Thriller

Rating: 6/10

When a manuscript written by a man who calls himself Hunter arrives in the mail, Nyala never expected to be lured into the story of a man intent on bringing down an elite society of operatives and killers that have controlled the worlds treasures and artifacts for hundreds of years. The fact that he has addressed her by name, that he is unwavering in his assurance that she has a part to play, that’s just another mystery she sets out to unravel.

Memoir

Rating: 8/10

If you go into this book by actor Andrew McCarthy thinking you are going to leave with some juicy celebrity gossip, you will be dissatisfied. What you will get is an intimate, funny, and deeply poignant memoir that invites you along on a trek of discovery for a father and son as they navigate a new way to connect as adults. Within moments of setting out on day 1 of this ambitious, arduous, and potentially profound walk, Sam informs his dad that he is about to get so sick of him. 34 days to go.

Memoir

Rating: 7.5/10

A haunting and deeply nuanced reconstruction of the forces that led the authors closest childhood friend, Michael, from the heights of brilliant promise to the psychiatric hospital where he has lived since killing the woman he loved. It is in many ways the authors reckoning against his own inaction in the face of his friend’s schizophrenia. The book painstakingly illustrates the entanglement of madness and genius. Brilliantly written!

Hitting The Shelves-January 2024

I’m a planner in every way you could imagine, a particular quirk that benefits my reading life. And now you dear reader, will reap the rewards with my new monthly post that will feature three of the most interesting books coming out in the next month as well as a few extra just for fun. Happy Reading!

Microhistory

Rating: 9/10

A standout book that provides a deconstructed exploration of why puzzlement is integral for the mind. Illustrating key principles through examples set by artists, athletes, musicians, writers, magicians, salesmen, and geniuses. Pursuing explanations of the things that confound us; one hit wonders, sport statistics and predications, the misleading threads laid down in novels, the art forgery’s, the cracking of cyphers, the feint and flourish of a magical illusion. The author tackles them all with a nerdish brilliance that left me longing for more!

Crime Fiction

Rating: 9/10

The author’s masterful way with words and the beauty of his prose carry the reader through the horrors of the hard life that the characters are enduring, depicting a brutal and unflinching story of both criminality and humanity. He will not let us hide from the fact that change, for those who have no say it, feels like a death to whatever dreams you had and whatever life you have made do with. You will not walk away from this read unscathed. And you will be fine with that.

Fiction

Rating: 10/10

There is nothing I can say that will do this book justice, no grouping of words that can embody how I felt at its conclusion. This is a staggeringly beautiful and powerful story; it will imbed itself in you, it will linger long after the final page is turned, and it will break you a little. If you are lucky. If you allow it to. I originally read this in 2021 and as we sit on the cusp of 2024, I am no less impacted by it.

Mystery

Rating: 9/10

Let’s begin at the end shall we. Hands down the cleverest denouement I’ve read in a long time. Dramatic, snarky, and deliciously gossipy, it was an absolute delight! An old-fashioned murder mystery with a touch of glitz and glamour with a cast of the rich and infamous. Dorothy has got time on her hands after losing the bid for presidential candidate, so she decides to hire a ghostwriter to help her with her memoir. Then someone dies. You know where we go from here…

Wrap It Up!-Chapter Six

My Christmas wish for you is this, as we navigate through another trying year, let books be the gift you choose to give. To others, and to yourself. This instalment of Wrap It Up gathers together books for those waiting for my 2023 Top Picks. Whether it’s you or a love one, find a cozy spot, crack open a book and have a wonderful, joyous, and peaceful holiday season.

Wrap It Up!-Chapter Five

My Christmas wish for you is this, as we navigate through another trying year, let books be the gift you choose to give. To others, and to yourself. This instalment of Wrap It Up gathers together books for those seeking mastery in their storytelling. Whether it’s you or a love one, find a cozy spot, crack open a book and have a wonderful, joyous, and peaceful holiday season.

Wrap It Up!-Chapter Four

My Christmas wish for you is this, as we navigate through another trying year, let books be the gift you choose to give. To others, and to yourself. This instalment of Wrap It Up gathers together books for those wanting to tease their brain with a puzzle. Whether it’s you or a love one, find a cozy spot, crack open a book and have a wonderful, joyous, and peaceful holiday season.

Wrap It Up!-Chapter Three

My Christmas wish for you is this, as we navigate through another trying year, let books be the gift you choose to give. To others, and to yourself. This instalment of Wrap It Up gathers together books for those wanting to lose themselves in make believe. Whether it’s you or a love one, find a cozy spot, crack open a book and have a wonderful, joyous, and peaceful holiday season.

Wrap It Up!-Chapter Two

My Christmas wish for you is this, as we navigate through another trying year, let books be the gift you choose to give. To others, and to yourself. This instalment of Wrap It Up gathers together books for those seeking some sustenance or indulgence. Whether it’s you or a love one, find a cozy spot, crack open a book and have a wonderful, joyous, and peaceful holiday season.

Wrap It Up!-Chapter One

My Christmas wish for you is this, as we navigate through another trying year, let books be the gift you choose to give. To others, and to yourself. This instalment of Wrap It Up gathers together books for those seeking a glimpse into someone else’s story. Whether it’s you or a love one, find a cozy spot, crack open a book and have a wonderful, joyous, and peaceful holiday season.

Crime Fiction

Rating: 9/10

Titus, a newly appointment Sheriff, and his deputies are called to the scene of a reported school shooter, one who has killed a beloved teacher and is himself killed when officers believe he is going to turn his weapon on them. Sounds straightforward, a bad man killed a good man and then a good man killed the bad man, what more could there be to talk about? Turns out quite a lot. This author is a masterful storyteller, able to have his characters stare into the abyss and yet still maintain their hope.

True Crime

Rating: 7.5/10

When I feature a non-fiction pick, it’s undoubtedly narrative in style, and if it’s a story chockfull of transgressions? Then count me in! If you call Stephane Breitwieser a thief or a con man, he will correct you in short order. He’s an art lover, a collector, a guardian of beauty. And if his method of acquisition is rather unorthodox? Well risks must be taken to shield art from the philistines putting it on display for all to see.

Mystery

Rating: 7/10

Imagine that you happened upon a mystery that you tasked yourself with solving, only to realize that the clues to its being pieced together were buried within a mind muddled by forgetfulness. Your own mind. Edie is an eighty something year old widow who is showing signs of dementia. While in town one afternoon she spots Lucy, her childhood friend. The problem is that Lucy has been missing since they were fifteen.

Thriller

Rating: 8/10

We find ourselves at a tension filled gothic university where duplicity seeps into the place as much as the people. Where the art of the lie knows no bounds. While most students have fled campus for some spring break fun in the sun, a group of graduate students studying the psychology of deception are otherwise engaged. When one of them ends up dead during a harsh wintery storm, it turns out they may be as skilled in telling the lies they study as they are in detecting them.

Thriller

Rating: 8/10

She missed the red flags. Like how after they were married he casually said to her that she would never feel more alive than when she didn’t know what was coming next. Now her life has fallen apart in spectacular fashion, with her husband keeping her locked in a shipping container until she can accept his doctrine. That however, isn’t really going to work for her.

Creature Feature Collection - Happy Halloween!

In celebration I wanted to share this collection of short tales of terror written by some the best horror authors! A haunted baby stroller, an evil lurking under the bed, a big bad wolf, epic bad luck, scary stories at the vampire and some very big yuck! Full of all kinds of scary fun!