Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

Hello everyone.  I hope you are having a great day.

Have you ever gone back to some place you liked as a child, only to discover that it has been torn down?  When we went on our disastrous New England trip I was telling you about, we went through the Catskills. The Catskills is a mountainous area in New York.  It used to have huge, all-inclusive resorts.  It is what the movie Dirty Dancing is based on.  I was so fortunate as a kid to go to the largest, best, most famous of them all...The Concord. My husband grew up at the oceanfront in the south.  I know, don't give me "the look," I know it is sickening. He grew up working in hotels, renting bikes, you know...beachy things...as his jobs while in high school.  I worked at Kmart. I've griped about this before, but my jealousy still exists.  Anyway, the point is, growing up in a tourist area with a hospitality background, the Catskill resorts are right up his alley.  Too bad they're all gone. Yep, airplanes became popular and vacations in the mountains went out of favor.  Why go play tennis in the mountains when you can fly to some tropical island or Europe? I get it, I really do. Still...it was hard to see that era end.  It was something magical, something unique. The Concord was still whole and open when we got married.  We could have gone there for a few days instead of the train station in Scranton Pennsylvania. It never crossed my mind.  Now it is torn down and I'll always regret not showing hubby something so iconic.  We drove by where it was, and actually got out of the car to stretch our legs and take it all in.  It was spooky.  It had been so massive, so vibrant.  Now it is a lot of grassless dirt. It is quiet and still. The world-famous comedians long gone, no more George Burns, Jerry Lewis, Jerry Seinfeld. There was a hole where the pool used to be, but nobody was there playing Simon Says.  The sweeping stairs in the lobby, the massive dining room, the indoor ice rink, the hall with huge marble slab floor, the dozens of tennis courts, and thousands of hotel rooms, all gone. No screaming kids, no men in white shoes, no bellmen.  Quiet. Still. Gone.  While only seen in home movies and photos for hubby, for me...I could still faintly hear it. It was like one of those memories that you can kind of remember but can't get a good hold on it.  Sometimes, despite having loved a place, the negative space of it can be creepy and unnerving.

I recently read Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth.  It is my sixth book by this author. I keep coming back for a reason. This author consistently delivers great stories. This time we are following women who grew up together in foster care with a less than ideal caregiver. They are contacted by a detective from the town where they suffered their childhood, to discover that the house in which they lived was torn down and beneath it a body was found. Who was the deceased, when and how did they die? All things this book sets out to discover. While told in each person's voice in current and past timelines, it could have been confusing, but it wasn't. Hepworth is masterful at blending all the hard edges together, making the reading seamless and pleasurable. This book has multiple twists to keep the pages turning, right down to a spectacular ending. First, I was scratching my head, I couldn't figure out what I had just read. Then I realized despite reading mostly thrillers that this author had once again beat my skills at figuring things out. Brilliant and diabolical at the same time. Loved it. 

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me this advanced copy for review. My views are given freely...my family would say "way too freely!"

The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine

Hello everyone. I hope you're having a great day.

A few years ago, we took a trip to New England. So many things went horribly wrong, but I'll save that for another time. Some things went kind of right and were oddly hilarious.  I emphasize ODDLY.  We went north then through the Catskills, heading east and ending up in Mystic, Connecticut. Yes, we ate at the restaurant where they filmed Mystic Pizza.  It has been expanded and changed since the movie.  The next morning, we got lost leaving town and GPS took us down this road that looked familiar.  It was the road from the movie where they filmed the hitchhiking scene.  I wanted to get out of the car, lean over and shake my hair, but hubby gave me the look he does when he knows I've lost what little is left of my mind.  I guess he thinks I'm no Julia Roberts. Next, we ended up in Cohasset, Massachusetts.  That is the little town in the movie Housesitter, with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn.  We started looking around then discovered there was a category four hurricane headed directly for our area back home.  That ended that, and a panic stricken fourteen-hour drive ensued.  Thankfully, the hurricane veered off the coast, which was great news.  On the bad side, my husband said lines from Housesitter incessantly for the next two weeks, driving me to the brink of madness.

I recently read The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine.  In case you didn't know, I didn't, Liv Constantine is the pen name of two sisters, Lynne and Valerie Constantine.  I have great admiration for these two women, working together. If I had to write a book with any of my sisters, there would be at least one dead body and it wouldn't be in the book! In this story, set in Connecticut, we follow Amber, an invisible feeling but highly socially ambitious young woman.  She meets Daphne, a wealthy socialite, with the picture-perfect family and life. While becoming friends, Amber's jealousy grows. She insinuates herself into Daphne's life more and more.

This book is a quick mover.  The characters are so fun.  Amber is deliciously wicked, and Daphne is much more than she seems. Loaded with gasp worthy twists, this will keep you reading until the end. Even after it is over, you'll find yourself with a major case of book hangover from this dastardly thriller. 

I've had this book for a few years, never "getting to it."  I made time for it now because...shhh...there may be a sequel on the way (June).  I may have already read the sequel too and it is equally fun.  If this is sitting on your shelf in your ever growing tbr, dust it off, and get reading.  You won't be sorry.

Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda

Hello everyone. I hope you're having a great day.

Well, we had big excitement here in the United States (and North America) this week.  We had a total solar eclipse.  Not here, of course.  My sisters could see it, with over 90% totality, but had clouds and rain.  We had 85% and perfectly blue skies and a pleasant 70 degrees. but had no glasses.  We were doing our taxes at the time.  I can hear Saturday Night Live's NPR Delicious Dish ladies saying sarcastically, "Good Times," about taxes. Our friend had the right idea.  He took a trip to Stowe, Vermont about a week ago.  He was there before the travel madness began and saw 100% totality. Pretty neat.  I liked seeing the news about the people that got married right before the eclipse, watched as newlyweds, then had their first dance right after the sun came back out.  Sappy, I know, but so sweet and romantic. This has nothing to do with the current book, but I am jealous of those of you that saw it. 

I recently read Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda.  This is the story of Hazel who must go home to attend the funeral of her adoptive father.  Sadly, the town of Mirror Lake, NC is experiencing a terrible drought.  The town's lake recedes as the lack of rain persists, secrets start to be revealed.  These secrets just might include things from Hazel's family's own past...topics that some would rather stay submerged forever.  The more Hazel discovers, the more dangerous her stay in her hometown becomes.  Can she solve the mysteries that abound before she becomes part of that suspicious past herself?

I've read several books by Megan Miranda and have liked them all.  Daughter of Mine is my favorite.  The story is rich and involved.  She had me suspecting one person after another, each time I was sure I had solved this mystery.  Despite my "I read a lot of thrillers, I've got this figured out" attitude...I didn't.  Megan Miranda beat me, I had it all wrong.  I love when that happens!  This is a fast, fun, and interesting read.  It will hold your attention from beginning to end.  As usual, a solid story and very enjoyable read.

Kisses to the publisher for the advanced copy. I know, kisses isn't professional, but I' a housewife that just saw a group wedding after a total eclipse.  What the heck.

Small Town Sins by Ken Jaworowski

Hello everyone.  I hope your day is going well.

Well, hubby has been reading again.  I have another of his reviews for you.  I think I am starting to get a complex that he is a better writer than I am.  I say things like "the plot moves quickly" and I think I'm practically Shakespeare.  He fires out comments like "chaotic debris" without giving it a moment's thought.  That really ticks me off.  I say that being jealous and kiddingly but...look at him...on his laptop, all smug, probably solving world hunger or coming up with some way for there to be everlasting world peace.  I, however, am asking Siri, for the ten thousandth time, what temperature a chicken done.  You'd think even if I can't come up with snazzy lines, I could at least remember one temperature.  But...no... here is his review.

I recently read Small Town Sins by Ken Jaworowski. This first Novel from this author paints a realistic portrait of Locksburg, a fictional town that could really exist anywhere in the United States to which fortunes have not been kind. The setting and characters are introduced with brutal honesty, and their past and present deeds and tragedies are laid before us like chaotic debris. Still, the reader finds themselves compelled to keep going. In that continuance, the reader discovers a bit of each antihero in their own existence, flawed and not immune to misfortune, but struggling through the debris, nonetheless. I still find my mind drifting to Locksburg a bit and recalling the denizens’ search for redemption. Familiar with Pennsylvania or not, a detour through Locksburg and its sins may be a worthwhile detour.

Grimmworld The Witch in the Woods ---Reminder

I never repost reviews, but I promised to remind you about this one.  I reviewed it in November and it is available for purchase today.  It is so creative, great for both kids and adults. Loved it!

Hello, everyone.  I hope you are having a great day.

I've talked about the neighborhood in which I grew up being called "Peanut Butter Hill."  Once you bought your house all you could afford to eat is peanut butter. Looking at it today, it is laughable, my house payment is ten times what my parents paid. Anyway, it was nice, safe, pretty and family oriented.  Like most kids, we had our suspicions about a certain house.  It was on the corner, with a darkly wooded yard.  The couple that lived there was probably in their 50's, we thought they were well over 100.  The woman, she committed the greatest sin of all; she had gray hair and wore it in a bun.  As far as we were concerned, it was confirmed... the lady down the street was a witch.  We avoided her house at all costs, only observing from a distance - mostly yard work.  They were definitely planting all kinds of poisons and child-eating plants. It was the perfect place for a witch to operate, in a neighborhood filled with young children.

I recently read Grimmworld The Witch in the Woods by Michaelbrent Collings. What if things that you thought were just childhood stories were actually true?  That is the premise for this book.  Willow and Jake Grimm are twins.  Their lives were thrust into turmoil when they move to a new area as their parents accept jobs at a top secret Think Tank.  The town, New Marburg, is far different from anything they've experienced.  The police are charming robots, older people fight with swords made of lasers, their car parks itself, their house walls won't hold pictures and terrible storms with lightning abounds. When they go to their new school, they are surprised to find it all very low tech; except for the cafeteria which moves between floors.  Their class is taught by a horrible woman who detests them and treats them terribly.  Willow and Jack count themselves as lucky to make two friends, a boy and girl, who they are surprised to learn are the children of their disliked teacher.  One day, after a particularly violent storm, the twins find their school has been transformed into a castle and they and their friends have been transported to another world.  Grimmworld is the place from which Grimm's fairy tales originate, where they are real.  While exploring this bizarre place, they discover that their friends have become Hansel and Gretel! Willow and Jack must save them from being eaten by the witch and find a way back home.

