Just started this and it looks promising. I read several Arkady Renko novels years ago and enjoyed them, so I'm eager to read his latest adventure in war-torn Ukraine. Not expecting a feel-good read, but a suspenseful and sensitive one.

#ARC #mystery

Loved this one. Sybil Von Antwerp communicates through letters: to her family and friends, a troubled young man, a professor, and several authors. We see her personality through her correspondence. At 73 she expects her life to continue being the same as it has been, but life has some surprises for her yet. Highly recommended.

Just an OK read for me. The romance plot line didn't have a lot of tension or suspense, and the older celebrity telling her story wasn't especially compelling. It did have a nice plot twist at the end. A so-so read.

Just starting this. I'm not a big romance reader, but I've heard good things about Emily Henry. Hope I like it!

Suspenseful read about a lost Appalachian Trail hiker, a Maine game warden leading the search, and an older woman following the hunt online. The three women's stories intersect, and they also include poignant observations about love, loneliness, and the wilderness. Recommended.

Just starting this and it looks promising. I love Maine, and have always secretly wished I could hike the Appalachian Trail (I'm nowhere near in shape for it, but there's something appealing about the idea). Looking forward to a good read!

I was bored by this and almost didn't finish it. It needed a good editor.

So this seemed timely, and I thought it was fascinating. I've read that the details are accurate as to what happens in a conclave, and the author includes a bibliography at the end. I enjoyed the insiders' view, and the plot twists and turns kept me guessing. I'll have to watch the movie next!

About 1/4 into this one, but it's not wowing me so far. A pretty basic unreliable narrator setup. It is set in London, though, which is a plus for me. Hoping it picks up a bit.

I wasn't blown away by this, but it may have been more me than the book. I had to read most of it while my partner was in the hospital for a procedure; constant interruptions and distractions (he's doing well, BTW). I almost wish I could re-read it while curled up in a chair. I enjoyed the relationships among the writers and the look at the plight of "surplus" women in the period between the world wars.

#mystery #historical #historicalfiction

I'm just starting this one. Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Baroness Emma Orczy, and Margery Allingham all band together to solve a real murder to prove that they're equal to, or better than, the authors in the "boys' club" who don't accept them. So far, good character development and lots of 1930s period charm. Reading for a book discussion later this week.

#mystery

I love Elizabeth George's writing. She's great at making you feel like you're in the English countryside, and making you care about (most of) her characters. Having said that, I found the mystery plot less than compelling. It was both predictable and unbelievable. But it was worth the read for me to reconnect with Lynley and Havers. I found the plot lines that advanced their stories were the best of all. Expected release Sept. 2025.

#mystery

I'm excited to start this one. I love Elizabeth George's Lynley and Havers series and was thrilled to get an ARC of the next one, due out in September. Only downside is I can't find my Kindle so I'm trying to read it on my phone, which is not ideal!

Just finished this one. A charming story of a lonely older woman who "adopts" a mouse, and the odd connections that are made due to his presence. A quick read, and some of the writing is beautiful. Recommended.

#fiction #animals #mice #loneliness #friendship

I just started this tonight. So far, it's part history and part unabashed love letter to bookshops. Quite charming, and how could I resist that cover?

I saw part of the 1948 Olivier Hamlet last night, and it gave me the urge to reread this. It's been a few years, but it's one of my favorite Shakespearean plays. Nothing like a reread of an old favorite on a cold winter's night!

#Shakespeare #Literature #Hamlet

This one's up next. Animals solving mysteries is not at all my usual kind of thing, but two friends whose opinions I trust have raved about this one, so I'll give it a try. It's a library book, so there's nothing to lose but a little time.

Phoebe, on the run from her old life, finds herself in a posh hotel in Newport, where everyone else is there for a wedding. She begins to see beyond her depression and learns important lessons about how to live from the wedding people.

It's a soft pick for me. I may have read too many glowing reviews of this before reading it. It has charm and humor and poignant moments, and it's a bit of a readalike for A Man Called Ove.

#fiction

Two very different #WeekendReads - about halfway through the tagged one and enjoying it; just starting the other one. Working today; hoping for more reading time tomorrow!

@rachelsbrittain

Unfortunately I didn't get to finish The Wedding People before it was due back at the library. I think I'll try this one next. It's been on my TBR forever, and I'm trying to get back into meditation and mindfulness. Thich Nhat Hanh should be a good guide.

#nonfiction

Next one up. I'll need to hurry with this one because it's due back to the library soon; hope it's a quick read!

I like the concept of this series more that the series itself. Seems like there's a lot you could do with a sex therapist and detective in NYC, but it falls flat for me. I see it's the last in the series and that's probably a good thing. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

#mystery #thriller

Starting this one; third in a series about sex therapist Dr. Morgan Snow and the Butterfield Institute. The last two had potential; looking forward to seeing if this is the one where the author realizes that potential.

#mystery #thriller

Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers team up again for a twisty game of cat-and-mouse with a serial killer. It's fast paced and cleverly plotted, but the ending felt like no ending at all (I read elsewhere that another ARC reader thinks a final chapter was left out of the ARC, so I'll reserve judgment on that.) 4 of 5 stars.

#mystery #thriller

Nine o'clock, a dazzling moon outside the window, a shrill whistle for a werewolf.

##FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

Getting started on this one. This is #35 (!) in the Lucas Davenport series, and the books have been consistently good; not always the case with a long running series. Publication date 3/25/25.

I enjoyed this; it had sort of a Twin Peaks vibe to it, and some good plot twists. I thought the ending was completely unbelievable, though.

Charlie and Vivian were married, briefly, forty years ago. Now Charlie wants to find his way back into Vivian's heart. But has too much time passed? Can they overcome hardship, addiction, and secrets?

This is not my usual kind of reading, but I won an ARC and I'm so glad I did. A refreshing love story about mature adults, and beautifully written. I dogeared pages with quotes I liked (hey, it was an ARC, so I can do that!) Highly recommended.

The bed is empty.

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.

#firstlinefridays @ShyBookOwl

Just started this. I'm not a huge romance fan, but I did enjoy Book Lovers, so I have hopes for this one. We're having a book discussion of it at the end of the month.

I really enjoyed this. There's more Eleanor in me than I'd like to admit, and I'd love to have a Raymond (minus the cigarettes)!

A lot of food for thought in this one; I'll need to go back and revisit parts of it. I have a feeling it simplified and Westernized the Tibetan Book of the Dead almost beyond recognition, but it's great for where I am right now.

I enjoyed this one about a death doula who may have forgotten how to live. It was a bit too cute in places, but I could relate to the main character, and I liked the insights into our attitudes toward death.

Enjoying this one so far; I can really relate to Clover.

I'm not big on challenges, but I think I'll try the #BookedInTime challenge for July. This has been on my TBR for years! After I read it, I can see the film, which apparently stars a very foppish looking Robert Downey Jr. @Cuilin

A thought provoking little book. More religious that I expected, but some wise advice on how and why to carry on when the very act of getting out of bed seems to be too much.

A heart warmer. I was prepared to find it too cutesy with an octopus character, but it really worked well. Got something in my eye toward the end.

Going to try this one next; I've heard good things about it.

The author follows three teachers through a school year, and adds some research about teaching in this day and age. I would have liked more of the personal stories and less of the factual content, but it's still an eye-opening read. #nonfiction #education

A Maryland administrator to a group of female math teachers: "Long-term subs are really hard to find, so I need you to not get really sick or pregnant this year." #FirstlineFridays @ShyBookOwl

About 1/3 into this, and really enjoying it. The teachers profiled are amazing. #nonfiction #education

I've read parts of this before, but now seems like a good time to go back to it. There are some difficult things going on in my life right now, and I can use the gentle wisdom of Pema Chodron. #spirituality #Buddhism

This was so good, but it's not for the faint of heart: there are no heroes, and there's a fair amount of violence. But Dennis Lehane can write like nobody's business. #mystery #thriller

Just started this last night & couldn't put it down! Great so far, even if the main character is hard to like at times. Can't wait to see where this is going. #mystery

Just started this one; the opening really hooked me! Looks like a combo thriller & shaggy dog story.

I read the previous books in the Bill Smith / Lydia Chin series and enjoyed them, so I expected this to be a good read. Instead it was a bit of a slog. Slower paced, less of the relationship between the two, and a less-than-compelling mystery plot. The bright sides were the few scenes with Lydia's mother, and the commentary on the New York art scene. ⭐⭐⭐ / 5 #mystery

1. New York City

2. I like London and NYC, but really anything where the author writes with such detail that you feel like you're in the place, with the sights, sounds, and smells.

3. The Shire

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

I guess reading time is over for now. 😻

Shifting colors on a monster billboard bled through the April evening mist, showed me a shadow in the alley.

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl