The Wedding People ****

 By Alison Espach. 2024. This has been on my to-be-read list for quite a while. It didn't disappoint! Phoebe Stone watches her life implode when her husband leaves her for another woman. She is having trouble picking up the pieces of her life. She heads to Newport, Rhode Island to stay at The Cornwall Inn, an old Victorian hotel by the sea. She was surprised to find all the guests to be part of a five-day wedding event. Quickly becoming a confidant of The Bride, Phoebe feels her life shift. A comedy of errors incur and the reader is swept up into everyone's life. A combination chicklit and literary fiction I found myself immersed in this novel. Part wise and part ridiculous, The Wedding People is a winner.

Winner of the Goodreads Choice award in 2024 for fiction.

The Impossible Fortune ****

 The Thursday Murder Club Mystery series, book 5 by Richard Osman. 2025. Accessed on Libby, narrated by Fiona Shaw. A delicious novel. Very engrossing. All characters are well developed and most had endearing qualities. Joyce was charming as usual. Her daughter, Joanna, has a more human side to her in this story: the story of her wedding to Paul. It turns out that Paul's friends have an interesting storyline that involves the Thursday Murder Club. Ron's son and daughter test the devotion of their father. Altogether an interesting story with a mystery to solve.

A Time of Renewal

 Daily Reflections for the Lenten Season. By Mother Mary Francis. P.C.C. 2015. "Mother Mary Francis, abbess of a Poor Clare Monastery for over forty years, left an enduring legacy in her writings...In this work she presents beautiful meditations on the liturgical season of Lent." Daily reading of the scripture for Lent and the reflections were a blessing to me during Lent.

Making the Best of What's Left ***

 When We're Too Old to get the Chairs Reupholstered by Judith Viorst. 2025. Advice for the Final Fifth by best-selling author of the series, The Decades of a Woman's Life. A delicate balance of humorous antidotes and soulful observations of loneliness discovered in her acquaintances. A delight to read and to appreciate our mutual experiences even if we're not lucky enough to end up in a luxurious retirement center like the one that Viorst inhabits. 

The Main Corpse ***

 Goldy Schulz mystery, no. 6 by Diane Mott Davidson. 1996.

A Big Little Life ***

 A Memoir of a joyful dog named Trixie by Dean Koontz. 2009

Dean Koontz and his wife Gerda were the caretakers of a golden retriever who had been trained to be a service dog for a wheelchair bound young woman. Early in her career Trixie suffered an injury to her leg that required surgery. Unable to support a wheelchair bound individual, Trixie had to be retired. Longtime supporters of Canine Companions for Independence, Dean and Gerda Koontz apply for a retired dog. First time dog owners, the Koontz soon realized they were now blessed to be the owners of a special dog. Trixie won their hearts by her unique skills and loving personality, Koontz even going as far to say she possessed Angel qualities. 

The Correspondent ****

 By Virginia Evans. 2025 Read this for book group. We were to read a book recommendation. A friend wrote in her Christmas card that this was her favorite book for 2025. Apparently she is not alone in that thinking. It was a good choice for me. I'm 74 and vision impaired due to macular degeneration. I bought the large print edition. My mother and I kept up a long season of writing back and forth. It only stoped when I moved about 40 miles from her here In Ohio. Sometimes I think we only present the better parts of ourselves when we write letters. I certainly love getting letters still, but the cell phones make it easier to call and to text. 

The Correspondent  is the story of one woman's life told through letters. She is 73 and about to make some changes in her life that increase her ability to become more aware of others. She writes to many people, ie. her daughter, her brother, past colleagues, authors of books she has read, etc. I think it helps the reader to contemplate their own life, if only to think, I should write more letters. How many times have I wanted to write to an author to say, I love how you expressed the life of your characters.

Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death ****

 By M C Beaton. (1992)Audio by Penelope Keith. Agatha's First Case. (2015) A comforting listen to a book that I've read before. M C Beaton has just the right amount of description that leads you to believe you are in the Cotswolds. It helps that I've watched Ashley Jensen in the Acorn Series for TV many times. Penelope Keith does an exceptional job as well. One of my favorite series. 

