Mystery and Thriller Round up for 2022

It is time for year end lists!  Here’s my list of favorite mysteries and thrillers I read in  2022.  NOTE—I read these in 2022, some of them were published earlier… Each of these are a great mini-masterclass for mystery writers, too. Each does a wonderful job of keeping the reader curious, building suspense, but withoutContinue reading “Mystery and Thriller Round up for 2022”

Book Review: Brontë’s Mistress by Finola Austin

Brontë’s Mistress is an exploration of what happens when women are socialized to be decorative and seem to have no other purpose.  Our anti-heroine, Lydia Robinson, is the woman who became Branwell Brontë’s mistress during the 1840s.  Some readers may find her unlikable, spoiled, whiny, even extremely self-centered.  As an anti-heroine, these qualities are notContinue reading “Book Review: Brontë’s Mistress by Finola Austin”

Read Like a Writer Book Club Recap

We had a great July meeting and discussed Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty.  If you missed it and would like to see the notes, click below. One thing that came up in the meeting was that we would all like to see a Story Grid/Bookmap analysis of this novel.  I am not promising anything,Continue reading “Read Like a Writer Book Club Recap”

Throwback Thursday: Germinal by Emile Zola

Originally reviewed June 2015 First a little background:  Emile Zola was a French novelist during the late nineteenth century and is credited with founding the naturalist school of fiction writing.  His contemporaries, and indeed friends, included Flaubert, Balzac, and Stendhal.  Zola attempted to apply the methods of natural science to fiction writing to make itContinue reading “Throwback Thursday: Germinal by Emile Zola”

Throwback Thursday: The Truth and Other Lies by Sascha Arango

Originally reviewed 2015 Finally, something edgy, clever, and not the least bit condescending. The unreliable narrator will keep you guessing until long after you close the book. When we meet Henry, he is in the midst of a crisis. His mistress is pregnant, but he likes being married to his wife, who incidentally, is theContinue reading “Throwback Thursday: The Truth and Other Lies by Sascha Arango”

Austenalia: The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray

Those of you who are regular readers will know that I was looking forward to reading this novel.  It is an Austen fan fiction cozy mystery written by an author that I first became acquainted with through her Young Adult novels.   Here’s the set up:  it’s a house party starring the Darcys, the Knightleys, theContinue reading “Austenalia: The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray”