Quick Lit: A Common Thread

As mentioned, I love a small-town story. Even with the understanding that rarely are they easy ones. That often the only thing that thrives in these places is the past; never to be buried, never to be forgotten. Cast with characters that always have one foot in the past, unable to ever let it go. With resentments that have been allowed to fester and flourish. With endless machinations to avoid the contemplation of the sins of the past ensure the reader an absorbing narrative. Come along, if you’re up for it!

Fantasy

Rating: 9/10

There are many reasons to love the Empyrean Series; room wrecking sex, hero’s with “I’d die for you” energy, smartass dragons, jaw dropping endings, and a bookish and brave protagonist. What’s not to love?! If you think you learned everything there was about this world in book one, think again. If you think there can’t possibly be any more secrets to be laid bare, think again. If you think the author can’t top the ending of the first book…shame on you!

Historical Fiction

Rating: 8.5/10

Who would have thought a tale of the secrets behind some long-forgotten dollhouses would be a page turner? Not me that’s for sure. I was happily proven wrong. The story moves back and forth in time between a librarian and an artist. An artist that used her talent to help keep other women’s secrets, making miniatures that document it all. Accomplishments, betrayals and forbidden loves. Enchanting!

Fiction

Rating: 9/10

I adored twenty-three-year-old Joe and his beautiful, big-hearted story about friendship, resilience and empathy woven with gems of wisdom that stay with the reader long after the final page is turned. To keep company with someone who sees the best in everyone, even if they aren’t being their best selves, is something we should all be lucky enough to do. Joe’s rules for true friends are ones we should all follow! Read with tissues!

Thriller

Rating: 8.5/10

Frank arrives at his estranged daughters wedding to find a secluded private estate, a mostly absent and evasive groom, a mother of the groom being kept away from the guests, neighbors with accusations of murder, and that’s only the beginning. I had serious Get Out and Glass Onion vibes as the story unfolded. Keep in mind that old adage…maybe it’s better to let sleeping dogs lie.

Sci-Fi/Mystery

Rating: 8.5/10

Have you ever gazed up at the stars and wondered what it might be like to live among them? I certainly have, and my dream scenario involves a stunning library, quaint shops and quirky neighbours. Does my vision have a murder? Of course not! But a mystery? Probably. When Dorothy snaps awake in a body not her own, she realizes that something has gone very wrong.

Horror

Rating: 8/10

The wayward girls are the bad girls, the troubled girls, the needy girls, the selfish girls, the girls who need too much attention, the girls from broken homes, the girls who need discipline, the girls who couldn’t turn away from lustful thoughts. They had been taught all their lives that the devil was the worst thing in the world, they were too young to understand that there were worse things waiting to be unearthed. So much worse.

Hitting The Books-May 2025

This month’s read-a-likes are curated for the release of Never Flinch by Stephen King. The story of two killers; one who vows to kill 13 innocents and 1 guilty in his quest to right perceived wrongs against him, another a member of a violent anti-abortion church intent on stopping at nothing in opposition to their religious fervor. King shines brightest when he excavates our darkest fears and desire. When he creates a reflection of our world’s broken edges and the strength it takes to mend them.

Fiction (Historical)

Rating: 8.5/10

Haven is a nautical archaeologist who has come to Positano to investigate the mysterious shipwrecks along the Amalfi Coast. But she is hoping to find more than artifacts, she is secretly on a quest to find a treasure trove of priceless gems that her father claimed to have seen just before his death. But all she finds is misfortune. A gorgeous and picturesque Italian setting, ancient magic, forbidden love, pirates and sunken treasure make for one heck of a read that will sweep you away!

Thriller

Rating: 9/10

A doorman’s job is not an easy one. They can never fail to remember a resident’s name or the names of regular visitors. They can never call in sick, never leave early, never arrive late. They can never complain or roll their eyes at a request, no matter how ridiculous. They must know what the residents are proud of, what they are most ashamed of. All the dirty details of their most private problems. But they can never know yours. Not ever. An excellent thriller with an ending you won’t see coming, no matter how hard you look!

Supernatural Fiction

Rating: 9/10

When Marshall gets pulled over by a local cop, something is off. Maybe it’s the girl crying in the back of the cop car, or maybe the sinister threat the cop utters. And that’s before he finds out there is no such cop on the force. A summer internship with a PI might be just the thing to get the mystery out of his head. A wonderful coming of age story wrapped up in a supernatural thriller! And the twist…it’s a doozy!

Food Memoir

Rating: 9/10

Simply defined, hospitality is about how to treat people, how to make people feel like they belong, how to be welcoming, how to listen and most of all how to be curious. It’s a dialogue, not a monologue. Think of it like this, service is black and white, hospitality is colour. It needs to be tailored, to be crafted. This author shows us how, not only in business, but in life. My favourite ideal, the charitable assumption. Something we could all be better at!

Thriller

Rating: 8.5/10

When a high security prison experiences technical failures, a wrongly imprisoned retired cop and the governor’s idealist daughter are going to have to work together with a group of misfits to get out alive. All they have to do is get from the ground floor infirmary to the roof, bypassing six floors of convicts who may or may not be free from their cells. If this sounds like a recipe for non-stop, relentless action…it is! Fast paced doesn’t do it justice.

Hitting The Books-April 2025

This month’s read-a-likes are curated for the release Hard Town by Adam Plantinga. The story of a small town mired in dark secrets that has no idea what they are in for with their new resident. Kurt is an ex-cop with a deeply ingrained sense of justice and zero interest in backing down from a fight. When he is asked to help find a missing father and son, he turns over every rock and pulls no punches to get to the truth. No matter the cost. Books with gritty atmosphere and powerful prose, here we come!

New Books On The Shelves-April 2025

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!

Memoir

Rating: 9/10

I love music, not as much as books (like that’s remotely attainable) but I do. Unlike reads, I am lousy at finding new or untapped listens. My roundabout way of getting there? A curated, themed playlist. You know how much I love my lists! That’s I how stumbled upon the impressive and lovely vocal stylings of one Brandi Carlile. When I added her cover of Black Hole Sun to my Gotcha Covered playlist, I made a mental note to go back and check out her music. I found this amazing book first, and what a treat! Beautifully rendered in every way!

Mystery/Suspense

Rating: 8/10

Looking at her, tattooed, pierced, hard drinking, cigarette smoking and a bit of a hot mess, you might be surprised to find out that Maggie is a genius when it comes to language. A savant able to unravel any linguistics puzzle, she is a star student in her forensic linguistics class. Soon she is tapped police to use her unique skillset to help solve crime. This book pairs my fascination with language and linguistics and my love of books that give me new info for my data loving brain. I’m okay with that statement screaming NERD! It’s who I am…

Mystery/Suspense

Rating: 8/10

Six friends gather at a country house for a birthday weekend. They decide to play a game, or rather it’s decided for them. All six of their names are chosen twice, once to star as the victim, once as the murderer. They must write the story and read it out loud. It’s supposed to be fun, to be fiction. It’s not supposed to be full of secrets and grudges, to reveal their true feelings for each other. And no one is supposed to die…