Rebecca Sneed, wife of Lyle Menendez, lives a private yet intriguing life as an attorney. Explore her story, age, net worth, and where she stands today.| Baddiehu
This was a pretty good reading week, as in I was able to knock off two books from my TBR. I can’t say that I am completely happy with the books but I am glad that I have read them... Continue Reading →| Pages & Procrastination
Some people think of summer as a time for the great outdoors. Me? From my childhood, summer has been a prime time for reading. And my reading choices have made for an …| J. P.'s Blog
Plus: Plus a “Catch-Up” date, Upcoming Appearances, and William Alexander in New York! (This is mirrored from my newsletter, so please forgive the repetition if you get both of them.) D…| C.S.E. Cooney
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang My rating: 2 of 5 stars My second attempt at a book by R.F. Kuang, and this time its marginally better. At least I learned what “katabasis” is, so now I’m intellectually improved.———— In a fight between Kuang and the grind of academia no punches are pulled. “Christ,” said Peter. “Hell … Continue reading “Katabasis” by R.F. Kuang| books are life
The Hour of the Star is a book that climbed onto this year’s TBR by the Read Harder Challenge. One of this year’s tasks is to read a work of literary fiction by a BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and/or disabled author. So, I went to books already on my radar to see if any fit the bill […]| faintingviolet
After an accident that nearly kills her, Emily and her husband, Freddie, move from London to a beautiful Dartmoor country house called Larkin Lodge. The house is gorgeous, striking—and to Emily, something about it feels deeply wrong. Old boards creak at night; fires extinguish; and books fall from the shelves—all of it stemming from the... Read More| Books Tales by me
A sunshine American bookstore whisperer clashes with the grumpy British owner of the shop she’s trying to save in this winning opposites-attract romance for book lovers.He has a struggling bookshop…| Books Tales by me
In "The Brothers Karamazov", Dostoevsky creates one of the most famous family feuds in literary history. Fyodor Karamazov is notorious in his village for both his depravity and his wealth. When his three sons -- Dmitri, Ivan, and Alyosha -- come back to town, an uncomfortable family reunion and brutal reckoning is sure to follow . . .| Russophile Reads
When the naive and good-hearted Prince Myshkin arrives back in Petersburg after several years away from Russia, he quickly finds himself the heir to a large fortune and caught up in a strange love triangle. But how will Russian high society respond to the presence of this pure young man . . . ?| Russophile Reads
Meditation in Memory of Harriet McMahon November 16,1942 – July 23, 2025 The Reverend Dr. Karen Crawford Smithtown Cemetery Sept. 12, 2025 Not long after I began serving our flock, Harriet’s family contacted the church. They were emptying out the home in Saint James where Harriet had lived for many years with her husband,Continue reading "“O Great God”"| Sharing God's Love and Grace
I’m delighted to announce the impending arrival of my third etymology book, Useless Etymology: Offbeat Word Origins for Curious Minds, featuring quirky, charming, and humorous word origin sto…| Useless Etymology
There’s a kind of magic in assets. They are like invisible employees, tireless, faithful, and loyal. They show up every morning without asking for transport money, they don’t complain about the wea…| rochemamabolo
Dear Reader, TONIGHT! Tonight, friends, Carlos and I are so excited to present the newest episode of FICTION: IMPOSSIBLE, our monthly Twitchcast (except when it’s, you know, summer) feat…| C.S.E. Cooney
The Short List of the Booker Prize is due to be announced on 23 September 2025. I would have loved to have read more of the books prior to the announcement, but it was not to be. I have read 7 of the books and my friend Ian has read 10. These are our thoughts […]| Yarra Book Club
This month my reading has been a bit scatty, first because of my return from France and a bit of jet lag and then I hit a busy period at work, and most recently I have been spending time with my Dad as my mum has had another stay in hospital, this time for 10 […]| Yarra Book Club
This is the book for our Rose Book Club this month and due to my hiatus it has been a last minute read! And because I have borrowed the book from my friend Ian, we only have one copy and both Phil …| Yarra Book Club
