Emma’s disappearance complicates Adelia’s royal commission to investigate whether two skeletons found at Glastonbury are those of Arthur and Guinevere. She also encounters bandits, a duplicitous innkeeper, and a mysterious corpse as well as Rowley.
Scarier, somehow, than the earlier books in this series, and ending with a cliffhanger that I didn’t like. Otherwise, another solid historical mystery with likable, believable characters.
Biofeedback teacher Carrie Carlin can’t say no to anyone, even her evil stepmother, who is being preyed on by an extortionist.
I find wimps very aggravating, so gave up on this book fairly quickly.
Collection of short chick lit fiction. Coincidentally or not, many of the stories featured physically or emotionally damaged women, an interesting change from the usual incredibly beautiful lead character. And several starred women doing unkind things and getting caught.
Very slow read and the tone of the stories varied so much it’s hard to say what kind of reader would enjoy it. But I did finish it.
Poor Esme sets her sights on marrying storekeeper Cleavis so she and her no-account family can live in his big house, but Cleavis is more interested in developing a new breed of trout.
Historical romance set in the mid-1800’s with nothing particularly interesting about it.
Practice-oriented book that doesn’t offer anything new to experienced treehuggers: drive less in more fuel-efficient cars, cut down on energy use with compact fluorescent lights, take your own bags to the grocery store, consider alternative energy, grow your own food and buy what you have to in minimal packaging. What is distinctive about this book is the long list of websites giving helpful information or places you can order green products.
My family has tried to be energy-smart for years; in fact, we have been using CF lights so long I have finally had to replace a few of the first ones I bought. But I was unfamiliar with nearly all the websites. Great resource for those just looking into how they can tread more lightly upon the earth.
Chick-lit queen writes a chick-lit murder mystery! Unfashionable and overweight (by model standards), Kate lives in tony Upchurch, Connecticut, with three preschoolers and a workaholic husband. When she finds the queen of the fashionable local supermoms dead on her kitchen floor, she fears her ex-boyfriend may be the murderer. Weiner indulges in a back-and-forth seesaw between the current murder and the history of the heroine and the ex that I found distracting, but I’m not a flashback fan. The relevant clues are buried in tons of (legitimate) red herrings, and Upchurch could double for Peyton Place. Chick-lit fans will love this book and mystery fans will be staggered by the chick-lit parts.
More scholarly than exciting report on nurses in the U.S. armed forces during World War II. Lots of references but not much in the way of the nurses’ stories. I barely made it halfway through before giving up.
Journalist Katz follows along as two teenaged geeks from rural Idaho move to Chicago to try to cash in on their computer skills. I was expecting a narrative, but Katz wanders extensively into philosophizing that I found distracting and annoying. If he couldn’t fill a book with the story, why didn’t he just write a shorter book? Sheesh. Plus, frankly, I couldn’t care about the two “lost boys.” I’m married to a geek, and while his social skills have never been what I would call polished, he can talk to people and even occasionally touch on a non-computer topic. I gave up on the book halfway through.
Slow read about the Mexican War of 1848, with way too much going on inside people’s heads – I skipped many paragraphs of musings. I finally gave up halfway through; apparently I’m just not interested enough in the Mexican War to wade through detailed battle after detailed march after detailed battle. I have no idea how accurate the book is, but it sure seemed carefully researched.
Story of two soldiers of fortune in the Middle East during the Dark Ages, written in a stilted manner that didn’t make the story any more interesting. I only suffered about 1/3 of the way through.
Yet another whiny body-obsessed anti-heroine who thinks she is the center of the universe. This one is body-obsessed because there is too much of it, but who cares?
If there isn't already a book genre called "holiday tearjerkers," there should be, and Gideon's Gift is a worthy entry. Likeable characters facing insurmountable odds become winners through a Christmas miracle. Not great literature but keep a box of kleenex handy while reading.