The Body

 A novella published 1982 with three other stories in "Different Seasons" by Stephen King. Accessed on Libby. A coming-of-age story with a dramatic flair, not a horror story. It was made into a movie, "Stand by Me" by Castle Rock Entertainment. 

The Saboteur: a Novel ****

 By Andrew Gross. Published 2017. A winter thriller on events from 1942-1945 in occupied Norway, with some training in England and Scotland. As early as 1939 the Germans were doing atomic research. The English were being kept up to date by the Danish underground. This work of historical fiction tells the story of brave Norwegians who carried out the plan to sabotage the German's production of heavy water, an instrument needed in the experiments of atomic research.

2026

The Red Queen***

 By Martha Grimes. Book 26 of the Richard Jury mysteries . A pleasant mystery but too much wandering off track to me. I did get lost for a while. (Were there two murders?) But I liked the banter between Jury and his friend Melrose. 2025

Home Fries and Alibis ***

 An All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery, book 8 by Lena Gregory.

A Christmas Carol ****

 By Charles Dickens. 1843.

Red Christmas **

 By Reginald Hill. 1972  (as by Patrick Ruell). A cross between James Bond and Bel Canto. The action took place over Christmas at an older hotel in the English countryside. A reenactment of a Dickensian Christmas with merry travelers and a diplomatic envoy incognito collide in a bloodbath. Part thriller, part espionage, and part mystery, a little dated with Russian spies delivering the drama. 

The Reluctant Widow

 By Georgette Heyer. 1946. Read on Libby, 2006. A comedy of errors, with mystery, romance, and espionage by the mastery of Regency Romance.

Open Season***

 An Alex Delaware novel, 2025. By Jonathan Kellerman. A case of a serial killer on the loose in Los Angeles. Milos Sturgis and Alex Delaware join forces to solve this case with the help of ballistics and old fashioned police work, from the "master of suspense. "

B is for Burglar ****

 By Sue Grafton. 1985 Forty years ago! Great story and as always more about Kinsey Millhone and what makes her tick.

Skin Tight **

 By Carl Haaisen. 1989

A is for Alibi ****

 A Kinsey Millhone mystery by Sue Grafton. 1982. I listened to the narration by Mary Peiffer on Libby. Random House Audio. I like the unabridged version that ran about 8 hours. It is a revisit for me, as I've read it more than once. Grafton has a knack for getting the dialogue just right. That probably comes from working in Hollywood for fifteen years as a screen writer. She also worked in the medical field as a medical transcriptionist.

Just read that Steve Humphrey, her husband for forty years,  sold the rights to Sue Grafton's novels to A & E for television development, with himself as the producer. 

Kinsey and Me: Stories ***

 By Sue Grafton. 1990 and 2013. Read on Libby. The first half of the book are short stories about Kinsey Millhone, published first in magazines or anthologies. The second half are stories about Kit Blue's life with alcoholic parents, similar to Sue Grafton's early life. I read parts of this a few years ago, but never got to part two, the best part. Sue Grafton passed away in 2017.

No One Saw **

 A.L. McKittridge novel by Beverly Long. 2020

The Last Detective ***

 A Peter Diamond mystery by Peter Lovesey. 1991. The first of a new series by Lovesey, his first contemporary novel. Anthony Award for Best Novel, 1992. Accessed on Libby app. Very interesting presentation by the author at the end of the ebook. Lovesey relates where he first got the idea of Inspector Diamond, who is not onboard with new forensic methods and the use of computers in his investigation. Lovesey used Bath as the setting, his own hometown. I especially liked the setting. Bath is a feature in the story. Lovesey is also a master of language, an aspect of the book that I enjoy. This is the first of twenty two novels about Detective Superintendent Diamond.