1358, France. In the midst of the Hundred Years War, King John II of France is the prisoner of the English. As bands of English soldiers roam the countryside pillaging anything that isn’t nailed down – and doing much worse – King Charles of Navarre is seeking to take the throne for himself. But France […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Waldstein’s Folly is in danger of being demolished. A London establishment, a acoustically perfect concert hall, it has housed its three-storey organ as its centrepiece (despite orchestras not usually using organs). As a reporter is being shown around, working on a story to help save the building, the organ sounds out from all around him. […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
1928, New Year’s Eve, Dartmoor. Ravenswick Abbey, the family seat of the Ravenswick family. A gathering for family and faithful servants is arranged in the upstairs room of the bed-bound Lord Ravenswick. Nine people step into the lift. The lights go out and a gunshot is heard – and when the lights come back on, […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
In case you are new here: my name is Jillian, and I have a Master of Science degree in Library and Information Science. Oh, and I’m still looking for a permanent job. …| Jillian the Bookish Butterfly Blog
My friend, Joe Campolo, recently published this article on his website. It is true in every way. Every war is different, and every war is the same. ∼ Anthony Swofford Vietnam veterans often refer to Vietnam as “The Nam” when discussing their experiences during the war. This tells us that the Vietnam they remember was […]| CherriesWriter – Vietnam War website
I read Talk by Linda Rosenkrantz in August for #NYRBWomen25 but only got around to writing about it now. I was going to skip it at first, but my curiosity got the better of me, and after reading three chapters, I knew I was all the way in. Originally published in 1968, Talk is an…| Radhika's Reading Retreat
Last year, I discovered, read, and loved A Tiler’s Afternoon by Lars Gustafsson, and it went on to become one of my favourite books of the year. Unsurprisingly, I wanted to read more of his work, but most of his books are sadly out of print; certainly, they weren’t available on Blackwells, and I had…| Radhika's Reading Retreat
Han Kang is one of my favourite authors – loved both The Vegetarian and The White Book – but inexplicably I did not read anything by her since then. She came into my orbit once again after being awarded the Nobel Prize, with her recently translated novel, We Do Not Part, peaking my interest. Such…| Radhika's Reading Retreat
The first two books I read for WIT Month in August were excellent – Nothing Grows by Moonlight by Torborg Nedreaas and Killing Stella by Marlen Haushofer. While I originally planned to read another novel, as soon as Lili is Crying arrived by post, I suddenly felt I had to read it first. And it…| Radhika's Reading Retreat
I read a fair number of meditation books. In the last three years since I started meditating, I read about 15-18 such books. Searchless Responsiveness is one of the densest. It has five "interstitials" — stream -of-consciousness interludes between themed sections. These are a page or two long,| Joe Cecil
Title: Red CardSeries: Prescott University 1Author: Maren MoorePublisher: DAWReleased: HachetteGenre: romance, sports romanceTropes: grumpy/sunshine, friends to lovers, secret dating, broken boy x good girl, college sports, coach’s daughter, slow burn, rugby romance British bad boy Cillian “Kill” Cairney is ruthless on the rugby pitch. After getting a permanent red card from his team in London, the only teamContinue reading "Red Card by Maren Moore (ARC review)"| Anna's Multiverse
Grief can be a hard thing to balance in a romance novel. I am particularly wary of books around the grief associated with the death of dads, which is why I had initially held off on starting Janine Amesta’s Love at First Flight even though emmalita sang its praises. But I started following Amesta on […]| faintingviolet
The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam is the third and final book in the series that began with The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy. It was one of my most looked forward to books of the year, and while it was possibly my least favorite of the three, it still has that Megan Bannen way […]| faintingviolet
The Mimicking of Known Successes can be quickly described as what if Sherlock Holmes, but sapphic and in a sci-fi future where the Earth is uninhabitable and humans have colonized Jupiter? &nb…| faintingviolet
