Downward Sizing Dog: A Reformed Big Dog Snob Defends the Small Dog Life by Karen Lena Izzo

June 12, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Downward Sizing Dog: A Reformed Big Dog Snob Defends the Small Dog Life by Karen Lena Izzo
Publisher: Small Dog Press
Genre: Non-Fiction, Contemporary, Pets
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

In this informative, often funny, and always compelling read, long-time big dog lover Karen Lena Izzo proves that small dogs deserve more respect.

Told from her perspective as a (mostly) reformed big dog snob, Izzo combines heartwarming interviews and personal stories with facts-in-your-face science to prove small dogs are as canine as the retriever next door.

You’ll meet dozens of dogs and their people, and regardless of your opinion going in, you’ll end the book with a wider perspective on how all dogs–even the smallest–fulfill that ancient “best friends” contract between our species.

Small dogs are people, too.

I have to admit I’m a dog person who is also a cat person. I love critters in all sizes and I’ve been known to put a book down forever if the dog dies in the end. This isn’t such a book (the dog doesn’t die). This is a good read for someone trying to figure out if they’re a dog person and what size might work for them.

I’ve always been of the opinion that the dog picks you, not the other way around. My animals have all come from the APL or rescues and while I’ve had an idea who I wanted, it’s the dog or cat that’s picked me. I must also confess, I don’t have a bias toward the size of the dog. This author, though, sort of does. It’s implied in the title–defending the small dog life. That’s okay. Some are meant for small dogs and others for larger ones.

I liked this book in that the author does a great job of defending why small dogs are great. All dogs are great, but sometimes the smaller ones get the bias of being seen as ankle-biters or walking puffballs. They’re pups, too and demand love. Then again, large dogs get labeled as dangerous or big and scary. It’s all about perspective. This book gives that.

I had some issues with the way big dogs were portrayed in this book, though. Any animal, when left to their own devices, can be destructive. They can have anxieties and will leave messes. Any dog can be a travel companion and the best of friends to their master. It’s all about how the dog is raised and how the owner accommodates the dog. Small dogs are good in their own ways and so are big ones.

If you’re considering getting a dog, I highly suggest going to the local shelter or a rescue. Adopt, don’t shop. But that said, you have to pick what’s best for you. This book will help you do that. If you’re wanting a dog, then try this book. It’s worth a read.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Murder for Liar by Verlin Darrow

June 8, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Murder for Liar by Verlin Darrow
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

Tom is dangerously close to discovering where his threshold is—the point of no return for his sanity. His encounter with the killer represents one more bizarre hot potato he’s forced to juggle instead of filing away neatly. It’s not one too many, but what if the next one is? And could all the coincidences that keep happening to Tom be nothing more than that? Could a young woman named Zig-Zag really be an angel? How could a dog lead Tom to one of the most important clues? The questions pile up, much as the murders do.

Want an unusual read sure to keep you guessing? Murder for Liar by Verlin Darrow could be for you. Psychotherapist Tom has eccentric patients and a murder mystery on his hands. Arundel visits Tom for counseling, but he’s not very cooperative and even makes Tom a bit uncomfortable. What’s up with this guy?

Soon other equally unique characters show up at Tom’s door. There’s a strange connection between them and something odd going on. Are these occurrences connected to the murders happening around town? Someone Tom knows, a perfectly lovely colleague, becomes a victim. Then a new friend of his becomes threatened. These characters and the questions they raise really drive the story forward.

Tom finds himself in some wild situations and begins to question his own sanity. Could he really be losing his stability, or is something sinister the cause of it all? This book does a good job making one wonder. It is hard to tell what is at the root of it all, making for an engaging mystery. For a book full of surprises with an underlying spiritual theme, why not have a look at this one?

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Husband Hunters: American Heiresses Who Married into the British Aristocracy by Anne de Courcy

June 1, 2023 By Leave a Comment


The Husband Hunters: American Heiresses Who Married into the British Aristocracy by Anne de Courcy
Publisher: St Martin’s Press
Genre: Historical, Non-Fiction
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

A deliciously told group biography of the young, rich, American heiresses who married into the impoverished British aristocracy at the turn of the twentieth century – the real women who inspired Downton Abbey

Towards the end of the nineteenth century and for the first few years of the twentieth, a strange invasion took place in Britain. The citadel of power, privilege and breeding in which the titled, land-owning governing class had barricaded itself for so long was breached. The incomers were a group of young women who, fifty years earlier, would have been looked on as the alien denizens of another world – the New World, to be precise. From 1874 – the year that Jennie Jerome, the first known ‘Dollar Princess’, married Randolph Churchill – to 1905, dozens of young American heiresses married into the British peerage, bringing with them all the fabulous wealth, glamour and sophistication of the Gilded Age.