Sugar Cookie Murder **

A Hannah Swensen novel by Joanne Fluke. 2004. A beautiful Las Vegas stripper, a heirloom ring, and an antique cake knife converge into disaster in Lake Eden. Can Hannah Swensen and her sisters find the killer on a December night when a blizzard keeps everyone inside on the night of a Christmas buffet dinner. The menu is a tasting of all the recipes entered into the Lake Eden cookbook contest. Recipes follow at the end of the book.

Lady Tan's Circle of Women ****

By Lisa See. 2023.

No Cats Allowed ***

 A Cat in the Stacks Mystery by Miranda James. 2016.

Murder on a Summer's Day **

 A Lady Shackleton mystery by Frances Brody. 2013.

Mardi Gras Murder **

 By Ellen Byron. A Cajun Country Mystery. No. 4. 2018.

The Long Call ***

 Introducing Detective Matthew Venn  by Ann Cleeves. 2019. The Two Rivers Series, Book 1.

A Very Woodsy Murder ****

 A Golden Motel Mystery by Ellen Byron. 2024

Vineyard Deceit **

 Martha's Vineyard mystery. Philip R. Craig. 1992. Aka The Double Minded Man.

Partners in Crime **

 A Tommy and Tuppence short story collection by Agatha Christie. 1929. Tommy and Tuppence Beresford run Mr. Blunt's detective agency with the help of Mr. Carter, a British intelligence leader. They recover jewels, expose a smuggling ring, and capture a Russian spy in addition to other adventures.

Nightshade ***

 Detective Stilwell, book 1 by Michael Connelly. Published in 2025. Stilwell lives on Catalina Island in California and is under the jurisdiction of Los Angeles county sheriff. The book is a police procedural that takes place in the current year. The body of a young woman is found submerged in the harbor and leads to the investigation of her suspicious death.

Eligible ****

 A modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice. By Curtis Sittenfeld. 2016. A story about Mr. And Mrs. Bennet and their five unmarried daughters in Cincinnati, Ohio. I found it very engaging as I was completely wrapped up in the family drama. Mr. Bennet suffers a heart attack and bypass surgery which brings home Jane and Liz from New York. Jane starts a romance with Chip Bingley, friend of Fizwilliam Darcy. Liz is a writer for the magazine Mascara and is offended by Fitzwilliam Darcy at a party. She soon is attracted to him in a comedy of errors. Eligible is a reality tv series in which Chip Huntley is the most eligible bachelor. As the story continues the whole Bennet family is on Eligible as Jane marries Chip after an misunderstanding. I think the novel is quite humorous.

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers ****

 By Jesse Q. Sutanto. 2023. I was looking for a really good cozy mystery and I came across this unusual book that was recommended. It didn't disappoint. Lots of quirky characters enrich the story. Vera Wong is a sixty year old widow who runs a tea house in Chinatown in San Francisco. She wakes up one morning to find a dead man who has broken in to her shop. She decides to do some detecting and solve the murder. Along the way she makes friends with a group of people who knew the dead man.

Coyote ***

 A Carlotta Carlyle mystery by Linda Barnes. Book 3. 1990. A Female Detective story that tells the story of a serial killer and the plight of undocumented immigrants from El Salvador.

Two Wicked Desserts **

 A Kitchen Witch Mystery by Lynn Cahoon. 2021 Book 2 has charming atmosphere with a little romance. Mia Malone is dragged into another homicide when a strange man is murdered in her back yard. She rounds up all the help she can get to find the answers to this homicide. Her grandmother moves in, bringing along a suspicious character, Cindy, who just happens to know the deceased. Can Mia find the killer before someone else is killed?

Easeful Death ****

 A Bill Slider Mystery By Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. 2025. Well done police procedural. I've read them all and I always enjoy reading a new one, even with the darker themes. The characters are enjoyable and the humorous banter never lets me down, even if I don't get all the English lingo. What's not to love?

Now or Never ***

 Thirty-One on the Run by Janet Evanovich. 2024. A Good one and her apartment doesn't get firebombed. Stephanie Plum Had  to decide between Ranger and Morelli as she is engaged to both at the same time and she doesn't know if she's pregnant.

Cup of Holiday Fear ***

 A Bakeshop Mystery, no. 10 by Ellie Alexander. 2019. The Bookshop.mysteries are "Delicious" -RT Book reviews. "Marvelous" -Fresh Fiction. "Charming" -Kirkus Reviews. Filled with the descriptions of a busy holiday  madhouse at Torte, a bakeshop in Ashland, Oregon, this is a fun cozy mystery for the Christmas Season. It was a fast read that left me interested in more of this series. I would say that this is more cozy than mystery.

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden *

 By Mannie Murphy. 2021 Published by Fantagraphics. YouTube Book Launch: I Never Promised You a Rose Garden with Mannie Murphy and Stephen R. Bissette. A live conversation on March 23, 2021. Posted by Fantagraphics.

Highest Duty ****

 My Search for What Really Matters by Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger. With Jeffrey Zaslow. 2009.

Sometimes you find a really good book that you want to share with everybody. This book is it. The best I've read in a long time.

Bridget Jones: Mad about the Boy, the movie

 Watched it again. Loved it. Loved seeing some of the same actors, and some new ones. Highly recommended! I also love the music.

One Poison Pie **

 By Lynn Cahoon. A Kitchen Witch Mystery. 2021

Chili Cauldron Curse **

 By Lynn Cahoon. A Kitchen Witch Mystery. 2020

Honeymoon with Murder **

 Death on Demand mystery by Carolyn Hart. 1988. Narrated by Kate Redding.

The God of the Woods **

 By Liz Moore. 2024. Literary Mystery. Historical Fiction. Police Procedural. Her other books are The Words of Every Song, Heft, The Unseen World, and Long Bright River.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason **

 By Helen Fielding. Book 2 of the Bridget Jones series. 1999

Spent my birthday night watching Bridget Jones's Diary

 The end to a perfect day. Sunny and 55 degrees. Went to lunch with my brother and his friend. Many phone visits over the course of the day. Received a birthday surprise from my sister. And calls from all my siblings.

Bridget Jones's Diary ***

 By Helen Fielding. 1996. Brought in the chick-lit genre to fiction. First read in the Independent in the UK.

Killer Pancake ***

 By Diane Mott Davidson. A Goldy Schulz mystery, book 5. 1995. Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat on the LibbyApp.

Peach Clobbered ****

 By Anna Gerard, a pseudonym used by Diane A. S. Stuckart. 2019. Georgia B&B Mystery, book 1

The Confession Club ****

 By Elizabeth Berg. 2019. Book 3 of the Mason series. A re-read for me, but this time I listened to the audio version. Narrated by Elizabeth Berg, the author. Accessed by the library through the Libby app.

The Year of Pleasures ***

 By Elizabeth Berg. 2005 This is a revisit of a novel I read years ago. It seems more relevant now that I can relate as a widow. It is the story of a middle-aged woman who decided to move to the Midwest as soon as her husband passes away from cancer. She drives into a small town in the end of October and buys the first house she sees. The friends she makes provide the story with interesting observations. 

The Woman in Me **

 By Britney Spears.2023. This is a sad story of how Britney's family locked her up and spent her money. It's hard to believe this could go on in our society. I'm glad she got free. And everything she did while under the "conservancy" was just so she could see her kids. i only wish her love.

Bury Your Dead ****

 A Chief Inspector Gamache mystery by Louise Penny. 2010

2010 Agatha Award for best novel

2011 Anthony Award for best novel

2011 Macavity Award for best novel

2011 Dilys Award for best book

i gave up Louise Penny when I read The Brutal Telling. But this one was like part 2 of that novel. I'm glad I read this, and at this time of year. We're in the middle of a cold snap, with snow. I always like to read about snow-themed stories in the middle of winter. This story took place in Three Pines and Quebec City. There was a lot of history in this novel,  especially Canadian history. This is a good read it you like detailed description in your story. I liked the characters, especially the character of Jean-Guy Beauvoir, the second in command. Gamache sends Beauvoir to Three Pines to investigate a previous crime while Gamache himself is in Quebec City. This past Christmas I gifted a new Louise Penny novel to my daughter's boyfriend. He was set to travel to Toronto for a couple of weeks. I hope he took it along and enjoyed it. Maybe this one would have been better. 

Lady in the Lake ****

 By Laura Lippman. 2019

Reading Up a Storm **

 A Lighthouse Library Mystery. Book 2 by Eva Gates. 2016

By Book or By Crook **

 A Lighthouse Library Mystery by Eva Gates. 2012

The Many Lives of Mama Love **

 A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing, and Healing by Lara Love Hardin. An Oprah's Book Club choice. 2023. I didn't want to read this book. It was a book club choice. After I started it, I put it down and re-read " Cereal Murders" by Diane Mott Davidson, only this time I read the Large Print edition after I listened to the audio. Lara Love Hardin narrated the audio of her book. I finished it after our book discussion meeting. We couldn't relate. But sometimes that's why we read books. To understand other points of view and expand our compassion. I don't want to understand heroin addiction. I'm afraid of it. I'm afraid of drug addiction. I'm afraid of drug addicts, because I'm afraid of the actions of drug addicts. Her story tries to help others have compassion. I understand that people need a second chance. I'm glad that Lara Love Hardin was given a second chance. But that's because I'm a reader, a lover of books, and books are her saving grace. I can relate to that. I can accept her value for her ability to write. I need to accept her for her value as a human being, someone with flaws who has a right to live, a right to being human on this planet.

2025

Melania ****

 By Melania Trump. 2024

The Last Suppers ****

 Goldy Schulz mystery, book 4 by Diane Mott Davidson. 1994. Not exactly a cozy mystery, it's listed as romantic suspense on Fantastic Fiction. I listened to the audio on Libby, narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. Recipes listed at the end.

The Cereal Murders ****

 Goldy Schulz mystery, book 3 by Diane Mott Davidson. 1993

The Stranger Beside Me ****

 The Shocking Inside Story of Serial Killer Ted Bundy by Ann Rule. 2022 edition. Previously 1980, 1986,  1989, 2000, 2009.  Ann Rule (1931- 2015)

Dying for Chocolate ****

 The Goldy Schultz series, book 2 by Diane Mott Davidson. Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat for Recorded Books. Accessed by Libby. Genre Romantic Suspense

Pink Lemonade Cake Murder **

 A Hannah Swensen Mystery by Joanne Fluke. 2023

Catering to Nobody ****

 A Goldy Bear Culinary Mystery, book 1 by Diane Mott Davidson. 1990 Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. Recorded Books accessed by Libby.

Blueberry Muffin Murder ***

 By Joanne Fluke. 2001. A Hannah Swensen Mystery.

Double Scoop of Murder ***

 By Lena Gregory. Coffee & Cream Cafe Mysteries. 2024

The Cold Light of Mourning ****

 By Elizabeth J. Duncan. 2009. Winner of the Malice Domestic best first traditional mystery novel competition.

introducing Penny Brannigan of Happy Hands Nail Care shop in Llanelen, Wales.

Death on the Nile ****

 A Hercule Poirot Mystery by Agatha Christie. 1937.

Grounds for Murder ***

 Coffee & Cream Cafe Mysteries by Lena Gregory. 2023.

The Pelican Brief ****

 By John Grisham. 1992. One of John Grisham's best, written a year after the bestselling novel, The Firm. I think it was brilliantly portrayed in the film version with Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington in 1993.

Crow Mary ***

 By Kathleen Grissom. 2023

Death in Vineyard Waters ****

 By Philip R. Craig. #2 Martha's Vineyard Mysteries. 1991. Originally published as "The Woman Who Walked into the Sea."

The Final Days ****

 The Classic, Behind-the-Scenes Account of Richard Nixon's Dramatic Last Days in the White House. By Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. 1976

A fascinating read, though I knew the end, it was quite engrossing to read the details, day by day. All that Nixon went through, it was a surprise to me that he went on to live another twenty years after he resigned the office of President of the United States.

The Cat of the Baskervilles ***

 By Vicki Delany. A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery. 2018.

Ms. Demeanor ****

 By Elinor Lipman. 2023. Narrated by Piper Goodeve per Libby.

A finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor.

Toni Onley's British Columbia: a Tribute

 By Toni Onley. Text and watercolor painting by Toni Onley. 1999. I read today that Toni Onley died doing what he loved, flying. He was 75 years old when  he crashed his plane into the Fraser River in 2004. He wrote in this book that he would not die in his studio of paint fumes. Most of his paintings were done on glaciers and beaches in remote areas of Canada that he was able to access by way of small aircrafts that he piloted. Excellent book that describes how he found his locations and experienced nature.

None of This is True *

 By Lisa Jewell. 2023. A domestic thriller. I thought this was a very disturbing book to read, not certain if I would continue to read, but I finished the book. I don't think I would search out another domestic thriller.

Death in Castle Dark ***

 By Veronica Bond. A Dinner and a Murder Mystery. Book 1. 2021

Death in Vineyard Sand ***

 A Martha's Vineyard Mystery by Philip R. Craig (1933-2007)

Published 2006. No. 17 in the series. I was introduced to J.R.(Jeff) Jackson and Zee in the Hallmark movie, A Beautiful Place to Die, about the first book in the series.

Steeped in Death ***

 By Gretchen Rue. Witch's Brew Mystery. book one.2022. Audio book on Libby. Narrated by Kristin Price.

Gore in the Garden ***

 A Washington Whodunit by Colleen J. Shogan. Book 5. 2019

On Deadly Tides

A Penny Brannigan Mystery. By Elizabeth J. Duncan. 2020. I found a recommendation on Fantasticfiction.com from Carolyn Hart so I put this on my radar.  Lots of interesting facts were included in the story. Likeable characters made the mystery fun. Book eleven in the series.

The first in the series, 'The Cold Light of Mourning' was the winner of the Malice Domestic best first traditional mystery novel competition. "Lyrical and lovely, 'The Cold Light of Mourning' launches an enchanting series that mystery readers will cherish. A warm welcome to Elizabeth J. Duncan, who writes with Grace and charm. Sheer delight. " -Carolyn Hart, author of 'Ghost at Work'

The Perfect Couple

 By Elin Hilderbrand. 2018

The Wedding Guest

 By Jonathan Kellerman. 2019

The Conviction of Richard Nixon

 The Untold Story of the Frost/Nixon Interviews by James Reston, Jr. 2007

Literary Ladies' Guide to the Writing Life

 By Nava Atlas. 2011. Blackstone Audio, Inc. 2023

Finding Dorothy

 By Elizabeth Letts. 2019

Personal History

 By Katherine Graham. 1997. I read parts of this for a book discussion years ago. I wanted to read this again after watching the film The Post with Tom Hanks as Ben Bradlee and Meryl Streep as Katherine Graham about publishing the Pentagon Papers. I was also interested in reading about Watergate in her own words. I was impressed by her life story, a fascinating woman.

Frost/Nixon

 2008 movie directed by Ron Howard.

Heartburn

 A novel by Nora Ephron. 1983.

K Street Killing

 A Washington Whodunit by Colleen J. Shogan. 2018.

All the President's Men

 The greatest reporting story of all time. By Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward. With an afterword on the legacies of Watergate and Richard Nixon. 40th anniversary edition. 1974. 2012. The Afterword was originally published in The Washington Post on June 8, 2012. By Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward. Simon and Schuster trade paperback published 2014.

A rereading by me, the first probably read in 1975, after Nixon's resignation. 

Dead Days of Summer

 A Death on Demand Mystery by Carolyn Hart. 2006

The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter

 By Hazel Gaynor. 2018.

Naked in Da Nang

 A Forward Air Controller in Vietnam. By Michael Jackson and Tara Dixon-Engel. 2004

Murder a la Mode

 A Coffee & Cream Cafe Mystery. Book one. By Lena Gregory. 2023