As I have related several times in this blog over the years, when I was young I read Hans Christian Anderson’s The Snow Queen. In that story, a shard from an evil, broken mirror entered the eye of a little … Continue reading →| The Resident Judge of Port Phillip
I can finally tell you all my great news! My short story AITA for Using My Husband’s Hobby to Teach Him a Lesson has been published in the MYOPIC DUPLICITY anthology! Here’s the verbiag…| Mindy Carlson
In my book, September is always sunny enough to be considered summer, so I will shamelessly continue reading my #20BooksOfSummer2025 for an extra month. What with a holiday, a jungle of a garden to…| Market Garden Reader
Apologies – almost a 2 week hiatus! I wish I could say it was just a break from blogging and that I had crammed in the reading, but, no, it was the other way around. I got home from France an…| Yarra Book Club
It’s always a pleasure to visit the fictional Sussex village of Abbeymead to go on another sleuthing adventure with our amateur (do we still call them amateur, on this, their twelfth case?) d…| Literary Potpourri
Kit Pelham, professional cult sci-fi fan, has developed something of a reputation as a detective following her unmasking the killer of Wolf Tyler in The Fan Who Knew Too Much. So when she is on the scene when a dismembered body is found, along with a mocking poem implying this is the first of ten […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
So, it’s been a weird sort of August. A break to one of our favourite isolated spots in Scotland managed to coincide with Storm Floris, and I’ve spent most of the month waiting for a medical test that, thankfully, produced an all-clear result. I was fairly sure that was going to be the case, but […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Dr Gideon Fell meets a man in a Somerset valley and learns of a murder that came up from the lake itself. Sir Henry Merrivale visits a house in Goblin Wood where a girl disappears from a cottage that was watched from all sides. And there are some other stories in the collection too… OK, […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
“I don’t have to exhibit my wife in the nude in order to help my sale of rabbits!” Woman Detective-Constable Kitty Palgrave isn’t the favourite officer in the Women’s Section of CID due to her impetuousness despite her abilities, so she is dispatched to make some basic enquiries in the reported disappearance of a 15 […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Thirty years ago, Annabel Maddock was killed. One of her group of friends, Dave, went to prison for it and the rest drifted apart. But Dave is released from prison and it seems that the story of Annabel Maddock is far from over for the village of Barton Mallett. Ben Knot, Annabel’s boyfriend at the […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Barry Brown came to South Devon to write a book. He had made a career ghost-writing celebrity autobiographies, but he has come into possession of some information that could give new life to his career. But rather than giving him new life, that information may well be what caused him to be murdered. With Barry’s […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Elin S Jónsdóttir, the best-selling crime writer, has disappeared. Famed for writing a series of ten exquisite crime novels – and then stopping – there seems to be no reason for her to vanish. And …| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Jere Meacham on patrol in Vietnam with other members of the U.S. Army’s Fourth Infantry Division. He sent the images to his son in 1999 In 1999, one former combat soldier from the Army’s Four…| CherriesWriter - Vietnam War website
The dreaded reading slump. You know the one — where you swear you’ll read “just one chapter,” but then you stare at the book like it’s an alien artifact, and nothing happens. Your TBR pile looks li…| Chelle's Book Ramblings
The Echo Dies by Roger Teichmann leaves plenty of food for thought and philosophical discussion about moral issues regarding loyalty, memory and forgetfulness, response to grief, the point of living, and suicide. Not for those who like the ending to be clear and conclusive. However, the interesting plot and relatable characters make this an enjoyable read for those of a less philosophical bent.| Market Garden Reader
Imagine an ambulance crew who decided they wouldn’t go to help a casualty because they’d seen one too many people injuring themselves because of drinking too much. It doesn’t seem likely. Yet compa…| Market Garden Reader
Marlen Haushofer’s The Wall is one of my favourite novels of all time; if you haven’t read it yet, it is certainly a worthy choice for the currently ongoing WIT Month. However, the novel that introduced me to her writing and which I also liked very much was The Loft, translated by Amanda Prantera –…| Radhika's Reading Retreat
Phoebe Greenwood is a London-based journalist who was a freelance correspondent in Jerusalem covering the Middle East for the Guardian, Daily Telegraph, and Sunday Times between 2010 and 2013. From…| debutiful
Rose Keating is an Irish writer who studied creative writing at the University of East Anglia, where she was a recipient of the Malcolm Bradbury Scholarship and the Curtis Brown Prize. She also won…| debutiful
Larissa Pham follows up her essay collection Pop Song, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize, with her debut novel, Discipline. The book will be released by R…| debutiful
“Maybe nectarines are just peaches in drag. Smooth. Magnificent.” This book has stuck with me far more than I’d expected and was an enjoyable reading experience. Some parts resonated more than others of course. I was looking to learn more about sensory issues and there was plenty about that, though not all of the stories/essays focus on that. This is a very readable memoir of an American childhood, taking the senses as inspiration for many of the stories. It would be a useful introducti...| Market Garden Reader
Several of my friends were enthusiastic about this book, as was a Guardian review. Then I saw Raynor Winn interviewed by Kate Humble as she walked a section of the South West Coast Path. The scenery is stunning, though the section with Ray was simply walking through some trees. She spoke of healing through walking and as a walker, I knew this was a book I really wanted to read. I was delighted to find it in a secondhand shop in Nijmegen. I wasn’t disappointed.| Market Garden Reader
Rather confusingly, Lilian Jackson Braun and Rita Mae Brown have both written series of books featuring cats who help solve mysteries. The fluffiest of cosy mysteries! Based on one of each, which do I prefer? And, apart from their similar names, do the authors have anything in common?| Market Garden Reader
On the surface, Jennie is an adventure story about cats, but actually it’s a morality tale about friendship, love, trust, abandonment and regrets. Jennie is a cat who hates and distrusts humans because she was once abandoned. Peter is a cat who once was human. Inspired to post by #ReadingtheMeow2025 because when I read it in 2018 I became totally sidetracked by Paul Gallico’s unexpected life.| Market Garden Reader
My fifth selection from the Booker List. I have read Andrew Miller before, both ‘Pure’ and ‘Oxygen’ which was shortlisted for the Booker some years ago. I remember that I loved ‘Oxygen’ and because I loved it so much I read ‘Pure’ which was a little more off kilter (which can be expected if the […]| Yarra Book Club
One of our amazing Rose Book Club participants suggested this book in April for our book club to read, but it didn’t get the votes. But now it is on the long list, I have the opportunity to r…| Yarra Book Club
I’m back today with another buddy-read post with Emma @WordsandPeace. This month, we’ve taken a break from our Tove Jansson reads to explore a different title, author Salman Rushdie’s children’s novel, Haroun and the Sea of Stories (1990). As always, we will be posting our discussion in four parts, one and three here on this…| Literary Potpourri
With influential series on California, on the terraforming of Mars, and on human civilization as reshaped by rising tides, Kim Stanley Robinson has established a conceptu…| Recall This Book
My summer reading has been slow going, and my brain hasn’t wanted to focus on things that are new all that well. So, I’ve met my brain where it’s at – spending time scrolling through fanfiction, rewatching favorite series, and hunting up novella length books that sound good. When it was announced that Reactor was […]| faintingviolet
Two years ago Mercy Gray was hailed as a hero for saving lives during a mall shooting. She still carries souvenirs from that incident: the fragment of a bullet lodged in her back, a mountain of med…| Books Tales by me
All of my Book of the Month friends are probably wondering: is this worth the hype? My answer…cannot be contained to a singular yes or no*. No spoilers, of course! *writing like that makes me…| A Fictional Bookworm
Some books don’t just tell a story—they invite you into a riddle, a ritual, a hidden map. The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson is one such book. It caught my imagination instan…| Rebecca's Reading Room
Multi-volume Danish series seems to be quite the fad at the moment; I loved Solvej Balle’s excellent On the Calculation of Volume 1, and now we have Asta Olivia Nordenhof’s seven-part ‘Scandinavian…| Radhika's Reading Retreat
I didn’t so much select this to be my first of the prize reading. I love the write up, but I was exploring whether Amazon would allow me to buy a book not due for release until the 28th October in Australia. Turns out it did (must be based on location at time of purchase), […]| Yarra Book Club
I bought this book last year in Warsaw, in one of the most fantastic bookstores I found during that short trip. I wasn’t even supposed to be in Warsaw, but I lost my passport on my flight from Lourdes to Krakow, as so my weekend trip turned into a week as I went to Warsaw […]| Yarra Book Club
It is here! So… I tipped 2 of these to be on the list. And I have read 2 of them. I am sad about some that are missing – Hollinghurst, Thien etc, but super excited to read those that are here. Though it is a little sad that no Australian books made it. This […]| Yarra Book Club
I didn’t read these at the time when I finished ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ but I went back to read them, hence the second post. The cover above is the first edition cover whic…| Yarra Book Club
The sweet (or sometime even harsh) notes of birdsong, the fragrance and colours of flowers around which bees buzz collecting nectar, delicate butterflies fluttering about, insects with iridescent c…| Literary Potpourri
Ellery Queen has stepped back from detective work due to his recent traumatic investigations in Wrightsville – Calamity Town, The Murderer Is A Fox and Ten Days’ Wonder – until it takes about one m…| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
I have news! The short e-books I have written in the PhD Guides series are being produced as audiobooks! They are being voiced by the excellent Leigh Forbes who is a joy to work with. As with the p…| Helen Kara
I had the good fortune to interview Victor Rees recently about his and Iain Sinclair’s assembling of a tribute to the late great Brian Catling: A Mystery of Remnant. The book gathers a number…| John Kenny
Mavis Gallant’s Paris Stories was the eighth book I read as part of the excellent #NYRBWomen25 reading project, and what a sublime collection it was! This also happened to be the first book I read …| Radhika's Reading Retreat
I spent two weeks traveling earlier this month and decided a hefty 450-page romance would be an excellent choice to keep me company on planes and in hotel rooms. I was very right. I have spent the …| faintingviolet
Chloe Roberts is on top of the world at Morton Academy. She’s a shoo-in for Head Girl and the lead spot in the school’s secret Jewel and Bone. But then her best friend, Nikhita Patel, betrays her, and life comes crashing down. Things take a darker turn when Chloe stumbles upon the Book of Crime and… Continue reading ARC Review: Keep Your Friends Close by Cynthia Murphy| Down the Rabbit Hole
A simmering psychological thriller about a dead teacher at an elite boarding school, the students who had every reason to want her gone, and the tangled web of rivalry and romance concealing the tr…| Down the Rabbit Hole
By liggraphy on pixabay This is the Mid Year Freak Out Book Tag, created by Ely @ Earl Grey Books and Chami @ Read Like Wildfire. With little further explanation, let’s answer the questions: QUESTI…| My Reader's Journey
I discovered this book after reading Madeleine Thien’s ‘The Book of Records’ and because I live in the Pyrenees and am close to so many of the landmarks that Hannah Ardent travels…| Yarra Book Club
Right, June is over and done with. A big shout out to Cotswold Falconry Centre and their Owl Experience for an amazing birthday treat for my much better half and a bit of a boo to the hotel who’s “…| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
As I was reading “Demon Copperhead” my journal reminded me that exactly one year ago I was reading “David Copperfield.” At one point, I was in Tofino on Vancouver Island and didn’t want to go walking on the beach because I was completely obsessed with Copperfield. Unfortunately, the book did not keep my interest throughout, […]| If 42 is the answer, what is the question?
