Looking for a quick, kinky love story where the man is the novice for once? Picture Perfect Cowboy is that story. Jason Waters, professional bull rider, (retired) is struggling with his desire to dominate women. It's something he's thought about in secret and explored only through the internet. After agreeing to be photographed for a calendar for literacy he meets pink-haired, sexy Simone, a somet....

I just finished Broken River by J. Robert Lennon. The author uses a "POV" called the Observer throughout the novel. Some readers may have a problem with this as the Observer is not human, but instead it is a presence; a watching, moving, learning presence.  Otherwise the book is basically a fast moving, short, well-written crime novel. I liked the insights into human nature and relationships, whil....

Recently I noticed a librarian had propped up The Miniaturist on her desk, it sat with a little sign that said, "Ask me about his book." When I did, she smiled and said that it was a great read and that I should add it to my TBR list, and then be sure to read it as soon as possible. Of course my TBR list is long, so it took me awhile to get to it, but I have to say it was fascinating. The story be....

Some titles just say "read me," so I do. Dear Fahrenheit 451, a non-fiction book by Annie Spence, is one librarian's collection of thoughts on books from Frog and Toad Storybook Treasure (love me some Frog and Toad) to The Hobbit (never read it), The Crucible (endured it in my 9th grade literature class) to the Harlequin Romance Novel section (no judgment from me, I've read them.) Written in short....

I admit it, I couldn't resist. Summer Hours at the Robbers Library just had to be read, or rather listened to, as I downloaded the audio cd to help me get through some miles on my treadmill. Cute and simple on the surface, only to reveal deeper issues as the story progresses, it is the story of Sunny, a teenage girl who is doing community service at the local library where she meets Kit, a quiet l....

This author has stories and a writing style that speak to me. Graeme Simsion's The Best of Adam Sharp kept me turning page after page. I am still reflecting on it now. There are questions posed and insight given- i.e. how significant others interact, or don't, whether marriages are able to withstand infidelity, whether lost love should stay lost, and will one person sacrifice for another? All of t....

After talking about the subgenre "cozy mystery" with a co-worker I got curious and decided I had to read one.  So when The Advice Column Murders by Leslie Nagel came to my attention as an Advance Reading Copy I requested it immediately.  And I wasn't disappointed.  I feel it was a great introduction to the format of crime fiction with less emphasis on sex, violence, and gore. Charley Carpenter is ....

Years ago a girl was brutally murdered, dismembered, and her head placed in a backpack for unknown reasons. What the reader does know, is that the crime, although solved, is really probably unsolved. That is the beginning of The Chalk Man by new author C.J. Tudor. The novel uses a familiar pattern of past and present to engross the reader in the youth of Ed and his childhood buddies and Ed as a mi....

After Anna is the latest novel from Lisa Scottoline.  The story is about how Maggie is suddenly reunited with her daughter, Anna. It was years before that Maggie was declared an unfit mother, but now Maggie has the chance to be in the life of the daughter she has always loved. Things go bad almost immediately, and Anna is murdered. Wow, right? Maggie is crushed, no, she's beyond crushed, when her ....

The fact that author David Housewright is living somewhat locally, in relation to me, is what originally caught my eye about this novel. In fact, the cover art of What the Dead Leave Behind depicts a park that is somewhat of a local landmark.  The book starts off quick, with retired police officer McKenzie being asked to investigate an unsolved murder.  Which, of course, he does. As readers we fol....