Reviews with TLC

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler grabbed hold of me and wouldn't let go. I tend to steer away from dystopian type books, but Butler might have just convinced me to open my mind to the genre. Parable of the Sower introduces a concept that tears down accepted perceptions of the world and where it might be headed in a way that feels both  fantastical  and  all too real  at the same time. The destructive nature of politics and religion bubble to the surface without ever pointing a finger at any particular group exposing assumptions and attitudes that come into conflict. Through a large cast of characters, Butler exposes biases, family dysfunction, and the importance of community. Parable of the Sower doesn't fear killing off a character in service of the story. Butler's depiction of domesticated animals gone feral was, at times, as painful as the depiction of humans gone feral. Her presentation of the creation of a possible new religion and definition of god ...

The Bookstore Family by Alice Hoffman is a sweet story that focuses on Violet, the daughter of Sophie from the previous books. When the story started, I felt a twinge of trepidation about how a grown up Violet would be. I soon settled into the story liking Violet more with each paragraph. Throughout Violet's time in Paris, I was torn between my heart cheering for Violet to go home and pushing for her to build a life in Paris. When she finally feels like she's making a connection, the call that finally pushes her home comes. Hoffman writes Violet's story in a way that had me rooting for her and wishing for her to have both home and adventure. At home, she reconnects with her family and community and even the connection she left behind. The Bookstore Family is a beautiful short story that feels almost magical about love, connection, exploration, and family. Currently Reading: A People's History of the United States  by Howard Zinn   If I Must Die: Poetry and Prose  by R...

The Bookstore Wedding: A Short Story by Alice Hoffman continues the story of two sisters who had been estranged and are rebuilding their relationship while also honoring their parents and the bookstore they inherited. While one sister is planning her wedding to her rekindled love yet again, the other sister gets sick causing the wedding to be postponed once again. The Bookstore Wedding is filled with familial love and the kind of supportive community many crave these days. As some things came together and other things fell apart, I often found it difficult to understand the decisions the sisters or the community made but somehow that only added to the appealability. Hoffman provides characters that are at once complex and simple in a way that makes them more approachable. The Bookstore Wedding is a sweet story of endurance and connection. Currently Reading: How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good  by Steve Phillips Mother Co...

Time After Time (The Donnelly Cabin Inn Book 5) by Joanne Pence continues the story of the Donnelly Cabin and its connection to helping people find love. I've been surprised by the way the expansion of this trilogy into a series has felt like welcoming back a friend each time I read one even though it always centers around new characters. Pence puts characters who seemingly should have no reason to even like each other in positions where the reader cheers for their connection to grow. I was surprised by the way Pence incorporated the use of the song in this one, but it worked. As the characters in the book fight against their internal demons and question the ghostly things that seem to be pushing them together, there's never any doubt of their feelings for each other only whether those feelings are as important as the lives they lead individually. Time after Time explores the other side of the Donnelly family origins in an intriguing, inviting way that made me realize I wanted...

Six O'clock Silence: An Inspector Rebecca Mayfield Mystery by Joanne Pence delivers an easy to read, fun mystery laced with romance and family always with an edge of danger. In Six O'clock Silence , we get a glimpse into Shay's past in a way that both challenges the reader perception of him and yet makes perfect sense. I'm interested to see where the change in Shay's life will lead. The underlying mystery and the upfront mystery dance together well in Six O'clock Silence because they both affect so many of the main characters exposing long held secrets. The insight into Rebecca's acceptance, understanding, and compassion about Richie's past love juxtaposed by his undercurrent of insecurity is refreshing and unexpected. I enjoyed Six O'clock Silence even though I've not really been in the mood to read mysteries lately. Currently Reading: Freedom is a Constant Struggle  by Angela Davis Iron & Velvet: poetry for hearts breaking and blooming  ...

A Gift of Fire: The Light-Bringer Series by Stephanie Stamm, the third and, apparently final, book in Stamm's trilogy picks up where A Gift of Shadow left off. This trilogy pulled me in and refused to let go even when I questioned the characters choices. I initially felt uncertain about how some of the relationships changes throughout the trilogy, but by A Gift of Fire , I was fully on board and cheering on the relationships as they developed. Lucky, her friends, and her family find connection, lose connection, and fight to rediscover their connection as they battle forces bent on destroying all the worlds in existence. I really enjoyed the play on expectations with good, evil, light, and darkness repeatedly proving that life is far more complicated and nuanced than we often see. The choices the characters, especially Lucky, faced about choosing how to use their powers made my heart pound and left me a little bit more aware of the potential consequences of the choices I make. Sta...

