An Embarrassment of Riches

This book took me a really long time to get in to. I had been warned that there was a PG version of it - which is the version I had - and had to go out and find the R rated version. It was worth it. One of the best things this book has going for it is the colorful language. Some of the scenes are laugh out loud funny and I don’t know that they would be so in a white-washed version. Overall, few of the characters are likable, but you do ultimately have a lot of sympathy for Ursula. I’m not sure if I will read any more in the series, but by the end I DID want to know what happened to Ursula and Jed. I read a Christmas Short in this series a few years ago and had the same opinion - the colorful language is the best part of the book. The characters are basically unlikable and the scenarios - painful. 3 out of 5 stars This was the March & April selection for the Manpower Operations Book Club https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9915413-an-embarrassment-of-riches

You Don't Own Me

I enjoy this series - I think the cases are interesting and I enjoy the relationship of the ensemble. I am even growing to tolerate the new co-host. I wonder what will become of this series now that we have lost MHC. I hope that Alafair Burke continues the series on his own. This was a good case that I was sure I had figured out about three times. But the usual red herring ending was completely unexpected. I like the backdrop of everyone’s baggage and how it interferes with a good old fashioned who-done-it and truly puts the entire case of characters “under suspicion”. You don’t think Alex, Leo or Laurie actually killed the initial victim, but you can’t discount their impact on sub plots. It’s a good series, I know there is one more book and hope for more from Mr. Burke 4 out of 5 stars https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39932742-you-don-t-own-me

The Blessings of the Animals

Another Katrina Kittle book that I read in 2 days. Like The Kindness of Strangers, I really liked it - the characters are well drawn and completely believable, unlike The Kindness of Strangers, this was much more uplifting and empowering. You really root for all of the players and want the best for them. I want Cami to end up with both men, but quickly see that she would just be out of the frying pan and into the fire with any of the men in her life. It is refreshing that she is actually able to see that and not make a terrible mistake. The relationship with her daughter and the animals is the highlight of the book. You also love her brother and his family. The loss of the first baby is heartbreaking and it was a little thing, but she was subtly able to make us think the mother-in-law passed. Enhanced the feeling of loss when you find out what really happened. The second book in a row where the ending is Happy but not for the way you think it will be. Especially as it relates to Moonshot. Kittle is a friend of a friend and I have to say, I am a fan! 5 out of 5 stars The March 2022 selection for the Books and Brunch Book Club https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7294160-the-blessings-of-the-animals

The Lost Apothecary

This book was recommended to me by a friend and I later found it on the Operations Book Club “to read” list - so it will be the June Operations Book Club selection. I loved it. I am a sucker for a split time novel and this book did a wonderful job of drawing parallels between the plight of our contemporary hero and the subject of her research in the past. You really like all of the women characters and the men are appropriately villainous without being caricatures. I thought the whole premise in both time periods was believable and I really appreciated that the ending was not too ‘pat’. A good ending but not the stereotypical Happily Ever After. A HEA much more in keeping with female empowerment. Although it wasn’t intentional, it was a good selection for International Women’s month. 5 out of 5 stars The June 2022 selection for the ManpowerGroup Operations Book Club https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53288434-the-lost-apothecary

All Together Dead

I am continually amazed at what a good TV Series True Blood was when you compare it to the source material. I like reading these books and spending time with these characters, and I often wonder how I would feel about the series if I had read the books first. But there always seems to be much less depth of character in the books. That is not to say that I don’t enjoy them, especially this one that doesn’t have a direct parallel to the TV series with which I am more familiar. I like the relationship with Sookie and Barry in this one and I like the side acknowledgement or attempt to NOT acknowledge Bill. And I continue to enjoy the new room mate/witch in the book series that didn’t make it into the TV series and her cat boy friend. I am sure that i will continue to read the series, if nothing else, they are light, easy and quick reads to sneak in between more dense ‘assignments’ 3 out of 5 stars https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/140075.All_Together_Dead