Anne de Courcy sets the stories of these young women and their families in the context of their times. Based on extensive first-hand research, drawing on diaries, memoirs and letters, this richly entertaining group biography reveals what they thought of their new lives in England – and what England thought of them.

These women wanted to find husbands and they were willing to stop at nothing to get them.

I picked up this book because I wanted to know more about the women who desired to marry up at the turn of the century. I’m glad I read this. It’s informative and fascinating how these women went looking for men to marry, but it’s also fascinating how the men didn’t stop until they found the one they wanted, too. It’s entertaining because there’s so much wealth being tossed around, but sad because many of these women didn’t know what they were getting into. They were destined for lives of loneliness and running a household instead of being lavished with luxury. I liked how some of the women figured out how to make this work for them and even made the situation even better.

I have to admit there is a lot of excess on display among these people. They knew how to travel to the hilt and how to showcase their wealth. At times, it was over the top. I mean, disgustingly so. But it was how they were raised and of the times. One really did wear a necklace with a gigantic sapphire on the end that was essentially kicked when they walked…because luxury. Show the wealth. I don’t blame the author, but the topic. The people in this book were essentially disgustingly rich.

If you’re interested in a snapshot of times gone by with a lot of wealth and vivid descriptions, then this book might be for you,

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Jane Austen: A Literary Celebrity by Peter J Leithart

May 31, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Jane Austen: A Literary Celebrity by Peter J Leithart
Publisher: Nelson Books
Genre: Historical, Non-Fiction, Biography
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Jane Austen is famous for such books as Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, and Emma. Now learn about the author’s journey through a life spent making up stories that touched the lives of millions.

Jane Austen is now what she never was in life, and what she would have been horrified to become–a literary celebrity. “Janeia” is the author’s term for the mania for all things Austen. Dive into Jane Austen: A Literary Celebrity and discover:

how it all began and Austen’s love of poetry
her early masterpieces and the inspiration behind the stories
her road to getting published and the health decline that led to her death
In this updated edition, you’ll also find discussion questions that work well for book clubs and ELA lesson plans. This biography is perfect for:

Jane Austen fans and collectors
men and women who have enjoyed Austen-inspired films and TV series adaptations
anyone interested in learning about the varied sides of Austen’s character and the characters she created
Jane Austen: A Literary Celebrity is a fascinating look at a woman who never meant to be famous.

A decent overview about the life of Jane Austen.

I picked this book up because I wanted to get to know more about Jane Austen. She’s considered the titan of the romantic genre, but I didn’t know much about her. This was my entre into her life. I’m glad I read it.

I learned quite a bit about Austen and can now say I respect her writing even more that I know her. This book would be great for hardcore Austen fans and enlightening for those who want to know a little more.

The writing is utilitarian and serves the purpose of telling her story, but there were times it needed a bit more personality. I liked the story and liked learning about Austen, but there were times the author referred to her as Jenny. It’s not incorrect, but got a bit confusing, especially early on. I also got a little lost in the family tree descriptions early on. That’s not to say this is a bad book. Far from it. It’s a nice pocket read, but one has to read it with the notion there will be rereading involved.

If you’re a fan of Austen and want to know how her faith somewhat influenced her, how her life went and want something quick, then this might be the book for you. Give it a try.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Merchant’s House by Kate Ellis

May 31, 2023 By Leave a Comment


The Merchant’s House by Kate Ellis
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

DS Wesley Peterson, newly arrived in the West Country town of Tradmouth, has his hands full when a child goes missing and a young woman is brutally murdered on a lonely cliff path.

Then his old friend, archaeologist Neil Watson, unearths the skeletons of a woman and a newborn baby in the cellar of an ancient merchant’s house nearby.

As they begin to investigate the murders, Wesley starts to suspect that these deaths, centuries apart, may be linked by age-old motives of jealousy and sexual obsession. And the pressure is on if he is going to prevent a further tragedy . . .

DS Wesley Peterson has just arrived with his wife into the West Country, pleased to be out of the hustle and bustle of London. New to the small police force, he is eager to settle in and for he and his wife to make a new home. He bumps into an old university friend from his archaeology days, Neil Watson and the two of them compare their current careers, surprised to find more and more there is some overlap in each of their current projects.