  A Gift of Shadows by Stephanie Stamm continues the story of Lucky and her friends from The Gift of Wings . Stamm weaves mythology into a story that is at once exciting, enlightening, emotional, and engaging. A Gift of Shadows illustrates how the truth lies in how power and knowledge are used rather than power being clearly good or bad. Stamm gently challenged my resistance to the changes Lucky was going through and had me alternately cheering her on and chastising her. New characters come into play further challenging Lucky's perception of who to trust and what her role is in the battle between good and evil.  A Gift of Shadows pits good against evil while subtly demonstrating that what appears good isn't always good and what appears evil isn't always evil. I finished reading A Gift of Shadows and immediately felt an urge to read book three... Hopefully, it'll be coming soon... Check back soon for my thoughts on other books I'm reading including: Cocaine: An U...

A Certain Smile by Joanne Pence continues her cabin series. I have to admit I had mixed feelings about Pence turning the trilogy into a series. It felt rather complete with the sisters all finding love and making peace with their past. But, when I found out she'd written a fourth one, I couldn't resist checking it out. A Certain Smile brings in mostly new characters with references to the sisters. As the ghosts continue their journey to bring people together, even skeptics, there's a joyfulness behind the haunting of the cabin that made me wish for the existence of such things. As guests arrive at the cabin now being managed by the sister's aunt, there's a feeling of angst created from the differing personalities and their motives. As two guests, Tray and Sophie, grow closer and pull away from each other, secrets and miscommunications push them to face their own insecurities and pain as well as their assumptions about one another and themselves. Pence leaves a que...

Ancient Deceptions by Joanne Pence, the fourth book in Pence's Ancient Secrets series, pulls threads from previous books in a way that continues the lives of Michael Rempart and his friends and family from the first three books while introducing new characters who may or may not survive. Ancient Deceptions explores history and ancient mythologies with a new twist as it centers around an archeological dig in Ukraine. Pence whips up a frenzy of supernatural intrigue that whips the characters from country to country as they fight to find and protect their loved ones all while trying to reconcile their own insecurities and deal with personal issues. The dig site's secrets are as symbolic for the characters' struggles as they are real for those uncovering them and suffering from the consequences. Deception and truth often get mixed up in a soup that sours the savory as the characters try to figure out what is reality and what is fantasy in this intriguing and engaging story.  ...

Five O'clock Twist by Joanne Pence is a quick and entertaining read. In this fifth installment of the Rebecca Mayfield series, Rebecca struggles with her feelings for Richie Amalfi as she gets caught up in an investigation that keeps pushing her toward him. Pence delves into a few of the other characters, like Vito and Shay, a little deeper sparking my curiosity about their backstories and making me hope she will flesh these characters out more in future books.  I particularly enjoyed a point in the book where Richie's concern for Spike, Rebecca's dog, shows us a softer side of Richie in part because it addressed the "what about Spike?" loop in my brain. I always enjoy Spike's appearances in these books. Rebecca is torn between her work, her feelings, and her need to protect those she cares about.  Five O'clock Twist was a fun read though it felt like it ended a bit abruptly. I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series. Check back soon ...

I read several works of fiction in 2022. Many of the works of fiction I read in 2022 were e-books, so they aren't included in the above photo. I've been working my way through my to-be-read piles, so some of these books are ones from those piles and therefore might seem a bit dated. I still tried to give each book an honest assessment.   My Evil Mother  by Margaret Atwood is an easy to read short story that examines the relationship of mothers and daughters from the daughter's point of view. The daughter feels alienated from the mother because of the mother's dabbling with what appears to be wicca. As the daughter matures and finds out some of the things the mother told her were untrue, she begins to doubt the power she believed her mother held. Anyone with a complicated relationship with their mother might find something to enjoy in this story.  Overall, My Evil Mother is a quick and rather fun read.   Sentimental Journey: The Cabin of Love & Magic: Book 3 ...

Come As You Are: The Surprising Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski surprised me in myriad ways. I didn't expect it to make the science so approachable. Nagoski focuses on acceptance of once self without trying to force one's self into conventional roles. She explores the science of genitalia with the theme of "all the same parts, organized in different ways" repeatedly because of how it applies to various aspects of sexuality and sexual identity. While I knew this on some level, Nagoski brought the concept to life in a way I didn't expect. I enjoyed Come As You Are quite a bit but did wonder about whether or not new research had been done in some areas. It wasn't until I was writing this review that I realized I bought the 2015 version, so I don't know how much the 2021 version is updated on the science. Nagoski's writes about sex, gender, and sexuality in a way that is engaging, inviting, and nonthreatening yet still grounded...

