Book Review

Book Review: Death in the Downline

MelindaLeave a comment

When journalist Drew returns to her small town with a shrinking bank account and no job prospects, she’s surprised to run into her former best friend Steph. Steph is thriving financially and her skin is absolutely glowing. She’s eager to share her secret- it’s LuminUS, a skincare line that has paid for her seemingly luxurious lifestyle all while allowing her to be her own boss. Drew is hesitant, but the more Steph shares, the more Drew thinks this might be her ticket to turning her life around.

As Drew sends out sales pitches to everyone she’s ever known, she begins taking the LuminUS supplements. Soon it’s time for the annual conference where Drew gets to spend time with the rest of the bleach blonde team. Only things might not be as radiant as the skin of the women around her. Fights break out amongst the team members, and after a late night party, one LuminUS distributor is found dead.

Multilevel marketing is a tale as old as time, but this is a fun twist on your traditional whodunnit. The world of LuminUS shines bright in this lighthearted romp through the scammy world of direct sales. A fast paced and fun read! If you love a cheeky mystery or binged the LuLaRich docuseries, give this one a try.

Request a print copy here or a digital copy here.

Happy reading!

-Melinda

Book Review: The Dallergut Dream Department Store

Melinda1 Comment

Imagine walking into a glittering version of a department store, wandering around and taking in the magic of merchandising. Except in The Dallergut Dream Department Store, the only merchandise you’ll see are dreams. Imaginative dreams by the finest dream makers are stocked alongside the discount dreams with slight imperfections or lackluster themes. Among it all is Penny, the newest employee at the famed store. Dallergut himself interviews and hires Penny. As she finds her footing, she realizes that the mystical world of sleep can be carefully orchestrated. The regulars come through and purchase dreams of flying, eating, and otherworldly realms as their payments of wonder and flutter are deposited into the store’s vault. Penny gets to know the regulars and suggests dreams for them with practiced specificity. But not all dreams are pleasant. The market for nightmares is also met in this whimsical, mundane, and fantastical world of sleep.

As Penny discovers the business of dreams, intriguing side characters abound. The quiet plot of this book is by no means flashy, but the the world of dreamy magic pulled me in with this enveloping book. Translated from the original Korean bestseller, if you enjoyed Before the Coffee Gets Cold or Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, you’ll enjoy the world of this magical department store.

Request the print book here, or check out the digital collection.

Happy reading!

-Melinda

Book Review: End of Story

MelindaLeave a comment

Reclusive mystery novelist Sebastian Trapp doesn’t have long to live. And before he goes, he’s bound and determined to tell his own story. Enter Nicky Hunter, a detective fiction enthusiast he’s selected to craft his personal memoir. Nicky travels to Sebastian’s stately San Francisco mansion to immerse herself in the daily life of the household: Sebastian, the acclaimed novelist, his artistic second wife, Diana, his doting nephew, Freddy, his adult daughter, Madeleine, and the illustrious sidekick Watson the dog.

As Nicky attempts to uncover Sebastian’s life story, one secret is raised again and again- Sebastian’s biggest secret, over twenty years old. On New Year’s Eve in 1999 his first wife and son disappeared without a trace. No bodies have been found, but no proof of life has been found either. It’s something out of one of Sebastian’s own mystery novels. But it’s a case he hasn’t solved.

This book felt a little slow to start, but as Nicky explores the creaking San Francisco mansion, the plot thickens and really grabs your attention in the last third. Multiple first person narrators add intrigue and blend the past as callbacks to the golden age of detective mysteries are peppered throughout. The desire to find out whodunit kept me reading. If you’re a fan of books about books, you’ll enjoy the literary references!

Request a copy here.

Happy reading!

-Melinda

Book Review: Youthjuice

MelindaLeave a comment

Gut healing supplements, anti-aging night cremes, and questionable wellness practices lie at the heart of youthjuice. Imagine a world where Devil Meets Prada is crossed with Gwyneth Paltrow’s goop and you’ve got HEBE, a fictional luxury wellness company run by New York City it girl Tree Whitestone. When Sophia lands herself a job on the Storytelling team at HEBE, she’s ready to embrace the cult of wellness with open arms. Living in the shadow of a beauty blogger roommate, the radiating youthful glow of the interns and employees at HEBE call out to Sophia as she tries to blend into the world of colonics, concoctions, and connection. When Tree offers Sophia a tester of HEBE’s newest moisturizing product, youthjuice, Sophia jumps at the chance to prove her loyalty. Especially when the moisturizer gives her painful (and shameful) nail-bitten hands new life. But with all things, HEBE’s glittering facade might just be hiding a darker underworld…and Sophia’s about to dive right in.

Former beauty editor E.K. Sathue takes the reader on a journey into beauty culture that is sure to delight fans of the horror genre. This campy yet cunning exploration of the body horror subgenre could be a bit of a queasy-filled journey, but ultimately the world of pseudo-wellness lures you back. Readers will relate to Sophia’s desire to balance the all-consuming need to get ahead with her moral compass. This book is great for anyone who likes a little gore with their glam.

youthjuice comes out on June 4. Request a copy here.