I picked this book up on a whim as it appeared to have a number of similarities to the Dr Ruth Galloway series which I am enjoying immensely. While I didn’t find the characters or plotline as deep or complex as the Galloway series, I did find this an enjoyable police procedural style of mystery novel. The archaeology came out mostly in snippets from a relevant diary at the beginning of each chapter, so readers expecting a strong sense of history or archaeology/digs encompassed in the plot might find this aspect to the story a little lacking.

The mystery and police aspect to the plot is well thought out and while the pace is a little slow, I felt that added more to the countrified air of the story and more authentic than a hurried or more action-orientated city-style of pacing. As the first book in the series, I was pleased there was a decent introduction to the main characters including the members of Wesley’s police team. I would have enjoyed a bit more time spent with Wesley’s wife and be able to understand her a little better. I’m hoping that occurs in the coming few books.

Readers who enjoy British style murder/mystery novels especially with a hint of history/archaeology should find this an easy and entertaining read.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Mercy by David Baldacci

May 25, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Mercy by David Baldacci
Publisher: Pan Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

For her entire life, FBI agent Atlee Pine has been searching for her twin sister, Mercy, who was abducted at the age of six and never seen again. Mercy’s disappearance left behind a damaged family that later shattered beyond repair when Atlee’s parents inexplicably abandoned her.

Now, after a perilous investigation that nearly proved fatal, Atlee has finally discovered not only the reason behind her parents’ abandonment and Mercy’s kidnapping, but also the most promising breakthrough yet: proof that Mercy survived her abduction and then escaped her captors many years ago.

Though Atlee is tantalizingly close to her family at last, the final leg of her long road to Mercy will be the most treacherous yet. Mercy left at least one dead body behind before fleeing her captors years before. Atlee has no idea if her sister is still alive, and if so, how she has been surviving all this time. When the truth is finally revealed, Atlee Pine will face the greatest danger yet, and it may well cost her everything.

FBI special agent Atlee Pine knows her parents and twin sister are out there somewhere, her family fractured and broken after her twin sister, Mercy, had been kidnapped when the girls were six years old. Now Atlee is at the end of her journey, determined to finish what she had started.

This is the fourth (and I believe, final) book in the Atlee Pine series. While the story has continued from the previous three books, I feel readers should be able to catch up pretty quickly on the backstory and enjoy this book on its own merits. I do believe, though, that a deeper and possibly more emotional connection to Atlee’s character and journey in particular might be achieved with readers who have followed the progress through the series in its entirety.

That said, this is an excellent ending to the series in my opinion. I thought the numerous sub plots were all woven very well together, and I enjoyed the different character’s perspectives. I also found it quite clear to me that the author had organized everything to dovetail neatly together. While I did feel a few aspects to the plot – especially surrounding Atlee and Mercy’s mother – was a little too easy and cliched, overall I thought most of the various moving elements all meshed well together and there wasn’t too much of a need to suspend disbelief.

I was particularly pleased that both Atlee and Mercy had their story arcs rounded out in what I felt to be a satisfactory manner. This book had a well-paced plotline and a number of solid action scenes – but I definitely feel most readers will be largely invested in the closing off of the main series arc between Mercy and Atlee and I was really pleased with how the author wrapped everything up in this respect. I feel readers should be similarly pleased. While the action and mystery sides to the plot were very well handled – it was the character resolution that I feel most people will be seeking and find very suitable here.

A satisfying and enjoyable end to an excellent series, this was a good book.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Liquid Shades of Blue by James Polkinghorn

May 24, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Liquid Shades of Blue by James Polkinghorn
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

First his brother, now his mother—Jack Girard searches for the truth behind his family’s tragedies

When hungover ex-lawyer and Key West bar owner Jack Girard groggily wakes up one morning, he’s greeted by a beautiful woman lying next to him and a shrill, ringing telephone. Seeing the call is from his father, Claude “The Duke” Girard, Jack answers. Within seconds, he learns that his mother is dead in an apparent suicide, and Jack hits the road, heading back to his childhood home in Miami to face his tyrannical father.

The death of his mother brings up haunting memories from Jack’s past—memories of his brother Bobby’s suicide when they were in college together. Being back in Miami only continues to dredge up his family traumas, but things grow more complicated when The Duke suggests that his estranged wife’s alleged suicide may have been a murder.

As Jack begins to uncover the truth about his mother’s death, including the secret she had revealed to only two people—the same secret Bobby had taken with him to his grave—he finds himself in imminent danger. Can Jack reveal the true story before it’s too late? He has to act quickly, or he fears he may be the victim of the next Girard family tragedy.

Jack Girard has seen his share of tragedy. Having lost his brother to suicide in college, he’s blindsided by the news that his mother, too, has taken her own life. But something’s not sitting right with Jack. Is it his past that’s haunting him and making him doubt reality, or was his mother murdered? There’s only one way to find out.

Lawyer turned bar owner Jack Girard is an interesting character. Having mostly abandoned practicing law, he only takes on worthy clients now, focusing his time and attention on the bar. I liked that about him, that he would rather put his energy into something not guaranteed to turn a profit rather than taking on rich clients and banking the retainers. On the downside, he is a bit egotistical at times, which was somewhat a put off for me. I do get it, however, because you need to be very certain you’re right to be a successful lawyer. In the end, that ego is what pushes him until he finds the answers to the questions he’s been asking, so it works for him.

Jack’s father, Duke Girard, was awful from the get-go. Every interaction Jack had with him was fraught with tension and derision. While I understand that he’s just a character, his attitude sometimes made reading the interactions between himself and Jack tough to get through. He does, however, make for a very dislikable villain.

Liquid Shades of Blue is a slow burn mystery that takes you from a bar in Key West, Florida to a mansion in Miami, on a search for the truth. At times the writing could have been tightened up and made more precise, cutting down on some of the overly long sentences and paragraphs. However, the plot is solid and the characters engaging enough to make you want to know how it ends. I’d be curious to see what the author publishes next.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Original Bucky Lew: Basketball’s First Black Professional by Chris Boucher

May 22, 2023 By Leave a Comment


The Original Bucky Lew: Basketball’s First Black Professional by Chris Boucher
Publisher: Wings ePress
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Bucky Lew burst through pro basketball’s color barrier to become the first Black player in an otherwise white league. And playing was just a start. He wanted to dominate in every single role in the game—from player to coach to general manager to owner.

His dream looked to be deferred when Harry Hough, the league’s best player, refused to play against him in a regular season matchup that the press billed as a preview of the championship. Not only were their teams the best, Hough was the league’s top scorer and Bucky its best defender.

All eyes were on the pair. What would Bucky do? Should he just go away or could he rally his teammates around him?

What about the fans—the thousands in the arena and those around the league following the rivalry in the papers? Or the league as a whole? Would they support him or move on without him?

The stakes were high—it was a fight for the future of the season, the future of the game, and maybe even the future of sports.

Hard work can make all sorts of things possible.

Being a trailblazer isn’t easy. I hadn’t realized how suspicious many people were of playing basketball as a career a century ago, and that was only one of the many obstacles the main character faced in his lifetime. His patience and perseverance only made me like him even more. Bucky experienced a lot of hard times, but he also paved the way for countless black athletes behind him.

While I admired the author’s desire to stick as closely as possible to historical facts about the protagonist’s life, it would have been helpful to have more character development in this novel. I learned a lot about Bucky’s accomplishments but not much about what it might be like to sit down and talk to him other than the fact that he was clearly quite intelligent. Was he also as quietly confident as I thought he might be based on some other context clues? Knowing more about what sort of personality he had and how fame affected him would have gone a long way to bumping up my rating for this book.

Some of the most memorable scenes were the ones that talked about how both the players and fans reacted to this brand new sport. For example, games could become a little violent or cause injuries in part because there wasn’t a clear understanding of what was and wasn’t acceptable on the court or off it. Other passages talked about how white people reacted to a racially integrated sport were also well worth checking out. There were a lot of nuances to these reactions depending on who the narrator was talking about and how far into Bucky’s career things had progressed, and some of them pleasantly surprised me.

The pacing was slow for my tastes, especially in the first third or so of this novel. Being the first Black professional basketball player is a huge deal, and I was hoping for more descriptions of how Bucky felt about it and how his life changed as people began to take notice of him. These things were addressed later on, but I struggled a bit to remain interested because of how slowly certain conflicts developed and how much time was spent describing other things instead.

Friendship was another theme of this book that I connected with. The number of people who played basketball well enough to do so professionally back then was small, so the same folks were often mentioned over and over again throughout the years. I enjoyed the stories about the friendships that were forged through the early days of this sport and how much kindness they showed to each other when someone was injured or otherwise in need of help.