I received The Ninth Clan by Paul S. Ross as a gift from an acquaintance. I'll admit I took my sweet time starting it but once I did I was thoroughly intrigued. Ross had me wondering what was going to happen next and that's rare for me. The Ninth Clan never hesitated to challenge the characters populating it or to give them difficult decisions to make. There were moments when I was surprised at how deeply I felt the characters' pain. While there were parts that challenged me to suspend my disbelief, the characters kept me engaged. Ross explores belief systems and their effects on the world in an interesting and thought-provoking manner. The Ninth Clan takes a journey that encompasses history, religion, psychology, politics, power, greed, and humanity from multiples angles.

Ancient Illusions by Joanne Pence takes Michael Rempart to his childhood home and then away from home in a thrilling adventure that brings back characters from Ancient Shadows and Ancient Echoes . Pence takes the reader from Cape Cod to the mountains in Idaho to Japan in a search for answers. With dips into mysticism and belief systems that seem at odds with one another, Ancient Illusions blurs the lines between reality and illusion. The characters are interesting and diverse even the ones who aren't exactly likable. Family dynamics, romance, and beliefs clash as supernatural elements wreak havoc on the world around the characters. As in the other books in this series, living in a lifelike illusion creates a dangerous situation for the world at large and it's up to Rempart to find the answer and protect the world by containing the demons seeking to destroy the world using humanity's intense obsession with immortality to manipulate them. Ancient Illusions offers us a gli...

Robert Crais delivers again in The Promise. His writing always brings crime fiction to life and drops the reader right into the middle of the action with characters that the reader wants to know better with each book in the series. The Promise is no different. Crais weaves current events, worldwide issues, and a mother's grief together in a suspenseful tale that keeps the reader engaged even during the parts of the story that demand a suspension of disbelief.  Once again, the chapters from the dog's point of view added an extra depth to the story that enhances all the other chapters. The Promise keeps its promise to explore injustice and exact justice.

Red Hot Murder by Joanne Pence blends modern mystery elements with a nod to old westerns. Pence plays with stereotypes with a bit of humor in the midst of her characters, Angie and Paavo, becoming embroiled in a series of mysterious events in a small Arizona town connected to Paavo's childhood. While Pence creates characters who are easily relatable, the characters aren't necessarily likable. Sometimes Pence's choice of words distracted me from the story, but not enough to make me stop reading. As in many mysteries, sometimes the characters' decisions are hard to understand even though they further the story. Red Hot Murder proved to be a combination of intriguing, engaging, satisfying and at times predictable.

The Bitter Season by Tami Hoag is a fast, engaging read. As she often does, Hoag tackles issues in depth that many authors shy away from or gloss over. She plays with gender roles, misogynistic attitudes, family dynamics, child abuse, and sexual assault in the midst of following two detectives solving seemingly separate murder cases. Hoag creates characters with enough depth to immerse the reader in their lives leading one to feel a sense of compassion that at times surprises the reader while eliciting enough anger at other times to keep the reader wanting a better outcome for  myriad characters in the book even when the reader knows the outcome must be what it is. The Bitter Season explores real life attitudes and behaviors in the context of a fictional world that both intrigues and provokes thought. Hoag's books, including The Bitter Season , are never merely mysteries to be solved but a look into the conditions that lead to human depravity and the consequences thereof.

I read Four O'Clock Sizzle: A Rebecca Mayfield Mystery by Joanne Pence while travelling. It's an easy, light, fun read. Pence likes to blur the lines between procedural and cozy mystery in this series in a way that makes Rebecca Mayfield sometimes do things it's hard to imagine a police officer doing yet Pence gives her believable if flawed reasons for making the decisions she makes. The chemistry between Rebecca and Richie Amalfi has the reader both cheering for them and wondering what each of them is thinking at different times throughout the book. And, then there's the police investigation where Rebecca is torn between her feelings for Richie and her concerns that the rumors about Richie might hold more truth than she wants to believe. She struggles to reconcile the Richie she spends time with and the Richie of his reputation. As her investigation continues, Rebecca finds she needs Richie to solve the crime and she needs to protect him from danger for her own pers...