The Gates of Evangeline by Hester Young

by Carol5 Comments
I feel like the Louisiana swamp where one of the pivotal scenes in the book takes place is a good comparison for the novel overall. It's murky and meandering and full of scary things you can't quiet see but you know are out there. There's a lot going on, but it didn't feel overly jumbles to me. Charlie has dreams of children that need help, and it has a paranormal/ghost story feel to it. There's the cold case involving a missing child, and the Deveau family has lots of secrets, some that go back decades. Charlie also gets a chance at romance, all while she's still grieving for her son. Young manages to keep it all together, though, doesn't let the story ramble too much or get overly stuck in the subplots. I guess, really, there are no subplots - it all ties together in the end, it's just getting there that sometimes seems like your paddling around and through...
Read More

Early Bird Special by Tracy Krimmer

by Carol1 Comment
I don't go Black Friday shopping, or Thanksgiving Day shopping for that matter, but I thought reading this short story that starts off with Francie and her family in line in the cold waiting for the store to open on Thanksgiving would fit the day. I know "Early Bird Special" is a short story, but at the end I was left with a "that's it?" feeling. I like Francie. Her parents seem nice enough and her brother has the potential to be interesting, but there were too many things brought up and just left off. I would have enjoyed it more if Krimmer had had a bit more time to develop the characters and story. I wanted a romance and I ended up with a woman deciding she needs to give men, and one in particular, a chance, which is not the same thing. I did enjoy it though. It was cute, it just didn't have that complete feeling I'm looking for...
Read More

Gold, Frankincense and Murder by Barbara Early

by Carol2 Comments
This is a cute little mystery. The suspect list is short, and the clues are sprinkled throughout, but I for one didn't put them together until the reveal. Then it all made sense. I like Donna as a main characters. She's not perfect, maybe a bit nerdy, but caring and smart and not too young. I don't know why she was so suspicious of the dead guy's friend so quickly, and of course the missing man turns up murdered not long after it's discovered he's missing. I understood that she at first thought he was out of her league romantically, but she jumped to maybe he was the killer pretty quickly for someone who she meets for the second time in church. Of course, it is just a novella and she had to meet him, suspect him, and start a bit of a romance with him all in a short period, so maybe that explains it. And Sam just kept trying. He's a good...
Read More

Thursday’s Tale: The Sleeper and the Spindle

by Carol2 Comments
Today I've got a fairy tale re-telling to share. It is a gorgeous book, by the way, perfect for any of the fairy tale lovers on your gift list for Christmas. This is a short story and feels like the fairy tale it is. The characters are all nameless, but we know the Queen is Snow White after the kiss from the prince. There are three (magic number) dwarves, a quest, magic, but I like the female twist. The one prince in the story is conspicuously absent, although the dwarves are loyal and trustworthy and brave. The Queen learns about the sleeping princess and that the curse if spreading, so she heads out to deal with it. She puts on her armor takes her sword and tells her prince they'll have to postpone the wedding. Doesn't take him with her, you notice; she's a little ambivalent about getting married. It's a darker twist on the traditional tale and there's a bit of a twist at...
Read More

Tied Up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh

by Carol3 Comments
As is often the case, Marsh spends a lot of time with the set-up and introducing the characters. This time around, we have a country house murder committed at Christmas. We spend the first half or so of the book meeting all the folks who are spending the holidays at the home. The owner of the house, Hillary Bill-Tasman, is having his portrait painted by Agatha Troy a well-known artist who also just so happens to be the wife of Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn. The house is full of eccentric guests, including the fiancée, Cressida, whose character is the only one that really screams 60s/70s to me. If it weren't for her, it could have been set in the 30s, which might have been a bit more fitting overall. There’s Uncle ‘Flea’ and Aunt ‘Bed’, a gruff old Colonel and his wife who arrive with a devoted manservant. All of the other servants are convicted, but paroled, murderers. On Christmas Eve there...
Read More

Happy and Merry: Seven Heartwarming Holiday Essays by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella

by Carol3 Comments
I admit it - I judged this one based on the cover. It was cute and Christmassy and the library had the audio available for download, so I picked it up. I thought it'd be a fun, light short listen. It was short, but I think I just must not connect well with the authors. This is the only thing I've read by the mother-daughter team, and I don't think I'll be searching out more. Other reviewers apparently love them and this short collection of re-printed essays- I am definitely in the minority. I guess they were good enough stories, trying to give the "real meaning" of the holidays, but I just couldn't relate. I liked the one about inviting the neighbor to Thanksgiving, but the "Guilt Trip" annoyed me,  as did the one about dog sweaters or something. They just seemed mostly pointless, but I guess they were just short essays, so maybe didn't really need a p0int. I didn't...
Read More