{I've Been Reading}

 I'm still here, still knitting and quilting and stitching and reading and as busy as ever with everything except for the blog. More of my creative stuff is over on my Youtube channel these days. I plan to start posting some of it here again, but haven't figured out photo editing on the new laptop. 

Joanna Campbell Slan (full disclosure -- she's a friend of mine and has guest posted here on the blog quite a few times over the years) has a new book out, Death at the Dog Park. It contains two novellas, one by Joanna and one by Neil S. Placky. I hadn't read any of his mysteries yet, but I loved his novella, which deals with the murder of a dog trainer with unpopular methods. I may check out his Golden Retreiver Mysteries, but first I'm going to read The Smiling Dog Cafe because I'm intrigued by the idea of "healing fiction." Joanna's novella is about Kiki Lowenstein and her great dane Gracie, who digs up a human hand on their first trip to the dog part. So much for Kiki's plan to get them both in better shape! Both mysteries are complex and satifying and I can't recommend them enough. If you use Facebook and are looking for lots of positive inspiration, check out Joanna's Readers Group, which is full of positive inspiration. I've found so many new-to-me mystery authors to add to my TBR pile and I always enjoy the discussions there. 

The Tradwife's Secret by Liane Child 

As soon as I saw the description of this one, I was ready to start reading. The whole mommy-influencer idea (at leas the fictional variety) fascinates me and this one is done very well. Alternating between the apparently perfect life of Madison March and another woman who isn't doing nearly as well, it kept me turning pages. The way the plotlines finally tied up together was extremely satisfying. My only complaint was the ominious door in the hillside and one character's reaction to it -- why wouldn't her first thought be "root cellar" or another equally harmless assumption? 

Such Quiet Girls by Noelle West Ihli

Ten students and their bus driver, buried in a shipping container at an isolated quarry... A desperate mother, ransome note in hand...The two desperate kidnappers, arguing about their next step... This thriller alternates between multiple points of view. They're all necessary, but the plot moves slowly and I had a hard time picturing what was acutally happening in the buried shipping container. The dimensions I was picturing in my head didn't seem to match up with the author's intent and it was a constant distraction. Things moved slowly until the end when I finally started to worry about the characters and their fate. 

The Cut C. J. Dotson 

Sadie desperately needs her job at the rundown L'Arpin Hotel.  As much as she can't afford to draw attention to herself or the fact that she's hiding her preschooler in her attic room while working her housekeeping shifts, she can't ignore that guests are vanishing or that something ominous is squelching and dripping in the building itself. I enjoyed this one. Sadie's situation required some suspension of disbelief, but the horror element was entertaining if not scary. 

Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with advance review copies. 

 

{I've Been Reading} Follow Me

 Fudge and Marriage by Nancy Coco

I've only read a couple of the Candy Coated Mysteries. Allie's life as a fudge maker on Macinac Island and her chocolate shop in a historic hotel really appeal to me, but I hadn't made time to go back and read the dozen or so books I'd missed. This is the one that's going to change that. I LOVED it. The mystery element is intriguing, but even more than that, I loved the drama leading up to Allie's wedding. The conflict with her mother was established in previous books, but wow did it escalate here. The wedding her mother wants is nothing like the community wide celebration that Allie and her husband-to-be have planned. This book is everything that's wonderful about small town cozy mysteries. 

Follow Me by Elizabeth Rose Quinn

The word "coMOMmunity" makes my brain hurt. The whole world of Momfluencers presented in this book is grating enough to make me want to swear off of social media -- and I like mommy blogs! Somehow, Chiara got herself invited to this thing after a post about her twins went viral. The other moms hate her. She's feeling left out and miserable and then things get worse. 

A year later, Chiara is still missing and her sister has signed up for the retreat, desperate to find some answers. A recovering addict who doesn't even have kids of her own, Adrienne has only the flimsiest cover story and isn't fitting in with the perfect instamoms any better than her sister did the year before. The second half of this book is absolutely wild and I wasn't surprised to read in the author's bio at the end that it's being made into a movie. I honestly think I'll enjoy watching this story more than I enjoyed reading it. 

Falls to Pieces by Douglas Corleone

What drew me to this book was the idea of a woman and her daughter living off grid in Hawaii, desperate to hide from their past. That secrecy is an important element of the plot, but the "off the grid" part really isn't. They could have just as easily been living in a regular neighboorhood. I loved the parts of the book that focused on the islands and the unique dangers they present, but that's only a small part of the book. There's a lot of unrelated drama and conflict that comes together to create a roller coaster of a plot. 

American Housewife by Anita Abriel 

The star of the Maggie Lane Baking Show can't cook. She's newly married herself and suddenly she's advising the women of 1950s America, hoping that the skeletons in her closet won't be revealed as her fame grows. I really enjoyed this novel, which provides a quick glimse into a time gone by. I found myself looking up some details that didn't sound right (and discovering that they were accurate.) There's lots of attention given to the furniture and food and fashions, but if you're looking for details about the early days of television you won't find many. 

Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with advance review copies. 

{I've Been Reading} Nameless Things

 Nameless Things by Ernest Jensen

A meteor strike triggers a landslide, blocking the trails leading into a volcanic caldera and trapping everyone who was hiking in the park at the time...but that's just the beginning. This is an entertaining creature feature that explores what might happen when a bunch of strangers are isolated with an unknown threat and limited supplies.  I did find myself losing track of which characters were still alive (the numerous dream sequences didn't help with that.)

The Socialite's Guide to Sleuthing and Secrets by S. K. Golden

After some initial confusion about what decade the book was set in (that cover looks Art Deco to me and there was a diamond tiara, so I jumped to a wrong conclusion until a couple of references had me check the book's description) I really enjoyed this book. Evelyn is an intriguing protagonist and even though I haven't yet read the first two books in the series there's just enough backstory for me not to feel completely lost. The Pinnacle Hotel is an fun setting and the mystery itself invovles an early multi level marketing company. 

Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with advance review copies. 

{I've Been Reading} White Line Fever

 

White Line Fever by K C Jones

County Road 951, a fifteen mile stretch of scenic curves responsible for more deaths than any other road in Oregon, has been gated off at both ends for years. But sometimes GPS suggests unsuitable detours and someone else had already cut the gate before Liva and her friends turned off the main road to get away from a threatening tow truck. I was hooked by this one, maybe because I live in the area and can picture exactly the stretch of mountain range that the road must cut across. I'm used to hearing sirens on the way to accidents. It's far too easy to imagine The Devil's Driveweay and what it would be like to be trapped there by supernatural forces. The plot alternates between Olivia's traumatic childhood and what's happening on the road and it does start to bog down at a few points, but for the most part I aboslutely loved it. 

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy.