This Book Made Me Think of You

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page, 416 pages

Five months after her husband died, Tilly receives a phone call from a local bookstore, telling her that her birthday present from her husband is ready to be picked up. When she arrives at the store, she learns that, before his death, her husband had arranged for 12 books to be given to Tilly each month for a full year. Included with each book is a note from her late husband, telling her why he picked the book and what he hopes it brings her. As a one-time book lover who hasn't been able to enjoy her hobby, Tilly is both impressed and intimidated by the yearlong venture, but as she begins to read and have conversations with bookseller Alfie, Tilly begins to feel a bit more herself.

This was a lovely book that's cozy like a favorite movie — it's predictable, emotional, and easy to enjoy. The characters are three-dimensional and the story takes a couple of turns that I didn't quite expect, and even though I feel like the "message from my dead spouse" trope has been played out, it plays well here.

The Death Row Club

The Death Row Club by V.A. Vazquez (2026), 323 pages

This book seemed like a cool concept. The adult children of death row inmates get to spend a weekend together away from the pressures and prying eyes (and judgement) of the public. While that eventually happened, it really follows two women whose fathers' commit murders while they come to terms with their unknowing roles in them. In some ways, the book does touch upon the family members of convicted murderers and the complicated relationship that they may have with each other and the convicted member, but I think I was hoping that there would be more of that angle. Instead, it quickly touches upon that issue and slowly (then dramatically) ends with a murder at the retreat and a quick resolution to the whole thing. It was an ok book, I just found myself a bit disappointed in it.

Heather

Heather by Caitlin Mullen (2026), 352 pages 

Callie Hauser is the new Police Chief in her hometown. She is young and motivated, and is soon swept up in a decades old murder surrounding a pair of teenage twins who went missing and left behind a dead newborn baby. 

I am back and forth on whether I liked this mystery. It is definitely better than Please See Us (which I recently reviewed), but I am having a hard time figuring out why it wasn't quite right. It is a bit unbelievable that a 30 y/o cop who just recently returned to her hometown would suddenly become the Police Chief (especially when there were more experienced police officers on the force). It is also a bit unbelievable said new Police Chief would have so much extra time to watch her best friends 3-year-old. I also did not care for the chapters written in the 2nd person - they were jarring compared to the rest of the novel. That said, there were some fun twists and unexpected turns that kept the storying engaging. So, I am torn about recommending it. 

Cool Machine

Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead (2026), 352 pages

Garnering praise from all reviewers, award-winning author Colson Whitehead has earned it with Cool Machine, the final installment of the Harlem Trilogy. The series started with the novel Harlem Shuffle, a story that is subdued. A lot of background — family, neighborhood, and relationships – a calm before the storm. Book two, Crook Manifesto, is a non-stop fling into the unplanned and random violence that crime generates. In Cool Machine Ray Carney, the protagonist of the three books, appears to recognize his fate and embrace the criminal he has become, a cool machine. There are no subtleties; Carney gets punched by page 15. Whitehead manages to weave the feel of 1980s New York into every page. Rare is the author that generates a page-turning crime novel and a sociological treatise in one book. Bonus — the writing is first-class.

With Love From Harlem

With Love From Harlem by ReShonda Tate, 416 pages

In the late 1940s, Hazel Scott was a jazz phenom, pulling classical themes into popular music, and beginning a career as a film star. All the while, she was using her fame to challenge social norms and fight for civil rights. So it seems inevitable that her path would cross with Harlem's newest electrifying politician, Adam Clayton Powell. They instantly form a connection (despite the fact that he's married) and embark on a long, and often tumultuous, relationship that takes them through Hollywood, political activism, and a cultural revolution.

This novel follows Hazel's life with Powell, though it also focuses on her professional highs and lows, as well as the relationships she has with other artists of the day. While some of the relationships feel genuine (the long relationship with Billie Holliday), there are times where it feels like the author is trying to drop as many names as possible (the Nina Simone bits were particularly irksome, as the author admits in the afterword that neither of these two meetings ever happened). Still, it's an interesting book, and worth a read as a jumping-off point for learning more about Hazel Scott, who certainly had a fascinating life.

Murder Mindfully

 Murder Mindfully by Karsten Dusse (2019), 416 pages

Life is coming in hard for Bjorn. Work is stressful, marriage is stressful, and all he wants to do is spend more quality time with his daughter. In an effort to save their marriage, Bjorn's wife sends him to a mindfulness coach. Initially Bjorn is reluctant as he has things TO DO. But even he realizes that he cannot keep going at this pace, especially as his top client's shady businesses are bringing unwanted attention. Thankfully, the mindfulness coach has given him the tools to be present in any situation (whether with his daughter, defending gang members, or committing the occasional murder). 

This was a fun read. It is light with a touch of humor and, honestly, some good advice on how to be more present in your life. I found this German series through the Netflix show, and will likely read more of them.  

The Trip

The Trip by Audrey J. Cole, 303 pages

Twenty years after a whitewater rafting trip that left a friend for dead, four women have gathered for a luxury sailing trip. Each has her own reasons for attending, and none of those reasons are to rekindle their friendship. However, nobody expects things to go sideways so quickly, with death, storms, and an almost complete lack of sailing ability aboard (though you'd think that one would've given them a clue). What becomes obvious is that someone aboard the sailboat wants revenge.

There is absolutely nobody likeable in this book, which mentions Starlink enough that I'm really hoping it was a paid advertisement. I read it a couple months ago and I honestly can't remember who the bad guy is, and really, I don't care. If you're looking for a hate read, give this one a go. Otherwise, skip it.

Such a Perfect Family

Such a Perfect Family by Nalini Singh, 384 pages

After a whirlwind romance, Tavish has married the woman of his dreams and moved in with her parents on the other side of the world while the newlyweds try to find a home of their own. However, it literally all goes up in flames when Tavish returns home from an errand to find the house ablaze, killing his new in-laws and putting his wife in a coma. While he tries to figure out exactly who may have set this fire, Tavish's checkered past (full of wealthy women dying and leaving him all kinds of riches) may be catching up to him, making him a prime suspect in the arson.

I read this a couple months back and I'll admit that I had to look up the summary to get that paragraph written. It was a disjointed story with unreliable and largely unlikeable characters, and other than the exotic locale (Philippines? New Zealand? Maybe both?), it's completely forgettable. Meh.

 

A Zoom with a View

A Zoom with a View by Jess Cannon, 384 pages

I already had this mystery on my TBR pile, but when I read Jan's review of it, I moved it up to the top. Leo, who has reluctantly returned to her tiny Texas hometown for job that doesn't even come close to using her doctoral degree in English; her batty hairdresser-with-a-secret-life mom Karina; Karina's best friend Kay, who manages to turn the county lockup into a kegger; police consultant (and secret girlfriend to one of the officers investigating the murder) Macy... these are just a few of the fantastic characters that make up the cast of this charming and innately readable cozy mystery. And while there are plenty of over-the-top and unbelievable elements (Chaz and Kymber saying "babe" in every sentence they say to each other, for example), there are also some very real elements to ground the story. The way Leo's best friend Emily reacts to both her mother's arrest and Leo's aloofness, Leo and Karina's difficult relationship... it's a fantastic book, and I can't wait to read the next one in this series. (And yes, the dog is fine.)

The Keeper of Lost Children

The Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson, 464 pages

Living with her husband in occupied Germany in the 1950s, Ethel Gathers is a proud wife of an American serviceman and always looking for something to do. She soon discovers a nearby orphanage filled with the abandoned children of local German women and the African American soldiers with whom they had brief affairs. While Ethel and her husband personally adopt a handful of kids, they're determined to help these children find homes back in the U.S., and Ethel begins reaching out to all of her contacts at African American newspapers, churches, and everywhere else to accomplish her mission. Ethel's tale is woven together with the stories of Sophie, a Black girl attending a prestigious private (and mostly white) school in 1965, and Ozzie, a Black serviceman in 1948 Germany who falls in love with a German woman.

Braiding these three stories together creates a captivating novel that is based on a real phenomenon of Black American families adopting mixed race children from Germany in the 1950s. All of the stories are compelling, and while the reader may expect each story to go one way, the somehow-realistic twists keep us guessing. Indeed, the least believable element of the whole book is how many kids Ethel and her husband adopt, and that part is based on an actual woman: Mabel Treadwell Grammer, who, with her husband, adopted 12 mixed-race children from German orphanages. It's a fascinating book, and I was riveted the whole time while reading it.

Lost Lake

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen (2014) 296 pages

The cast of characters include Eby, an older widow who owns a lakeside resort that is in disrepair, just outside a little town in Georgia; Lisette, a mute woman whom Eby and her late husband had met in Paris and who has now been with Eby for most of her life; Kate, a young woman who has been a zombie since her husband died a year ago; Devin, Kate's eight-year-old daughter who has a most lively imagination; Cricket, Kate's mother-in-law, a controlling woman who is planning to run for a political office in Atlanta; and several others, all with engaging backstories.

Kate feels as if she has literally woken up after a year lost when her husband died. She sees her mother-in-law planning out her life, selling her house, moving her to the mother-in-law's house, and planning for her to work in her mother-in-law's office. The mother-in-law also wants to send Kate's daughter to a private school and train her to wear proper clothing, instead of letting her choose the fairy wings and cowboy boots and other garb that Devin likes so well.

 On their moving day, Kate finds Devin wearing clothing from a dress-up trunk in the attic and Devin shows her a postcard she found in the trunk from Kate's great-aunt Eby, which has a picture of Eby's resort. They make a split second decision to go to the resort to see if it still exists.

Eby has just agreed to sell the resort to a man who wants to redevelop it. The past keeps poking up its head. There just might be a ghost or two. As well as people who are looking for meaning. I liked this novel very much.

Swindle Series

Swindle series by Gordon Korman

Swindle (2008), 252 pgs.

Griffin Bing does not stand for injustice. In fact, more likely than not, you will find him outlining and executing a plan to right some wrong. Along with a group of friends, each with their own set of skills, Griffin makes a plan to get back a baseball card which he was swindled out of. These kids are constantly underestimated, but with the right plan, they can show the world that they are not to be messed with.

Zoobreak (2009), 230 pgs.
Griffin and his friends continue their mission of fighting for the little guy--this time for the little furry guys! After a field trip to a floating zoo, the classmates are horrified by the poor living conditions for the creatures in the exhibit. The animals must be freed, and this is just the team to do it. 

Framed (2010), 234 pgs.
When a Super Bowl ring belonging to the school goes missing, all signs point to The Man With a Plan. The thing is--Griffin did not take it. Given his history with heists, Griffin has trouble proving his innocence, so his friends must step up and make a plan to clear their leader's name. 

Showoff (2012), 248 pgs.
Luthor, the hulking Doberman belonging to one of the friends, is in trouble. After going berserk at a dog show and injuring the star canine, his owners are forced to give him up to the pound. Griffin cannot stand to see a member of the team behind bars--even when it may be deserved--so he picks Luthor up and comes up with a plan to tame the beast--by training Luthor to win a dog show of his own. 

Hideout (2013), 275 pgs.
The team must band together again to help Luthor after his malicious previous owner begins suing for custody. The friends decide to take the dog with them to their summer camps and hide him while they figure out what to do. 

Jackpot (2014), 200 pgs.
Someone in Cedarville has won the lottery, but they have yet to claim their prize. As time runs out for the winner, The Man With a Plan takes it upon himself to discover what happened to the winning ticket. If that weren't stressful enough, Griffin must complete this plan alone after a new student moves to town and disrupts the friend-group.  

Unleashed (2015), 202 pgs.
Since his dad is an inventor, you'd think that Griffin would be a shoe-in to win the inventing contest at his school. However, competing against his technology-genius friend, Melissa, is never a good idea. Despite the invention rivalry, when Melissa's invention goes missing, the team must come together once again to make sure it's a fair competition. 

Jingle (2016), 199 pgs.
After being unwillingly signed up for the annual Christmas extravaganza, Griffin and his friends begrudgingly participate--dressing as elves and handing out gifts. When the event is cancelled after a priceless artifact is stolen, the group is slightly relieved to be out of elf-duty--until the blame is shifted their way. In order to clear their names and keep the spirit of the holidays alive, the team completes another plan... this time to save Christmas. 

The Mercy of Gods

The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey, 448 pages

I first read this book about a year and a half ago, and realized that as awkward as my write-up was then, I'd write it exactly the same way now — in fact, when I first started writing this, I started it with the same sentence before I erased that and just chose to redirect you to that original blog post. Anyway, this made a bit more sense on the second read-through, and it was an excellent discussion in Orcs & Aliens. Can't wait to read the second book in this series, which I thankfully have sitting on my shelf at home.

The Last Mandarin

The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny and Melissa Fung, 400 pages

Food blogger Alice and her mother, famous dissident and human rights activist Vivien, have never really gotten along. Yet when mysterious global attacks traced back to China start setting off alarms worldwide and stopping all the elevators simultaneously, they learn that they are closer to the source of these attacks than they thought. The mother-daughter pair must work together, with or without the help of the U.S. and Chinese governments, to determine who is behind the attacks before something truly devastating happens.

This would make an excellent summer blockbuster along the lines of Indiana Jones or National Treasure or The Mummy. However, there are just too many improbable or downright impossible things to suspend disbelief for the length of time it takes to read a book. Wait for the inevitable film adaptation and read one of Penny's other books instead.

Yesteryear

 

 

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, 391 pages 

Natalie Heller Mills is a "tradwife" social media influencer, who lives the perfect life in the eyes of her Instagram followers. Her posts hide the less "perfect" aspects of her life, like her nannies, farmhands, and martial problems. One day Natalie wakes up in the 1800s and has to learn to navigate her life without her usual modern amenities.

I was really excited for this book, and did enjoy the beginning. I enjoyed the book less as it progressed, and found the story line got muddled in attempts to keep the suspense alive. Similar to many readers, I did not like the ending. The concept of this book was very intriguing, and I am looking forward to the movie, however it did not hit home for me. 

The Road to Tender Hearts

The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett (2025), 384 pages

PJ is struggling. He is a 63 y/o divorced alcoholic that is drifting through life. He gets a wake-up call when he suddenly becomes the caregiver to his orphaned grand niece and nephew. On top of that, his ex-wife (of whom he is still very close to) and her fiancé take an extended trip to Alaska while his somewhat estranged daughter comes back into the picture. To round out the sudden changes, a death cat appears to provide comfort, warnings, and security. PJ decides that best way to handle all of this is to take a road trip west to reconnect with a recently widowed former high school crush and to get a paternity test from a Soap Opera star for his grandniece. 

 ALL of that is in this book. There is also a bunch more. Despite PJ being a man-child and a bit irritating, I ended up really liking the book. Fair warning, there are a lot of heavy topics covered in the book. It is not a breezy read, but there is enough warmth and humor to keep you invested.  

The Silver Fish

The Silver Fish by Connor Martin, 384 pages

Fresh off a personal tragedy, journalist Dani has come to Ghana determined to expose corruption and write an investigative article that will restart her career in the high-risk world of international journalism. While she seeks a story uncovering corruption in the oil industry, she stumbles upon something much more sinister and explosive, involving the fiberoptic cables that traverse the ocean, international spies, and oh so much danger.

As much as I wanted to like this book at the outset (it's a spy novel! in a setting we're not used to! with a female journalist as the lead character!), it was kind of a mess. Dani's journalistic ethics are almost nonexistent and she makes some REALLY stupid moves, which is what leads directly to the danger and suspense. Would've loved to see a smart woman exposing corruption without corrupting herself in the process. But alas...

The Final Target

 The Final Target by Nora Roberts (2026), 419 pages

Arden Bowie's first book has just been published and her book signing was a success; except that it is also the first time she meets her future stalker. 

This is a somewhat new genre for me as I didn't realize Romance Thriller is a thing. Now that I know it is, I understand the book better. I couldn't figure out why there was this crime, but a lot of the book centers around her meeting nice guy Gideon. The parts surrounding the stalker were pretty intense, but then the book would refocus to Gideon and it was like a nice Hallmark show. So, if this is your thing, it was a good summer read. If it isn't, I would move on. 

Please See Us

 Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen (2020), 341 pages

Clara, a teenage psychic/prostitute, and Lily, an embarrassed art gallerist, form an unlikely friendship to reluctantly solve a string of Jane Doe murders in down and out Atlantic City. I really didn't care for this novel. The writing was clunky, the character arcs both tropey and unbelievable, and it was told from too many points of view. Definitely not one I will be recommending. 

July Totals

Please talk to us about our books!

