I loved seeing her emotional growth alongside her physical transformation as she reflects on the past and how it has affected her.

Unlike many Christian fiction books, the story was not predictable, and I enjoyed the twists and turns that it took, especially at the end. I definitely recommend checking out this or one of her other books!

Posted on

The Devil You Know

The Devil You Know is a chick lit/romance by Freida McFadden. It is a sequel to The Devil Wears Scrubs, which I read back in 2023. I must not have realized there was a second book, but when I saw this one on Kindle Unlimited, I grabbed it to read right away.

The story centers on Dr. Jane McGill, who has a husband, a daughter, and a job at a VA hospital. At work, she runs into Dr. Ryan Reilly, who she had previously dated, and starts to wonder if she made the wrong choice back then.

I liked the first book better and would recommend starting with that one if you decide to read these, but this was a fun read and I’m glad I read it. I think it’s kind of funny that McFadden is known for her thrillers but I haven’t read any of them yet!

Posted on

The House in the Cerulean Sea

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune – Cerulean Chronicles Book 1

Linus Baker is a solitary man who lives with his cat and enjoys old records. He works at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth and is sent to observe and report on one of the orphanages run by the department. This classified assignment is unique because this orphanage is home to six dangerous children and an enigmatic caretaker named Arthur Parnassus.What follows is a delightful tale of discovery and understanding.

This book is just the sort of thing I would have loved as a child, and I thoroughly enjoyed it as a 50-something adult. I especially identified with Linus and his longing for beauty and connection, but all of the characters were wonderfully drawn and the story is enchanting. The social commentary is on point but not overdone as well.

I highly recommend this book and am already reading the sequel.

Posted on

Author Spotlight: Fannie Flagg

Fannie Flagg is an author who never disappoints. I always enjoy her books – they are full of colorful characters and heartwarming stories with both humor and a bit of social commentary mixed in. Her Southern charm shines through all of her work.

She is most famous for her book Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe and for writing the award-winning screenplay for the film adaptation, “Fried Green Tomatoes.” I can’t actually remember whether I read the book or saw the movie first; either way, I am glad I came across her and have been able to enjoy her books over the years. I have read all of them except the short stories published last year.

Flagg has written eleven books to date:

Whistle Stop Series

  • Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (1987)
  • The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop (2020)

Elmwood Springs Series

  • Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! (1998)
  • Standing in the Rainbow (2002)
  • Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven (2006)
  • The Whole Town’s Talking (2016)

Standalone Novels

  • Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man (1981)
  • A Redbird Christmas (2004)
  • I Still Dream About You (2010)
  • The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion (2013)

Short Stories

  • Something to Look Forward To: Fictions (2025)
Posted on

ICYMI: Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig

ICYMI: my quest to highlight books you may have missed

The Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig contains twelve books, which were published between 2004 and 2015. I learned about the series in 2013 from my former college roommate and quickly became enamored with them.

The series starts out with present day doctoral student Eloise Kelly, who travels from America to England to study the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian, two spies from the Napoleonic Wars. As she digs into her research, she discovers the secret history of the Pink Carnation, an elusive spy who saved England from Napoleon. From there, the story focuses on the intrigues of the Pink Carnation, occasionally coming back to the present to follow Eloise’s journey. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this series with its mix of mystery and romance. Highly recommend checking it out!