November 2025 Reading

This month I especially enjoyed The Correspondent (fiction), The Proving Ground (suspense), The Jazz Barn (nonfiction), and Searching for Shona (juvenile historical fiction). I also liked Evvie Drake Starts Over because it was a romantic comedy with convincing characters and realistic dialogue – this doesn’t always happen!  The Librarians was clever and enjoyable, although I could not always follow the plot!

My April 2023 Reads

April was a busy and varied month that I nearly forgot to share (I guess I did forget my March summary!). One book, in particular, stayed in my mind. I did not have a chance to review Wrong Place, Wrong Time, which I listened to while commuting and found somewhat compelling as the heroine finds herself reliving previous days in her life in a desperate attempt to change something that happened. My sister Clare read it about the same time (unplanned, as sometimes happens) but did not like it much. However, this is one that grew on me and I decided it was well done.

The Wrong Good Deed by the author of The Face on the Milk Carton

Title: The Wrong Good Deed
Author: Caroline Cooney
Publication: Poisoned Pen Press, hardcover, 2023
Genre: Mystery/Series
Setting: South Carolina

Description: Clemmie, previously encountered in Before She Was Helen, is at church with her friend Muffin when Muffin sees someone from her past and, terrified, insists on leaving at once. Clemmie herself has dark secrets so she does not want to get involved in anyone else’s problems.

WWW Wednesday – April 26, 2023

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Taking on a World of Words.

Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I just started Fallen by Linda Castillo, the 13th book in her Kate Burkholder series.

Six Degrees of Separation - from Redhead By the Side of the Road to The Face on the Milk Carton

It’s time for #6degrees, inspired by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. We all start at the same place as other readers, add six books, and see where you end up.   This month’s starting point is Redhead By the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler.  I have read one or two of Tyler’s books but not this one; however, it did start me thinking about redheaded protagonists.  Anne Shirley may be the most famous but I realized I had read about many others . . .

First Degree

To the Tiger in the Zoo, Madeline just said "Pooh, Pooh!"

Before She Was Helen by Caroline B. Cooney - now writing suspense for adults!

Title: Before She Was Helen
Author: Caroline Cooney
Publication: Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen Press, hardcover, September 2020
Genre: Mystery

Plot: When Clemmie goes next door to check on the wellbeing of her difficult neighbor Dom, he isn’t there.  But something else is.  Something unexpectedly stunning and beautiful.  Clemmie snaps a picture on her cell phone and makes the terrible mistake of forwarding it.  As the picture goes viral, Clemmie tries desperately to keep a grip on her own personal network of secrets.  Can fifty years of carefully hiding under names not her own be ruined by one impulsive text?

Books for Mary

Mary is a delightful ninth grader in South Carolina, youngest of four, who is not interested in vampire books and does not want anything too adult, figuring she has the rest of her life for that.  I have been meaning to suggest some books she would like for more than a year.  Here you go, Mary; once you try some of these (they should be available at your library), let me know and I will have a better sense of what you like. . .

Naturally, one always starts with Middle C, I mean, Heaven to Betsy – and as Mary is a freshman, she will enjoy Betsy’s first two years of high school.   I plan to give her the new Harper edition which also contains Betsy in Spite of Herself.  I wonder if there are any tall, dark strangers in her class?