This is Happiness

I listened to this book and fell on and off of it as I had other books that I had to listen to on a deadline. I also listen to my audio books primarily while I am walking in the morning. Wisconsin winters being what they are, I missed about 2 weeks of reading time due to single digit temperatures. The plot of the book was thin but not really necessary - it was the characters and the beautiful imagery that made this book a joy. I was glad that I was listening to the book as this author has so much fun with words! Can set a scene using alliteration and descriptions that I would never have thought of but made me laugh or marvel. Just lovely. This was the February selection for the irish Book Club - through Celtic MKE 4 out of 5 stars https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42972008-this-is-happiness

Sombody's Daughter

We read this for our Books And Brunch group. This year we selected all of the books for the year back before summer free read. None of us could remember who suggested this book and why we thought it was a good idea. All we could think of is that it won a lot of acclaim and awards. None of us could figure out why. It was disjointed and I think the main theme was how this girl’s life would have been better (?) if her father had not been sent to prison, but it also talked a lot about how rotten her relationship with her mother was and how she was raped as a young girl. Her father was in prison for rape and they never addressed that. The book also spent a lot of time talking about what a great writer this author is and I just wasn’t impressed with the writing. Again, disjointed. I will say, it was interesting coming off of Invisible Man that she spent a great deal of her time in grade school trying to be invisible, fly under the radar. 3 out of 5 stars - and we decided as B & B that we don’t need to read our vegetables. This was the February selection for Books and Brunch. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54860610-somebody-s-daughter

Invisible Man

I read this book back in 1996 for my first book club, the club I joined on Meet Up in Chicago. Wow, what a different time that was when you would find a social group on line, (in CHICAGO) be welcomed into their home and made new friends with nothing in common except a love of books and reading. I’m probably lucky I wasn’t murdered. Invisible Man - it was really good to revisit it. I remembered some of the story and the general impression of the book. At the time I read it in 1996, it was shocking how relevant it still was, being published in 1952. Now, more than 25 years later, if possible, it’s even MORE relevant. And that is truly disappointing from a societal point of view. However, the book is an amazing piece of literature and extremely effective in that you really want to know his name and you feel the reluctant trust of the land-lady and the reluctant distrust of the “organization”. We selected this book for our Business Resource Group book club and shortly after it was announced, DEIB let us know that we needed to issue a content warning and put one together for us. Again, one would hope that 70 years after it’s original publication the subject matter would have lost some of the power but it hasn’t and that is extremely sad. 5 out of 5 stars The 2022 Q1 (and Black History Month) selection for the All BRG book club https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16981.Invisible_Man

The People in the Woods

I really enjoyed this book up until the end. It was a good story and a good mystery. There was a lot of urgency to it and escalating suspense. The characters were interesting and realistic and I thought the relationship between husband and wife, interesting and believable. The book lost me in the last chapters. SPOILERS I don’t believe that he would so callously murder the main villian and get away with it to such a degree AND, surely the most disappointing part was that the entire focus of the book shifted to make the relationship between “town and gown” the most important part of the book. Though that was certainly central - it didn’t seem like that should be the moral of the story AND I really don’t think that he would abandon the topic for a new paper/new research in favor of being a liaison. Again, the book really had me and then just as quickly REALLY lost me. 3 out of 5 stars. This was the February selection for the Operations Book Club (and we all had a similar opinion of it) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44334409-the-people-in-the-woods

The Scorpion's Tail

The Second book in a new Preston and Child series spinning off from the Pendergast books that I have been reading for… wow, almost 25 years! I enjoy these characters and like seeing them working together. I do think this book got a little convoluted at times, but the history was fun and it was a good story. I really like Nora Kelly and would rather spend time with her than Bill Smithback’s wayward brother who seems to be making more and more appearances in the main series. 4 out of 5 stars https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52933779-the-scorpion-s-tail