Board Stiff by Elaine Viets

Board Stiff by Elaine Viets
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.0/5.0 - This got better as it went on. Since it was book 12, but the first book of the series that I had read, it took a bit for me to get my bearings. The premise was that Helen had left her high paying job in the corporate world, divorced her no good husband, and been traveling around working at various dead-end jobs. In the meantime, she met her new husband, Phil, and they formed a PI agency, now in Florida. She and Phil have a falling out halfway through the book, much like Melanie and Jack in The Attic on Queen Street, which I just finished. But in the end, they bring home the case, the bacon, and the love. One thing that I particularly liked about the book is the epilogue, where they summarize what happened to each of the characters. All in all, a pretty good little book, but I'm not sure I'm inspired enough to read the rest of the series.
Book 37 of 2022

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Flying Angels by Danielle Steel

Flying Angels by Danielle Steel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.0/5.0 - This is one of my favorite Danielle Steel books. The time period is World War II, and the story centers around a diverse group of women, who have chosen to become nurses and volunteer for the dangerous job of flight nurses. The back stories on the nurses are interesting, as is their friendships and courage. My own parents would have been contemporary to the story, my father was in the navy when he met and married my mother. I think reading it through this lens added to my enjoyment.

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Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies by Vicky Zimmerman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.0/5.0 - This book could easily been or a 4 or higher rated book for me, if it was shorter, spent less time on the Nick/Kate relationship or actually included some of the wonderful recipes! It started and ended strong, but dragged in the middle. The evolving relationship between Kate and Cecily was interesting, Cecily was the more interesting character.
Apparently, the Cecily character was based on the author's eponymous grandmother, who actually wrote two of the books mentioned, "Thought for Food" and "Tell Me Again." I think I'll look them up.

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Seasonal Work: Stories by Laura Lippman

Seasonal Work: Stories by Laura Lippman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5.0/5.0 - I quite enjoyed this book, in fact I could see myself reading it again sometime. As a rule, I don't enjoy nor read short stories, so this was a pleasant surprise. Most of the stories in this collection were written between 2007-2019, with the last one, Just one more, a COViD-related story, written to finish out the book.
The first story introduces us to Tess Monaghan, Lippman's famous detective, and the second to her mother. I loved all the cultural references in this book, from GoodReads, to Columbo, to so many books that I have read. Oh, and The Book Thing, in Baltimore!
Anyway, it was a fun collection and one that I could imagine owning.

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Julie and Romeo by Jeanne Ray

Julie and Romeo by Jeanne Ray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.0/5.0 - I loved this book. I love the fact that this Tennessee author did not start writing until she was 60 and that she writes about that age group (to which I may or may not be part) as people who still have life to live. The title may give away the fact that this is a riff on Romeo and Juliet, but a humorous one. There is a sequel to this that I might read sometime, if the mood strikes me.
I first read this author in 2019, after coming across a letter from a friend written in 2004, recommending Step-Ball-Change.

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Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley


5.0/5.0 - My first 5 star book of 2022. I loved the main character, Daunis, a college freshman, who is close to her family and her tribe, although not an enrolled member. She gets caught up in a drug investigation when her beloved uncle dies of an overdose, and then several of her friends do, as well. She is a brilliant, strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) who wants to help protect her community, but doesn't know who to trust. The book is realistic, believable, and unsettling. The author, an Ojibwe woman herself, does a wonderful job describing and honoring the culture.
I read that this has been optioned for a Netflix series, I will watch for it.

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The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.0/5.0 - This is hard to review without giving away the plot, which has so many twists and turns and leaves you questioning what you would do for love, and how much you really know anyone. Let's just say that I enjoyed this book, and especially enjoyed the author's notes that she shares on the GR page. I understand she is working on a sequel, and depending on how soon she finishes it (this book ten years to write), I will probably read that one, too.

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Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber

Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 rounded to 4.0 stars - Reminiscent of Twelve Days of Christmas that I read last year, this short book takes place during the holiday season. Merry is a temp working long hours for a grumpy boss. But she is a sweet girl who doesn't complain, and who loves her family. At 24, her mother thinks she should be doing more than working, so she and Merry's younger brother set her up on a dating site. There she meets a man that she really likes online, and he, her. They talk for weeks before setting up a meeting. Read the book, telling more would be a spoiler.
I needed this quick, easy romance now. The book isn't great literature, it was just the right book at the right time. And sometimes, that's what counts.

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The Christmas Spirits on Tradd Street by Karen White

The Christmas Spirits on Tradd Street by Karen White
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.0/5.0 - I was very conflicted about this book. On the one hand, I love books about old houses, mysteries, southern living. On the other hand, it didn't feel very resolved. Perhaps it was having read books one and two of the series more than ten years ago, and not having read the remaining books that precede this one, that left me confused about the back story. Some series are good at having individual books stand alone, this one is not. It's like episodic tv, the ending sets you up for the next episode and if you don't watch it, you're left wondering. I'm debating whether it would be worth my time to go back and read the series from the beginning, or whether to just let this one go. If you have an opinion, please comment below.

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A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean

A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.0/5.0 - This is a hard book for me to review. It's a story about a Scottish Presbyterian minister, and his two sons, and fly fishing. It is literary fiction, a tough genre for me, but the prose was so beautiful. Fathers and sons, siblings, what do you do for love? How do you help people when they might not need or want your help? So much to think about and ponder in this little book.

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