Dear Reader, By the time you read this a lot of things have happened during the month of June. It was quiet here on the blog, too quiet on my side of things and for that I am sorry. I feel like an …| Wordaholicanonymous
It’s almost impossible to read the most hyped and acclaimed books the year that they come out. Which is why, in the year of our Lord 2025, I picked up last year’s hits: James by Percival Everett, Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors, and First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston. And I’m going to help y’all … Continue reading First Lie Wins, James & Blue Sisters – Are They Overhyped or Worth Reading?| A Fictional Bookworm
“Why can’t my life be a fairy tale?” It’s the refrain of every heroine in every romance novel and movie. Or—why limit ourselves?—it’s in every novel on the shelf and movie streaming through the int…| Mindy Carlson
Look, I know. You’ve probably spent way too much time (okay, maybe 10 minutes, but it feels like an eternity) figuring out the best way to track your reading. You’ve got spreadsheets, apps, journal…| Chelle's Book Ramblings
I seem to be in the mood for some Persephone books at the moment having recently read and loved Harriet by Elizabeth Jenkins, followed by Guard Your Daughters by Diana Tutton which turned out to be…| Radhika's Reading Retreat
In seven days Jet Mason will be dead. Jet is the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Woodstock, Vermont. Twenty-seven years old, she’s still waiting for her life to begin. I’ll do it late…| Books Tales by me
This CDrama received an 8.3 score at Douban the last time I checked. This is a quality procedural drama about juvenile crime and worth following.| Drama Tea
I have come to accept that I may have a slight obsession with translated Japanese fiction. While this journey has roots in the works of Haruki Murakami, it has since blossomed to incorporate so man…| I Would Rather Be Reading
Elizabeth Jenkins’ superb The Tortoise and the Hare was one of my favourite books in 2022. I was therefore keen at some point to read Harriet, published by the wonderful Persephone Books, a copy of…| Radhika's Reading Retreat
If you've ever yearned for a gay, 1910s Little Mermaid with tear-jerking prose, Spanish poetry, and illustrations to salivate over, I've got some great news for you.| History Will Say This Was Just a Book Blog
Having never read a single Fredrik Backman book in all my many years of life*, imagine my shock when I immediately picked up his newest release, My Friends. And guess what? I loved it. *this was su…| A Fictional Bookworm
I’d like to take a moment to step back in time, to the year 2020 to be precise. To refer to it as a tumultuous period would be putting it lightly…a global pandemic, political unrest, an…| I Would Rather Be Reading
The first book I finished this month was Patrick Süskind’s Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, a rather bizarre and haunting novel. I’m still trying to process it, and I think that’s a good testament to a work that’s nearly half a century old. Originally published in Germany in 1985, this Gothic tale weaves olfactory … Continue reading ‘Perfume’ by Patrick Süskind (Review)| I Would Rather Be Reading
Hello fellow readers! Have you missed me? Apologies for the lack of reviews as of late, but I’ve been in a bit of a blogging slump. But fear not, as I will be returning to regularly scheduled posting next week. For some additional motivation, I will share a glimpse at the end of this post … Continue reading My Reading Wrap-Up: April 2025| I Would Rather Be Reading
We are officially three months into 2025, so it seems like a good time to take stock on my reading progress. My hope is that this post will help me break out of my latest reading/blogging slump. My goal for the year is 75 books, and at the time of writing this, I’ve read 13. … Continue reading My Reading Wrap-up: First Quarter of 2025| I Would Rather Be Reading
It was going to be a cinch. It’s May! Select picture books to share that celebrate the unique relationship between mother & child. Read. Describe. Review. Repeat. This bond, singular & profound, is explored in thousands of stories by as … Continue reading →| Books Around The Table
I read Caroline Blackwood’s marvellous Great Granny Webster for #NYRBWomen25, the fifth book I’ve now read as part of this terrific reading project. I read this in April but could not write about i…| Radhika's Reading Retreat
An epic new fantasy about a demon hunter and a foot soldier thrown together in a centuries-old war… and the forbidden love that could change the course of history. A bloody war between demons and the Vatican has waged for more than a century, with two elite soldiers now at its center: Selene Alleva, a… Continue reading ARC Review: Cruel is the Light by Sophie Clark| Down the Rabbit Hole
Legendborn #3 Severed from the Legendborn. Oathbound to a monster. Bree Matthews is alone. She exiled herself from the Legendborn Order, cut her ancestral connections, and turned away from the frie…| Down the Rabbit Hole
This weekend was Malice Domestic and the Agatha Awards. Malice Domestic is a conference celebrating traditional mysteries, cozies, and softer thrillers and noir novels. Malice has the reputation fo…| Mindy Carlson