Tag Archive: Fiction



Blood, Sweat and Tiers (Great Witches Baking Show #5)Blood, Sweat and Tiers by Nancy Warren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Once again, Nancy Warren and Hollis McCarthy brought a fun whodunnit adventure. The author wrote this series in such a fashion that you can catch up and know what is happening no matter where you start. I read all her Vampire Knitting Club. Then, a bit of the Book Club. I found 5 and 6 of the Great Witches Baking Show when I needed something light. But I couldn’t read the tiny print that said which number in the series I started on. So I started on number 6 and then just finished number 5.

As usual, Hollis narrated each character so well that I knew whose point of view I was visiting. I can’t wait until I can get caught up with the series on Libby or buy the Audible version soon.

I hope you can enjoy this series. It’s light, even if it is a murder mystery.

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The Complete Wizard of Oz Collection: All 22 StoriesThe Complete Wizard of Oz Collection: All 22 Stories by L. Frank Baum
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Whew! That took a month to get through. And though I might have said it was repetitive and boring at first. I gradually felt pulled into the many implications of history and how foward thinking this author was for his time.

I listened on Audible . Eric Vincent (Narrator) did a fantastic job with his many voices of the population of Oz. At first, I was a little put off with his female voices but soon saw that even within the group of young women he had to bring to life somehow.

I wish I could have found the illustrations that were in the paper books I read to my children so long ago. That was the only thing missing.

Interesting things found in these books written in the early 1900s:

The first transgender person I can remember being presented. (Tip/Ozma)

Women at war to reseat the throne, ejecting the wizard.

Clever ways to help people talk through problems and find peaceful solutions.

When I read a few of these to my kids I felt the language rather boring, but we all loved them anyway. Now hearing someone else read the books, I fell into the rhythm and enjoyed all the adventures. I’m rather missing it. Oh, yeah! I’m reading Wicked soon. Now I will have a deeper understanding of the world that story is based in. I don’t know about Wicked yet. But I know the main lessons of Oz were kindness and helping others. Not a bad set of mottos and goals to aim for.

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Mother-Daughter Murder NightMother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once again, I was reluctant to read a book. I don’t like books about murder. And that is the reason I usually don’t read mysteries. They are rarely about missing glasses. True mysteries. And I don’t know where I heard about this book, but thanks to whoever suggested this. It was a lot of fun!

Jane Oppenheimer, narrator, read this with such spirit that I didn’t want to put it down. She was about to change her voice for every character, and I was never lost as to who might be speaking.

The author was clever in shifting a book about the younger women (daughter and granddaughter), and soon, it is the grandmother who speaks the most in the book. Her viewpoint is a little annoying but fun.

Yes, there is a murder or more, but as a team, the three women risk their own lives, careers, and their relationships with each other. Tricky at first, but by the time it all falls apart, each woman searches for strength and wisdom.

Ah, I am not saying what I want to. Just know that this is a fun book, despite the murders and bad guys. I was lucky to pick it up on Libby. Enjoy!

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How Could It Be?How Could It Be? by Xiomara Rodriguez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“A senior FBI agent being shot in the precinct’s parking lot is only the first shock in Lieutenant Jane Sparks’s day. The second is Senior Agent Fran Morris is a mirror image of Sparks, an identical twin. After an awkward and confrontational meeting at the hospital while Agent Morris is in recovery, they decide to put their brilliant minds together to not only determine who shot Agent Morris and why but also how they were separated at birth.

How Could It Be? is a fast-paced mystery crime novel filled with lies, deception, and intrigue, and how it all affects a budding relationship between long-lost sisters.”

What better way to explain the story than the blurb from Amazon? I met the author briefly a decade ago, but I see her in the church meetings I Zoom. She doesn’t know me, but I am still proud of her for writing a series!

For a first book, I think this has a lot of promise. The author’s career experience verifies the world the main characters inhabit.

This is a short bookβ€”I read it in one sittingβ€”but it was full of promise and intrigue. I can’t wait to read Xiomara Rodriguez’s other books.

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Salt to the SeaSalt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After reading Lily’s Promise about World War Two atrocities, I wasn’t sure I could get through another. But this seemed to be a different take. And it was written as a Young Adult novel. So, I was curious. Then I was surprised.

