Touted as a ‘dark mystery thriller’, it definitely matches that description. Set predominantly in a somewhat secluded old house on the periphery of Hamsptead Heath, London, it was both unsettling and foreboding. Our protagonist is Jane Trevally, a single woman in her fifties. She has been married twice and has several step-children, but has never had children of her own. Now she lives in her…

“All we want is permission to stand there naked and be our damned selves.”In a word….FABULOUS! This novel was on my best of 2024 list, and now it is being published by Henry Holt & Co. in paperback format. How can a novel that begins with the protagonist in such a depressed state that she intends to commit suicide – turn out to be…. uplifting? Well I don’t know how the author managed it, but she…

They say you can never have a second chance to make a good first impression. A book’s cover does just that – gives a first impression. A good cover can make a reader pick up a book. A bad cover can leave the book at the very bottom of a dusty pile. The covers of novels entice the reader to enter a different world. Covers are, after all, the way the publisher ‘hooks‘ the reader into choosing one…

Told via the dual timelines of 1974 and 2024, this novel features Meg Gregory, a mother and grandmother who holds a decades long secret. Originally from the small Georgia town of Tuskin, she moved away as a young adult. Now, divorced and alone, she has moved back to Tuskin to live nearer her adult daughter and teenaged granddaughter. Meg is shocked to learn that her beloved granddaughter, Lucy,…

Today, I’m posting about my bargain Kindle book haul that I nabbed via Amazon.ca I managed to purchase FIVE new titles for a total spend of $17.05 (this averages out to be a cost of about $3.41 per title.) The graphic below shows what I bought:   “A Killing in November” by Simon Mason “Love Lane” by Patrick Gale “Her Last Breath” by Taylor Adams “The Adults” by Alison Espach “Framed for Murder”…

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. Tempest Black immigrated to Ireland from South Africa in 2016, and soon found herself captivated by the literary spirit of Dublin. She fused her degree in psychology and her love of detective…

The rules are simple: Each Tuesday, Jana assigns a new topic. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want. Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post. Add your name to the Linky widget on that day’s post so that everyone can check out other bloggers’ lists. Or if you don’t have a…

Set in Virginia, in the Appalachian region which is known as the moonshine capital of the world, this novel features the Macready family – moonshiners for generations. Now though, the family has supposedly gone ‘straight’, leaving their nefarious past behind them. The story starts around the time of the Felon’s Ball, an annual party hosted by the Macready family, this time also celebrating a…

The rules are simple: Each Tuesday, Jana assigns a new topic. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want. Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post. Add your name to the Linky widget on that day’s post so that everyone can check out other bloggers’ lists. Or if you don’t have a…

An intriguing and thought-provoking novella about survivor’s guilt, PTSD, the ramifications of profound loss, and being honest with yourself. A horrific, multi-vehicle traffic accident results in scores of deaths – and three survivors. One survivor eventually succumbs to his injuries and dies. The other two, Patrick and Catherine are seen by the hospital psychiatrist, Dr. Lanning. Patrick Hawton,…

Set in the American Midwest, this novel is rich in setting and characters. Is serves as an astute observation of small town America, with emphasis on complex human interactions, moral dilemmas, and emotionally moving situations. Buckeye takes place over several decades and multiple generations. It highlights major world events and how those events impact upon the average citizens. There are four…

They say you can never have a second chance to make a good first impression. A book’s cover does just that – gives a first impression. A good cover can make a reader pick up a book. A bad cover can leave the book at the very bottom of a dusty pile. The covers of novels entice the reader to enter a different world. Covers are, after all, the way the publisher ‘hooks‘ the reader into choosing one…

“I See You’ve Called in Dead” by John Kenney is the July selection for Libby Reads! From July 9 to July 23, readers can borrow the selected ebook or audiobook for free, with no waitlists or holds. The novel follows Bud Stanley, a 44-year-old obituary writer who accidentally publishes his own obituary after a disastrous blind date. Publicly declared dead, Bud begins attending the wakes and…

I can always depend upon Eve Chase to deliver an immersive read with well-drawn characters and an intriguing story. Perhaps “The Secret Thread” was not my favorite Eve Chase novel, but it was a very enjoyable read all the same. Jo O’Mara’s parents died in a motorbike accident when she was just nine years of age. She was brought up by her maternal grandmother, Pamela. Jo knows that her grandmother…

If you’re looking for a summery, heart-warming novel, then you should probably start with this one. The protagonist, Melody, lives in a tiny, rundown, clapboard cottage on the beach in Exmouth, Devon called Spindrift. We follow her life from childhood to old age, with its myriad instances of happiness, heartbreak, worry, love, and loss. At first, as a child, she lives in the cottage with her…

Well folks, we are halfway through the year 2026! So far, I’ve read 58 titles towards my Goodreads yearly challenge. (46 books and 12 audiobooks. 15 of these were titles from my NetGalley and Edelweiss backlists. My favourite 6 titles this year so far… (with links to my reviews) “My Husband’s Wife” by Alice Feeney “Mad Mabel” by Sally Hepworth “Sea Stone Sisters” by Eleanor Buchanan “Adrift” by…

The rules are simple: Each Tuesday, Jana assigns a new topic. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want. Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post. Add your name to the Linky widget on that day’s post so that everyone can check out other bloggers’ lists. Or if you don’t have a…