I usually don't read fantasy, but I couldn't resist this storyline. I was enraptured by this book.  The writing is absolutely wonderful.  This is a children's/young adult's book, recommended for 8–11-year-old readers.  Forget that!  This is a novel for adults too...a creative thriller about children.  Besides the stellar writing, the story pulls you in, rich in details and description.  You will feel transported to each setting; so vivid you will feel the darkness of the woods, smell the cinnamon of the witch's house and see the children as they experience it all.  I simply cannot say enough good things about this book.   It will leave you wanting more.  Amazon lists this as volume one, I will be the first to buy each additional book, anxious to rekindle the deep affection I already feel for the Grimm twins.  

Now for the bad news, this novel isn't available until March 5, 2024.  I strongly suggest you preorder it for your children and yourself. In case you forget, I'll remind you in a couple of months.  The enchanting Grimmworld The Witch in the Woods is spellbinding and should not be missed!

Many thanks to the author Michaelbrent Collings and Cameron, his assistant.  This book was the highlight of my week and I am in awe.  Thank you!

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano

Hello everyone.  I hope you are having a great day.

When I was a kid I went to Atlantic City, NJ.  I was really little, under three.  No, Atlantic City wasn't the party place it is today, well I guess it could have been.  Who knows at three?  My parents took me to something called the Steel Pier.  I had no idea what was about to happen.  Suddenly a horse appeared and walked up this tall ramp.  Now I don't mean tall, like reach the old yellow Tupperware that you never use, in the top of your pantry. Nope.  I'm talking forty feet.  Now let's think about the room you are in right now.  Do you have high ceilings?  Nine or ten feet?  Well, this was four times that!  Yep, four stories high.  So, the horse gets to the top, and a young woman is waiting.  She climbs on his back and they jump.... you heard, well read, that correctly.... the woman and the horse JUMP into a small pool of water.  The pool is not only small, but it is only fourteen feet deep. I have a favorite Bugs Bunny cartoon, where Yosemite Sam is expecting a high dive show.  He wants Bugs to jump from the top of this diving board into a bucket of water.  I can hear him saying "You're-a-jumpin'." right now.  That is how this horse diving was.  It was actually pretty famous.  As an adult, it strikes me as cruel.  Those days were different.

I recently read Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano. Having read and enjoyed the three other Finlay Donovan books, I was very excited to read Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice. I am happy to say, again Elle Cosimano delivers an entertaining story. While this book could be read as a standalone, the reader definitely benefits from knowing all the crazy history of Finn and Vero.

This story wraps up past story lines, of course adding many wrinkles along the way. Finn and Vero are the Lucy and Ethel of the book world. They are endearing, loveable, smart, capable, sassy, sarcastic and hilariously funny. As they head to Atlantic City, NJ to try and clear Vero of past complications, they are joined by an unending cast of characters. Not too many to keep track of, but if you are a fan of the series, characters you will be happy to see and read more about.

This is hijinks at its finest. The dialog is perfection and will have you laughing out loud throughout the book. The plot moves quickly, making for a fast read. This latest Finlay Donovan was day brightening and a joy to read. I was literally teary when it was over, not wanting it to end.

Many thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Publishers for providing an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. It was a pleasure!

Cold Record by Eric Ferguson

Hello everyone.  I hope you are having a great day.

As I've said before, hubby thinks I missed my calling.  He thinks I should have been a lawyer.  I am always watching court cases.  When someone in politics gets indicted or the supreme court makes a ruling, I download the actual orders. I find them so fascinating.  I think maybe what interests me is not only the rule of law, but the strategy used by lawyers.  It is kind of like they are the ultimate storytellers.  They tell a true story and must do so in the most compelling way possible.  A lot like thriller writers, although they have to have a devious imagination. Apparently, my legal leanings have rubbed off on hubby, as he grabbed another book from my tbr list.  His thoughts are below.

I recently read Cold Record by Eric Ferguson. This is a nearly forensic look at an investigation, prosecution, and its effects on those involved. The writing is far from technical, however, and I felt myself yearning to visit the scenic California I once travelled to for work. Setting aside, there was a serious crime committed, and the efforts seeking justice are not romanticized. Those with interest in the legal system will not want to miss Cold Record. 

I actually took part of a practice test from the LSATs, the test necessary for law school. The questions are like a cross between annoying math word problems and stuff passed around Facebook.  I got them all, but it took me about 30 minutes per question.  To get into law school, you have to arrive at the correct answer in 30 seconds.