Jorjeana Marie (Narrator), Will Damron (Narrator), Cassandra Morris (Narrator), and Michael Crouch (Narrator) all brought Ruta Sepetys’ book to life. I’m not a historian, so when others start to spout names and facts of the time leaves me drowsy and mind-numb. But right off, Ms. Sepetys presents characters that seem plausible. I found I cared for all of them, even the not-so-loveable ones. Well, there was one I couldn’t stand, but he wasn’t a very good person. The rest were flawed humans just trying to survive.

I had never heard of the Wilhelm Gustloff ship, which proved to be in existence. When I mentioned it to my husband, he had never heard of it either, and he’s a bit more of a history buff, so that added something that rang true to the story.

Being a Young Adult book doesn’t make this immature but helps readers like me gentle into the story.

Again, this was a Libby Audiobook, which made it even better. I hope you get the chance to read it. It’s worth it.

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A Man Called OveA Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Man Called Otto is the movie with Tom Hanks. I hope you got to watch it. As grumpy as the main character, I must admit that this man warms your heart. I had watched the movie and then learned the book it was based on. There was the Audible available for one credit, and now it’s mine to read whenever I want. It is bittersweet and often funny but with wonderful truths woven right in.

J.K. Simmons does the narration, which sounds like Tom Hanks. Same sourpuss grumpiness as in the movie.

I enjoyed the book so much that I needed more, so I looked up the movie, and I had to watch it. I think it was on Netflix.

I highly recommend both ways to enjoy the story.

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Sea of TranquilitySea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I will re-read this one in the future. As with many time-travel audiobooks, I found myself confusedβ€”until I didn’t. There came a time when it all started gelling.

As a writer, I was stunned by the most boring first chapter ever. I get it. I know now why the author did it this way, but wow, I nearly quit reading/listening from the very beginning. What drew me on? The blurb of what was supposed to happen in this book. There was to be time travel and time to be on the moon. Stick it out as it all circles back and makes sense.

Emily St. John Mandel’s book is brought to life by a host of narrators. Because of these people, I think the audiobook is the way to read it: John Lee, Dylan Moore, Arthur Morey, and Kirsten Potter.

It’s interesting, if nothing else. And, like all time-travel books, it makes you think.

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The Lost BookshopThe Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The blurb pulled me into a wonderful, amazing world. Here’s the one from GoodReads:

β€˜The thing about books,’ she said β€˜is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.’

On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found…

For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives.

But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder… where nothing is as it seems.

I love a book about books and bookstores and the magic that can occur. It can get confusing if you have to listen and not read the words. I would get lost as to whose point of view I was looking through. But after a while, I got it and was charmed.

Avena Mansergh-Wallace (Narrator), Olivia Mace (Narrator), and Nick Biadon (Narrator) made Evie Woods’ story come to life.

If you get the chance, read or listen to this one. It is charming!

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The Giver of StarsThe Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thought I was rereading a book about the Horseback Librarians, but this one was new to me. Julia Whelan narrated it in such a way that I was swept up into the story right away. She was excellent at accents to make sure each character felt different.

This was a quick read between holds I’d requested. I suddenly had nothing and didn’t want to start something from my own Kindle or Audible library. Libby had this one ready to read, so I grabbed it.

If you are looking for a quick, engaging read, try this one.

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This Is How You Lose The Time WarThis Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time travel is interesting. Yeah, but here we have one more reason for war. The espionage is too much. I can’t handle more reasons to feel paranoid. I read to escape the heavy stuff or to study writing. But this didn’t do either job for me.

Cynthia Farrell’s (the Narrator) voice was good for the story, but sadly, I didn’t feel she saved it.

A friend recommended this to me. Time travel piqued my interest. Here, take a look at the blurb:

Goodreads Choice AwardNominee for Best Science Fiction (2019)
Two time-traveling agents from warring futures, working their way through the past, begin to exchange lettersβ€”and fall in love in this thrilling and romantic book from award-winning authors Amal-El Mohtar and Max Gladstone.

Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading.

Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.

Except the discovery of their bond would mean death for each of them. There’s still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win that war. That’s how war works. Right?

Cowritten by two beloved and award-winning sci-fi writers, This Is How You Lose the Time War is an epic love story spanning time and space.

Maybe it was the COVID brain. Maybe I’ll try it again someday. Maybe you will love it. It just didn’t do it for me.

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