The Original Bucky Lew: Basketball’s First Black Professional was a thought-provoking read.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,

The Shrine by LJ Ross

May 22, 2023 By Leave a Comment


The Shrine by LJ Ross
Publisher: Dark Skies Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A murder for the history books…

After a long and eventful winter, DCI Ryan and his team are looking forward to the joys of spring. But, when one of their colleagues is shot dead on her own doorstep and the brass think it’s an inside job, Ryan finds himself drafted in to investigate.

He’s barely scratched the surface when reports flood in of a terror explosion at Durham Cathedral. Chaos descends on the sleepy, historic city and, when the smoke clears, they find a priceless artefact that once belonged to Saint Cuthbert is missing.

With tensions running at an all-time high, unable to trust the local police, can Ryan and his team bring a killer to justice — and restore Cuthbert’s cross to its natural resting place?

Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit set amidst the spectacular landscape of County Durham.

Spring has finally arrived in Northumbria but the peace of the warmer days is destroyed when one of DCI Ryan’s colleagues is shot dead on her own doorstep. Mere minutes apart, a terrorist explosion occurs at Durham Cathedral and a priceless artefact is stolen that once belonged to Saint Cuthbert. Far more importantly, one of their own is seriously injured during the attack. Ryan and his team will stop at nothing to uncover what’s really going on.

This is an exciting and well written addition to this long running series. While the plot stands quite well on it’s own there is a lot of background and history between the main characters. I don’t feel each of these stories needs to be read to really enjoy this book – but having some working understanding of the links and history will certainly give the reader a deeper emotional connection with the events that unfold in this book.

Much like some of this author’s previous books this one is clearly linked to the next in the series. While the book has a solid feel of being self-contained there are a number of threads that are left open and considering the next book in the series is called Cuthbert’s Way, I have the strong feeling that the unfinished items will be resolved in the next book. There definitely isn’t a cliffhanger ending but readers who dislike needing to wait for the next installment should definitely purchase this and the next book together, so they won’t have to wait.

I enjoyed the mix of pacing – while some aspects are a slower police procedural style of connecting the dots there are a few good action sequences where the story moves at a much faster pace. I also felt there was quite a bit of character growth for DCI Ryan, both in the relationship with his parents and with him coming to terms with the changes occurring in his private life. Readers who have enjoyed the previous books in this series should definitely feel this is an excellent addition and I feel they should enjoy this book.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Raven Song by JM Dalgliesh

May 17, 2023 By Leave a Comment


The Raven Song by JM Dalgliesh
Publisher: Hamilton Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

One song for the dying… sung by the dead…
When the body of a young woman is discovered at the home she shared with her disabled daughter, DI Tom Janssen and his team must investigate the circumstances surrounding her death.

The woman was a single mother, well regarded and popular among the group she frequented, but she had a chequered past… a life she kept secret from those around her… a life that may, ultimately, have led to her death. Friends, past lovers, and confidants offer conflicting descriptions of the deceased… did anyone know her at all?

The team realise the daughter is missing and, away from her medication, the little girl’s life hangs in the balance. Unless the team can solve a seemingly calculated murder, an innocent life will be lost…

Set within the mysterious beauty of coastal Norfolk, this fast-paced British detective novel is a dark murder mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end when the final shocking twist is revealed.

DI Tom Janssen is called in unexpectedly over the weekend when a young mother is found dead in her home – but her disabled daughter is missing. The child isn’t physically capable of leaving by herself and so the team is at a loss as to where she might be. The more they look into the young mother’s life, the more questions they have and still they find no leads on the child. Can they sort everything else before tragedy strikes again?

I’ve been really enjoying this Hidden Norfolk series and feel the author has definitely hit a good stride with these characters. While I can understand the pace of the mystery might be a little slow for more action-orientated readers, I personally really enjoy the grind of police procedural styles of mysteries. I feel that I can follow along with the investigators and try to solve the puzzle in time with them. Also, as this is a smaller town/more rural setting I feel this pace is a bit more realistic and logical.

I also really enjoy the team of characters in the police unit. They have all been working together for quite some time and so their professional relationship and I find the way they work so coherently together is a real pleasure to read. Readers also shouldn’t be too shy about picking this story up by itself to read. While there is obviously plenty of history between the main characters and a solid working relationship already in place the plot – and most importantly the murder mystery – is very well contained just to this book and so I feel readers can absolutely pick this book up and read it by itself without too much fuss.

A well written and well plotted small town murder mystery this is an enjoyable book and one I really enjoyed. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,
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