The Burning Library by Gilly Macmillan

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

Do you get books from your local library?  I usually buy mine.  We have a new library with a beautiful open second floor.  I don't like it.  I'm scared.  Despite being a new building with steel floor joists, etc., the second floor feels.... bouncy.  Anybody out there have an old house?  Sometimes you will encounter a bit of a bouncy floor in an old house, not usually dangerous, usually due to settling and wood shrinking and expanding.  It can be easily braced to make it feel sturdier.  But our library isn't an old house, it is brand new commercial construction.  I'm scared to be on the second floor and terrified to be under it, on the first.  I know, it is inspected and surely safe.  All I can think of is my parents watching all the disaster movies when I was little.  Poseidon Adventure is one of the most frightening movies ever, you can "the call is coming from inside the house" all you want but stuck in an overturned ship.... nope...not me.  Then there was Earthquake and Towering Inferno (which made my dad always request a low floor at every hotel).  Then there were the Airport movies.  Don't get me wrong, you should see all these movies, they have great casts with people like Steve McQueen, Charlton Heston, Helen Hayes and even Gloria Swanson...even Linda Blair without the head spinning. The music is great too, perfect for trying to avoid a plane crash.  Terrifying, all of these.  So, the new movie "Book Apocalypse" is something I don't want to be part of, and I'll continue to be freaked out by the bouncy floor.

I recently read The Burning Library by Gilly Macmillan. This is the story of a young woman, Anya. She is in love with her boyfriend, Sid, and academically is at the top of her game. Dr. Anya Brown is an expert in ancient texts. In fact, she recently was able to translate the baffling Folio 9. Now she is in high demand, being offered positions at various Universities. Sadly, Anya's mom is ill, and she hates to leave her, but fortunately she has a trusted caregiver. After much deliberation Anya accepts a role at the Institute of Manuscript Studies at St. Andrew in picturesque Scotland. The offer is just too good to turn down. They are offering her renovated cottage housing, lots of time for research, even a job for Sid. Soon, things start to unravel. The manuscripts involve an ancient feud by controlling women's groups. The women's reach is wide, silent, and deadly. You never know who is a member of one of these groups or which side they are on. Anya, now put in the middle, must discover the truth about these secrets and ancient rivalry before it destroys everything she holds dear.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the fabulous, William Morrow publishing, for the advanced copy.

Play Nice by Rachel Harrison

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

Watching the news is painful, isn't it?  There is a lot of madness going on all over the world, with plenty in the good ole' US of A.  Some days I have to turn off the news and watch streaming.  I have seen every thriller on every streaming service out there.  I have watched a few spooky movies for the upcoming Halloween. Naturally many of the best are based on books.  There are a gracious plenty of books that would make great movies, spooky or not.  I cannot be the only person to read seasonally otherwise publishers wouldn't put out books for Halloween, Christmas, etc.  I remember doing a review several years ago for the book The Death of Mrs. Westaway.  While not seasonal, that book begged to be read during a thunderstorm with a bone chilling rain.  A romantic comedy seems to be the perfect choice for a vacation, especially at the beach.  Luckily for me, turning off the often-depressing news has led me to read more books for fall and I am faintly hearing Jingle Bells in the distance.

I recently read Play Nice by Rachel Harrison. This is about a family in turmoil.  After the death of their mother, sisters inherit her home; a house they detest and want nothing to do with.  Clio takes on the burden for them all, confronting the demons of the past and preparing the house for sale.  While there she finds that those demons are literal. The house is haunted by an evil entity that made their childhoods a nightmare. 

This book is fun.  Spooky but it won't scare you too much and definitely isn't gory.  Fast paced we follow the whole family and learn of lies in the past and face hidden memories in this constantly changing family dynamic.  A fast read, the author ends many chapters on a cliff hanger, which I enjoyed.  While this was my first book from this author I will be investigating her others.  