Happy reading!

*I received a review copy from Soho Press and Edelweiss. This is my honest review. 

-Melinda

Book Review: Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame

MelindaLeave a comment

Jenny Quinn has been baking her entire life. From treacle tarts to chocolate teacakes, her baked goods are always sampled by her husband of fifty-nine years, Bernard. The two enjoy a quiet life as pensioners, puttering about the garden and visiting their niece and her children. After almost a lifetime together, there aren’t too many secrets between them. But when her favorite tv show Britain Bakes puts out a casting call for the new season, Jenny impulsively decides to apply without telling Bernard.

After she’s invited to audition, she begins baking up a storm using her trusty old fashioned scale to precisely weigh her ingredients. As she prepares her family recipes for judging, she reflects on the other thing weighing on her…the secret she’s been keeping from Bernard for almost six decades. A secret from long ago, before she even met him.

When Jenny lands a spot on the show she immediately regrets applying, sure that this series will highlight failures galore as she enters the competition. What she finds instead is camaraderie in a fellow baker and a producer whose youth and zest for life remind her of her younger self, forcing her to reflect on what could have been.

This sweet read draws heavily from GBBO, and the descriptions of the baking are so detailed it practically puts you right in the competition tent. Jenny is a lovable grandmotherly type of character and the flashbacks to her young adulthood add layers of interest and a dash of intrigue to an otherwise cozy story. This is a great pick for anybody who enjoys a good bake and a light-hearted read.

Request a copy here.

Happy reading!

-Melinda

Book Review: The Heiress

MelindaLeave a comment

Cam and Jules are just an average young couple. But Cam isn’t quite the everyday man he appears to be. As the son of North Carolina’s richest woman, he tries everything to escape both his inheritance and the home of the legendary McTavish family.

When a family death pulls the couple back to the stately Ashby House, Jules is awestruck at the opulent surroundings. And even more awe-inspiring is the life of the woman behind them- Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore, Cam’s late adoptive mother.

Ruby’s storied past began when she was the victim of a famous childhood kidnapping. Her legend continued as she found love, and was widowed…four times over. Amidst the rumors of her husbands mysterious deaths, she earns the moniker “Ruby Killmore.'” Even in death, Ruby oversees Ashby House from a life size oil painting, reminding Cam that one can never run from family. As Cam and Jules unveil the family’s storied past, secrets come to light that threaten their relationship, the inheritance, and the future of the McTavish name.

This was a twisty read told through Ruby’s own letters and the alternating perspectives of Cam and Jules. Rachel Hawkins thrills again with a story of a old money, old secrets, and an even older house. Slightly reminiscent of a gothic novel, The Heiress is a book that will have you flipping pages to find out what happens next.

Put the print copy on hold here.

Happy reading!

-Melinda

Book Review: Mister Lullaby

MelindaLeave a comment

Harrod’s Reach is home to a train tunnel filled with spooky stories. After a fatal train accident in the tunnel, all the kids and adults know- stay away from the tunnel. Bad things happen to those who enter the tunnel, as Gideon Dupree knows all too well. His brother, Sully, ran into the tunnel…and never woke up. Years later, Sully is still in a coma and Gideon is coming home from a tour abroad. His childhood friend, Beth Gardner is now the deputy sheriff of their small town, with a son of her own and a wariness surrounding the tunnel and its lore.

When the tunnel once again begins to beckon to the townspeople, strange figures and phenomena begin to occur. One of the town’s oddballs, “Simple” Simon, is discovered by Beth outside the tunnel. His limited language skills are far outweighed by the vivid drawings in his sketchbook, clutched tightly in his hands and carefully labeled LaLaLand.

This book had an intricately built world which made for a page-turning read. There are multiple first person narrators, but each main character has their own well-developed voice. The uneasiness and horror elements are not too gruesome but are definitely enough to keep you up at night. Likened to Stephen King, J.H. Markert tells a haunting tale that will stick with you long after you finish reading. A return to Harrod’s Reach would be welcome!

Put the print copy on hold here or put the audiobook on hold here.

Happy reading!

-Melinda

Book Review: The Sunshine Girls

MelindaLeave a comment

Clara and Abbie are mourning the loss of their mother, Betty Kay, when a mysterious and famous figure shows up at the funeral claiming to be one of their mother’s best friends. But they’ve never heard of her.

In 1960s rural Iowa, Betty Kay decides to leave the family farm and enrolls in nursing school. When she meets the other students, she sees girls like her- Iowa-born and used to farm life. Until she meets her roommate, Kitty. Kitty is a tough Southern belle who’s got secrets, sass, and sewing skills to last for days. The two steer clear of each other until tragedy comes for Betty Kay, leaving her in a predicament that could derail her future.

Clara and Abbie thought they knew most their mother’s story, but it’s clear that there are chapters missing. The two sisters grieve in their own ways, with Clara wishing she could make amends and Abbie missing her daily check-ins with her mom.