 

Annie: 2 books, 852 pages

Byron: 4 books, 1209 pages

Jan: 5 books, 1334 pages

John: 2 books, 746 pages

Kara: 9 books, 3054 pages

Kevin: 9 books, 2308 pages

Regan: 10 books, 4087 pages 

Sarah: 6 books, 1716 pages

Tracey: 9 books, 3322 pages

 Totals: 56 books and 18, 628 pages

 

More Weight: A Salem Story

More Weight: A Salem Story by Ben Wickey (2025) 532 pages 

I loved the in depth history, mostly in black and white, of the 1692 events. So much more disturbing than Arthur Miller's version of events in The Crucible. The focus on Giles and Martha Corey works well. I also appreciated poets Longfellow and Hawthorne's tour of Salem in the 1860s. It goes in an otherworldly direction, which seems odd, until you realize that this part has been a ghost story all along. The two parts connect because Longfellow had written a play about the Salem Witch Trials focusing on the Coreys and Hawthorne is related to one of the judges with his family living in the Salem area for generations. The Intro and Outro about the aftermath of the witch trials leading to modern day Salem is super dense with litigation from mishandled justice, politics, consumerism, and ongoing fictions and frauds. So much fascinating educational material. It took longer to complete than I expected, but I'm glad I stayed with it.

A Zoom with a View

 

A Zoom with a View by Jess Cannon (2026) 370 pages

Leo (short for Leonora) has reluctantly moved back to her hometown, a small city just south of Austin, Texas. Reluctant because she has most often felt that her mother is standoff-ish and doesn't want her to come back. Reluctant, too, because moving back is an admission that after her multiple post-doc years, she can't get a permanent job as an English professor. However, she accepts a summer job taking photos of new listings with a realtor (Kay) who happens to be her mother's best friend as well as the mother of Leo's best friend.

At the town's 4th of July parade, there is an altercation between Kay and another realtor, Chaz.  Chaz and his girlfriend have been spotted sabotaging Kay's float for the parade. Just hours later, Chaz is dead and Kay is arrested for his murder. On the surface, this story looks to be a standard whodunnit. However, there are hints early on that something more nefarious is going on, something which started way before this murder. This is the hook that led to this book being finished in a day, which does not happen often anymore.

Social media skills come into play while collecting evidence; Leo knows her stuff and finds herself helping the local detective. Are the characters believable? Mostly. Is the storyline solid? Reasonably. Is Leo a protagonist we can get behind? Most definitely. She's smart, measured, and takes time to think.  The only negative might be a positive: the book is calling for a sequel.

Mississippi Solo

Mississippi Solo by Eddy Harris, 250 pages

At the age of 30, aspiring writer Eddy Harris decided to find a canoe and paddle his way from the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Minnesota all the way down to the delta in New Orleans. Never canoed before, yet here he was, doing it all by his lonesome. Except that he wasn't really alone. Along the way, Harris met dozens of folks from all walks of life and swapped stories with them, getting as familiar with people as he did with the river itself. 

This was a fascinating memoir, and I'm so glad we read it as part of the Big Book Challenge this year (and even happier that Eddy came to visit! The dude give really good hugs.) I'll be recommending this widely.

The Underground Railroad

 The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (2016), 306 pages

This sometimes hard to read novel follows Cora, a young slave woman, fleeing the South for somewhat freedom in the North. Books about slavery aren't enjoyable, but should be required reading for all Americans. Whitehead does not hold back on the horrors Cora, her compatriots, and aiders experienced during this era. He does a great job exploring all the aspects of the Underground Railroad and how risky it was for the folks using it and for those running it. If you haven't already, I highly recommend you check this one out. 

The First Date Prophecy

The First Date Prophecy by Kate and Danny Tamberelli (2023) 327 pages

Lucy and Rudy are both in their early thirties and living month to month without great jobs and definitely not finding partners. When Lucy gets back onto the dating website HeartThrobs after a particularly bad first date, she sees Rudy's profile and recognizes him as a child star from a TV series and decides to give him a chance. Rudy, meanwhile, gets onto the same site after his own annoying date: someone who approached him after one of his music gigs in a bar. He finds Lucy's profile. They end up meeting in a restaurant featuring Elvira, the oldest psychic in New York. The date ends up etched in their memories because of the old woman's prophecy for them, which seems like it's positive. However, the old woman is unable to finish before she collapses.

After that unsettling experience, Lucy and Rudy decide to hang out with each other to see if their relationship has a chance of success. They go to each other's job gigs and meet each other's friends. They like each other a lot, but they are each reluctant to take the relationship to a physical level, fearful of possible heartbreak.

Watching them as their friendship and job prospects progress, waiting to see if they can be successful together, is a fun trip, complete with eccentric secondary characters, weird situations, and of course, a crisis point.