Jackson has written two books about life with her family which are a departure from the horror stories of which she is most famous. I feel like I know her children a bit from her stories, so I didn't feel badly reading this book of unpublished and in some cases, unfinished, work since two of her four children put this together. There's a little bit of everything, short stories, essays, humor pieces even sketches she drew.

This is a perfectly respectable murder mystery and an enjoyable read. However, it is the type of story that 6 months from now I will not remember a character's name or anything but the fuzziest plot details. Nothing wrong with that but I prefer a little more sizzle.

You know that saying “people are the same everywhere?“ Apparently so are psychopaths. I always enjoy a 'bad seed' type story and reading it from a Korean prospective added to my interest. I read a marketing blurb that described this as 'The Bad Seed“ meets “The Talented Mr. Ripley.“ I agree.

This is a great collection of Stephen King horror stories. I liked them all except for the very last which is more of a personal dislike of mine (dystopian) than a negative about the writing. The thing about King which is true about his writing, regardless of the length or genre, is that he manages to suck me in within the first couple of pages. The best thing about Mr. King is whenever I pick up a new book, I know I am in for a good time!

This series continues to get sillier and sillier and I so wish I hadn't started it many moons ago. I won't confide any spoilers but I can't imagine why the author decided that Hannah, who was once individualistic and strong has descended into this silly, needy type girl who makes terrible decisions over and over again. The entire Ross scenario was so out of character in the first place. Now it has come full circle in dumbness,

A girl with a daughter who works in a strip club, an extreme Muslim who has crazy ideas of what Allah expects from him and a man who has been thrown out of his child's life for physically abusing his wife. These three characters converge at a strip club and nothing good comes from it.
However, the writing is so well done, the weaving of story lines so well executed, that it elevated material I would normally find extremely distasteful.

I don't want to be an actor, but if I did, I would certainly use this as a guide for getting started. Jenna gives a plethora of information on everything a fledgling actor needs to know. Along the way, she tells stories and gives examples from her own career trajectory. It takes a lot of passion and persistence to live the life of an artist, Jenna sounds like one in a million of authentic, nice people that are in show business.

A magical bookstore where books often choose a customer who needs to read them. Cute tuxedo cat that often leads his mistress in the right direction. A crow who lives in the bookstore and often mimics the raven from Edgar Allen Poe, screeching 'Nevermore' and flying around like a guided missile. This is a strong sequel to the first book in the series.

I fell in love with the first book of the series, Caraval, because I love fantasy when well done. Caraval was well written with scads of interesting characters, shops, events, etc. I wanted to go to Caraval I liked it so much. Finale is such a departure from the original idea that I would call it a romance with some fantasy thrown in. I didn't care which man either sister ended up with since I was too busy mourning Caraval.

I picked this up on a whim at the library. This would make an excellent gift for especially a pre-teen or teen. Everything from chromosomes, puberty, menstruation, birth control, nutrition and mental health is covered in a manner like an older sister giving the goods on all the questions a young female might have. This is the first book I've seen that tells it like it is to be female and doesn't come off like a cold textbook.

This was a fast paced, in your face, page turner that is a terrific story with a couple of wowza twists. It reminded me in some ways of Justified, which is one of my all time favorite TV shows. Good versus evil never gets old especially when it's between a crime family that spawns a deviant who joins the law force and is pitted against the family. Well crafted and seamlessly weaves between characters, past and present.

Love this series about the inhabitants of Frog‘s Ledge!

Chapter 39 could be the cruelest commentary I‘ve ever read. Vidal had a quarrel with Bobby Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy ended up dropping Gore Vidal from her social circle. Vidal had to be mega hurt to write what he did. Bad form; just sayin‘.

A masterpiece and certainly deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize. What a shame that mankind, by their very nature, allows the merciless crimes the author recounts.

Ethereal, haunting and mysterious. A perfect blend of mystery with a vague sense of horror. The writing is right up there with Daphne du Maurier, Shirley Jackson, Josephine Tey and Charlotte Armstrong.

Yay!!! I have finally finished reading all the published books in the Mrs. Murphy series. A new one is coming out in May and I am all set to read the final installment about the families from the 1700‘s. I have read this series in chronological order and it is the equivalent of eating very satisfying junk food and I mean that as a compliment!

I read for two reasons: entertainment and enlightenment. Sometimes you get both in a book. I found this vastly entertaining and I learned a thing or two. Why do conservatives seem to have a sense of humor whereas liberals seem angry and dour about everything?

My 26th Mrs. Murphy mystery and one more to go before I pull up to current. I‘ve come to like the dual stories between present day and the 1700‘s. Pewter always makes me laugh with her big ego and waist. After reading this many adventures, I feel like I‘m part of their family!

Meh~not enough Elvis.

Sequel to Beartown continues the the story of the people in this hockey town. Great story telling and writing makes me hope the author will continue writing about them. I want to hear more about Benji and Maya especially as they follow their destiny.

I would say that you need to be a hard core fan for this read. My first roommate was a friend of both David Marks and Terry Hand, so I partied a bit with both when I was in Los Angeles. David‘s life story is sad, but since he doesn‘t seem to feel sorry for himself, I tip my hat. His group, The Moon, were awesome and their records have been enjoyed many times by moi.

Shirley Jackson
Dan Simmons
Donna Tartt
Jon Krakauer
Stephen King

This mystery is a mystery within a mystery done in the classic tradition of an Agatha Christie. Brilliantly executed with layers of red herrings throughout. I want to read more by this author!

Fantastic read. If you like to read about mountain climbing, interesting people or just like true adventures and action, you will be glad you read it!

I loved this story that crosses back and forth between Paris and Japan. The writing is ethereally beautiful and I became transfixed by the doomed characters.

I have now read 24 books in the Mrs. Murphy series. I think there are 2-3 more and I will be current. I liked this one as it switched back and forth from the 1700‘s to present day (as she had in a previous book) to explain more fully the reason for the present day murder.

Not one of his best, but even on his worst day King can spin a tale better than most on their best day.

Celebrities looking to write a bio should take a clue from Cryer. He writes a bit about himself personally, but he sticks to mainly interesting and amusing things about his career. He tells enough to feel you know him better but never gives TMI that makes you want to cringe. He remains classy even when dishing a little dirt. I enjoyed his book and I‘ve never even seen Pretty in Pink. (But I will after reading this book.)

Wowza!!!! I just may have finished the best book I‘ll read in 2019!!!!!

I am addicted to mystery series and follow many different kinds. I am also a completist. If I like the first couple in a series, I end up reading all of them. One doesn‘t expect a series to become unlikeable after 15/16 books but I became annoyed with Hannah and haven‘t enjoyed the series since she got married. This one is short and takes place before Hannah has her cookie shop. The author, I fear, has either lost her way or grown bored.

This is the 24th book in the series and I still enjoy the antics of Mrs. Murphy, Tucker and especially Pewter. One of my favorite series!

My 23rd Mrs. Murphy. Wow. Getting close to pulling current. I always laugh at the animals commentary.

I thought this was going to be a mystery but it was the story of a female math prodigy from Russian. It was an unusual read but I think the subject matter would only appeal to a limited audience.

Keigo is one of my favorite mystery writers. His stories are always surprising and this one has some twists and an ending I didn‘t see coming. I love that when I read a mystery!

I really like Anna and was hoping to hear more about her career, working on Mom with Allison Janney, etc. but it was short on career and long on her sex life. Too much information. Her career would be much more interesting for her fans to read about.

Du Maurier is one of my favorite writers and never disappoints. My goal of reading her entire collection is going well. This is the first collection of short stories I‘ve read by her and they were interesting. This is some of her earlier work and you can tell she was in a class by herself.

I‘m sentimental about this series. It‘s the first ‘cat‘ series I ever tried and I fell in love with Hercules and Owen. I have 3 cats of my own and even if they aren‘t magical, I always see a bit of them in every Hercules and Owen story. The author must be a cat aficionado too because she gets felines right without making it cheesy.

I love to love series probably because if I like a character or setting, I want to keep reading about it. Whatever the reason, this series is one of my newer favorites. Gardens, scents, a Corgi, a cat and a little bit of magic in just the right proportions hit all the right notes for me.

A friend in Tokyo gave me this book as a gift, telling me that it was his favorite. I read a lot of Japanese literature but this one had somehow escaped my attention. It‘s a very Japanese love story and makes one wonder if love ever truly dies.

I like this series about Cormoran Strike even better than Harry Potter (and I do love Potter!) This 4th in the series is even better than the first 3 and that‘s saying a lot!! What an amazingly talented writer she is and I hope she continues to write this series well into her dotage.

I first read this as a teen and loved it. I recently reread it and am happy to report I liked it just as much as an adult. It‘s one of my favorite horror concepts....the slow build up of knowing something is off and waiting for the reveal as story continues. Bette Davis perfectly played ‘the widow‘ in a TV drama of this story.

Tryon was a successful actor who walked away to write books. His first one, The Other, was a best seller and made into a movie. He then wrote, Harvest Home, which is one of my favorite horror stories. This one has a bit of a ‘Lord of the Flies‘ feel about a Jewish orphan at a boy‘s summer camp around the beginning of WWII. I am anxious to read another Tryon and see if he can go 4 out of 4 (bet he can!)

My heart breaks for all the kids who kill and are killed in wars they don‘t even understand. The techniques of war change, but the hearts and minds of 20 somethings are pretty much the same regardless of time and place. We do not learn from our mistakes and as this book makes so very clear, it‘s sickening.

Expansive soap opera of a Hollywood star recounting her life to a reporter. Nothing to really see here folks.

Expansive soap opera of a Hollywood star recounting her life to a reporter. Not particularly interesting to me.

In her first book, the story was told by the POV of a child and it sounded authentic. In this one, the POV is that of an eighty something. It too sounds totally believable. Amazing talent. What will her next be...a cat‘s POV? I bet she‘d pull it off brilliantly!

My heart aches for all the kids killing and being killed in wars that they don‘t even understand. The techniques of killing change, but the hearts and minds of 20 somethings or younger aren‘t much different regardless of the time and place. We don‘t learn from our past mistakes and as this book makes clear, it‘s all rather sickening.

Big soap opera about a Hollywood star reprising her life for a reporter. Nothing really to see here folks!!!

Her last book was told from the POV of a child and this one is the POV of an eighty something. I loved both and think that whether it is a child or senior, the voice sounds authentic. It excites me to wonder what she will try next...the thoughts of a cat??

I think I have read all of Ms. Leary‘s book and can honestly say I enjoyed them all. On the surface her stories seem conventional, but she adds a little twist here and there and the story jumps off the page to be forever in your head.