With the Vietnam war as the backdrop, Betty Kay’s sections lend a historical fiction feel to the book, complete with a smidgeon of romance. Told in dual timelines, Betty Kay’s story is told throughout the book as the sisters and the reader discover secrets from Betty Kay’s past. Ultimately the book demonstrates the power of deep female friendship and sisterhood. If you’re a historical fiction fan, consider picking this one up and sharing it with a friend.

Request a print copy here or an eAudiobook copy here.

Happy reading!

-Melinda

Book Review: The September House

MelindaLeave a comment

Margaret and Hal think they’ve struck the gold mine when they purchase a stately old Victorian home. But come September, things start going awry. Blood drips down the walls, items get misplaced, and ghostly former inhabitants known as “the pranksters” roam the halls. And they all ominously point to the basement door with a warning- “He’s down there.”

Margaret spends all her time managing the house and its quirks, but Hal has had enough. So when another September rolls around, Hal decides to take matters into his own hands…and disappears without a trace. When their daughter Katherine calls, Margaret begrudgingly shares the news that Hal is missing. Panicked, Katherine immediately plans a visit. In September. Just as the house is waking up for its annual haunting. What could go wrong?

I listened to this horror novel and was mesmerized by the characters, plot, and setting. The pranksters are explained in vivid detail, which gives them an especially spooky feel, and Margaret and Katherine’s antics are those of a classic mother-daughter pair. The house itself is a central character to the story as it creaks and groans with its dark secrets. If you want to be swept away by a scary story, this book is for you.

Request it here.

Happy reading!

-Melinda

Holiday Reads Without the Romance

MelindaLeave a comment

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

It’s December 1, we had our first (real) snowstorm of the season, and many folks are looking to cozy up and hibernate with a book. If you’re looking for a holiday romcom this season, there’s no shortage of holiday romances calling out to you from the library shelves. But if you want a holiday read without the romance, those can be a bit harder to find.

If you want a book to get you in the seasonal spirit of the holidays that doesn’t feature a romantic meet cute on a rural tree farm, read on for some wintry reading recommendations.

Just click on the title of the book to place a hold on it in our catalog.

Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak

It’s Christmas, and for the first time in years the entire Birch family will be under one roof. Even Emma and Andrew’s elder daughter–who is usually off saving the world–will be joining them at Weyfield Hall, their aging country estate. But Olivia, a doctor, is only coming home because she has to. Having just returned from treating an epidemic abroad, she’s been told she must stay in quarantine for a week…and so too should her family.

A Christmas Legacy by Anne Perry

After leaving her position with Charlotte and Thomas Pitt to get married, Gracie thought her days as a maid were behind her. But when her good friend’s daughter, Millie, turns up on her doorstep just before the holidays, frantic because things are going missing from the kitchen in the household she serves, Gracie knows she has to find out what is happening. Millie, whose mother died years before, can’t risk being accused of theft and getting thrown out on the street, with no character references for a new position.

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

Imagine a year without Christmas. No crowded malls, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes, no unwanted presents. That’s just what Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they’ll skip the holiday altogether.

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie

On Christmas Eve at Gorston Hall, the Lee family’s festivities are shattered by a deafening crash of furniture and a high-pitched wailing scream. Upstairs–in a locked bedroom–the tyrannical patriarch Simeon Lee lies dead in a pool of blood, his throat slashed.

When Hercule Poirot offers to assist, he finds an atmosphere not of mourning but of mutual suspicion. 

Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher

It is the strange rippling effects of a tragedy that will bring these five characters together in a large, neglected estate house near the Scottish fishing town of Creagan.

It is in this house, on the shortest day of the year, that the lives of five people will come together and be forever changed. 

A Dog Named Christmas by Greg Kincaid

When Todd McCray, a developmentally challenged young man still living on his parents’ Kansas farm, hears that a local animal shelter is seeking temporary homes for its dogs during the days leading to Christmas, he knows exactly what he wants for the holidays. His father objects, but Todd’s persistence quickly wins out. Soon the McCrays are the short-term foster family for a lovable pooch the young man names Christmas.

Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva

Charles Dickens is not feeling the Christmas spirit. His newest book is an utter flop, the critics have turned against him, relatives near and far hound him for money. While his wife plans a lavish holiday party for their ever-expanding family and circle of friends, Dickens has visions of the poor house. But when his publishers try to blackmail him into writing a Christmas book to save them all from financial ruin, he refuses. And a serious bout of writer’s block sets in.

‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas by David Rosenfelt

Reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter is at the Tara Foundation’s annual Christmas party. The dog rescue organization has always been his true calling, and this is one holiday tradition he can get behind because every dog that’s come through the rescue–and their families–are invited to celebrate.

In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd

aka A Christmas Story

Bending the ear of Flick, his childhood-buddy-turned-bartender, Shepherd recalls passionately his genuine Red Ryder BB gun, confesses adolescent failure in the arms of Junie Jo Prewitt, and relives a story of man against fish that not even Hemingway could rival. From pop art to the World’s Fair, Shepherd’s subjects speak with a universal irony and are deeply and unabashedly grounded in American Midwestern life, together rendering a wonderfully nostalgic impression of a more innocent era.

Happy reading!

-Melinda