Someone in the Attic by Andrea Mara

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

Have you ever seen the ghost shows where they run tape recorders, or video cameras then review what was captured?  What about when a photo is taken with a digital camera, they get floating orbs which are supposed to be spirits?  We have a huge attic in this house, but it doesn't seem spooky.  It is finished and has a full bathroom.  The attic in the Victorian house we restored, well that was a different story.  Also very large, we did a lot of work to it.  We took down the walls and ceiling to install heating ducts behind.  The amount of mess, plaster and general debris was up to my husband's armpits, and he is about six feet tall.  How we ever managed to get it all down three flights of stairs and out of the house...well, frankly I think I blocked it out.  I have told you before that we found all kinds of things behind the wall, photos, drawings by a National Gallery Artist, button up shoes, love letters, and more.  After seeing one of those ghost shows I contemplated taking a few quick pictures up there.  We took film photos but not digital.  I didn't have the nerve to do it. What if there were a bunch of orbs and all those ghost people are right and they are dead people? Every little creak in the wind and I am going to think about all those people in the attic and are they coming to scare me...or worse.  

I recently read Someone in the Attic by Adrea Mara.  This is the story about a group of friends.  The book begins with Anya. Her husband is out of town, so she is enjoying a little pampering.  She is taking a relaxing bath and having a glass of wine.  She hears movement coming from the attic.  Could she be imagining it or maybe had a bit too much wine? Those points are answered when the attic scuttle opens and a dark figure emerges.  A few seconds later, Anya is dead.  Drowned in her bath.  Anya's friends are shocked by what happened but know nothing about the person in the attic, but of course the reader does.  Now Anya's friend Julia is hearing scratching in their family attic.  It is nothing, right?  Things become much more intense when someone starts posting videos of the inside of Julia's home.  There are no signs of entry, except for maybe...the attic.

This book is lots of fun.  The story unfolds slowly as we wrestle to figure out who is responsible and why this is happening.  The suspense is palpable as the author points to multiple people as the possible culprit. As fall approaches and wood in your house cools it contracts, sometimes making a popping sound.  This is the perfect book to read when you are wondering what that noise is in your own house.

The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North

Hello everyone.  I hope your day is going well.

Well, my laptop screen still isn't fixed. If I don't make sense or you can't understand something, maybe tilt your head or do a handstand to read...because that is how I'm having to write this.  You know, I don't understand how my laptop hinge got damaged.  I don't understand a lot of things, like why I am cold when it is 68 degrees in the house with the air conditioning on or when it is off, but when the heat is on and it is 68, I am toasty.  It makes no sense. I think I broke my internal thermostat.  I don't understand why humans can have been on this planet for so long and still not have figured out how to get along, why I can cook anything except chocolate mousse, and all of 11th grade chemistry.  Thankfully, I understood the following book.

I recently read The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North.  If he sounds familiar, I've reviewed several of his books.  In fact, I will never forget the package I received from the publisher when they sent me an early copy of The Whisper Man.  When opening the package, it immediately started singing a spooky song. Yes, singing.  I actually posted the song when I did the review.  Needless to say, I am excited when I get to read one of his books, The Man Made of Smoke was no different.  

In this book we are following Dan Garvie, he is a doctor helping people in the prison system through trauma and learning why the behaved the way they did.  Dan is driven by a childhood experience where he sees a young boy with an odd man in a rest stop restroom.  Now Dan finds out that his father has disappeared and is presumed dead, likely due to suicide.  Dan travels home to attend to his father's estate and try to discover what happened.  John, Dan's father and retired policeman, leaves clues about something he was investigating, something dangerous.  As Dan traces his father's footsteps, he discovers his father's disappearance may be related to the disturbing scene he saw when he was a child and a prolific serial killer.

This book was intriguing.  It imparts a nervous feeling in your stomach.  The reader is filled with dread for the facts that are feared coming yet can't stop reading.  That anxious feeling imparted through words on a page is amazing and storytelling at its best.  A true thriller, don't miss this one.

The Mirror by Nora Roberts

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

Well, I might not be posting for a bit.  Seems I have broken my laptop hinge.  My laptop won't close or open all the way, and when I try, it pulls the frame off my screen.  In fact, I am typing this trying to see in a partially closed, stuck lid. So, I hope you really appreciate this as my neck looks like a twisted giraffe playing Twister upside down, while watching a dirty movie wondering how the heck the actors got in that position.  Now there is an image for you!  Oh well, at least it leaves more time for reading.

I recently read The Mirror by Nora Roberts.  This is the follow-up to the book Inheritance.  These are part of the Lost Bride Trilogy, the last installment, The Seven Rings, is being released in November.  In this volume we continue to follow Sonya and her best friend, Cleo. Sonya finds a mirror with strange properties. As she steps through the mirror Sonya is transported to the manor's past. She becomes a witness to the horrific deeds of the evil Hobbs. This gives the reader not only some new characters, but also insight as to why the curse on the Poole family was ever placed.

Despite Hobbs, this was a very pleasant story, with the revelations slowly unfolding. Rich in details, developing our caring for the characters, this is typical Nora Roberts. The series would make a great summer read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the always generous St. Martin's Press, for the review copy.

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark

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

Well, here it is, fall is starting again.  It is clearly recognizable not because of any cooler temperatures but because we are dodging hurricanes on the east coast.  Of course, fall here is also plagued by getting ready to go back to school.  It was easier when we were kids, you went to Sears and got your clothes and then to Kmart to get your school supplies. Ah the days of getting colored notebook paper, pink or especially purple was a big thing.  If you got Bic Flair markers, you were the coolest.  Forget laptops or even calculators, this was the time of learning to write in cursive and number 2 pencils. Our elementary school playground, which we played on during lunch break, had monkey bars, slides, and swings.  All have since been removed having been deemed too dangerous for children.  I don't know, aside from a few scorched bottoms from the slides heating in the sun, we all seemed to survive.  I think maybe a lot of things have changed.  Does anyone play the classics anymore?  And by classics I am talking about the world-renowned games of Red Rover and Red Light Green Light.  At least books are still around.

I recently read The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark.  This is the story of Olivia, who is a ghostwriter.  After being sued by another author, Olivia finds herself owing a huge judgement along with enormous legal fees.  Due to this lawsuit, clients have refused to hire her, leaving her in dire financial straits. Finally, a job comes her way.  A famous horror writer has requested Olivia specifically to ghost write a book for him. Despite the help the money could provide Olivia is reluctant to take the job.  The horror author is Vincent Taylor, who nobody knows is actually Olivia's estranged father.  Despite his successful career, Mr. Taylor still lives in the town he grew up in.  A town which believes he is guilty of the murder of both his brother and sister.  This issue has long been aggravated by the fact that no one was ever charged with the crime, and the truth of that horrible night has never been discovered.

This book does not disappoint.  A suspenseful, quick read, this still has lots of character development. Despite figuring a tiny part of it out about halfway through, I was still wrong and surprised by the satisfying ending.  Full of plenty of twists, this will relentlessly hold your interest.  Very fun.

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

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

Have you ever seen Everybody Loves Raymond? If you haven't it is a TV show where a younger couple lives across the street from his overbearing parents.  The parents, Frank and Marie, bicker all the time.  They are full of insults for each other and snarky comments.  At one point the younger couple realizes that it is the way they communicate and show affection for each other.  This makes me wonder whether it is better to keep any complaints to yourself in a relationship or let them be known? For us, I think we do a combo.  We usually have a blowout fight once or twice a year to clear the air.  Frankly, I find it exhausting. Sometimes it is just easier to let things go, pick your battles as they say.  In books, those festering feelings make for a great plot.

I recently read Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney.  This author is responsible for many great books, including the very popular Rock, Paper, Scissors.  In this story we are following a couple, Grady and Abby.  Grady is a bestselling author.  One night, he is waiting for his wife to come home.  She is late and he is on the phone with her as she drives.  Suddenly she brakes sharply as there is a body in the road.  He implores her not to get out of the car, but she feels she must offer assistance.  Grady never hears from his wife again.  Her car is found near a cliff with her belongings, but no Abby.  A year later, Grady is a broken man.  He misses his wife.  He drinks too much, has spent his book money and is up against a deadline to produce another great novel.  The problem, he hasn't been able to write since his wife disappeared.  In desperation, his agent, Kitty, who is also Abby's godmother, offers him a deal.  She has inherited a remote cabin on a secluded Scottish island.  There is nothing to do there but be inspired by the beauty, rest, and write.  In need of both a hit book and a place to live, Grady accepts Kitty's gracious offer and heads to the island.  Of course, being a Alice Feeney novel, all is not what it appears.  Grady is most certainly an unreliable narrator, especially as he starts seeing his wife everywhere. The people on the island bring their own charm, mystery and creepiness.

This book will grab your attention and not let it go.  Seriously, don't start it if you have things to do.  As I've said repeatedly, I am a pokey reader, and I read 280 pages yesterday.  I just couldn't resist.  I figured out part of what was going on about halfway through but was shocked at the ending.  This book is a total escape and very fun.  Makes me wonder what Alice Feeney will think of next.